A nurse and certified diabetic educator at Fayette County Memorial Hospital was presented with the 2016 Fayette County Friend of Education Award on Tuesday evening.
Mary Dye was recognized during the 19th-annual dinner-meeting of administrators and boards of education members from the Southern Ohio Educational Service Center (SOESC) four-county service area. Each year, superintendents are asked to nominate members of the community as Friends of Education — individuals or organizations that have contributed greatly to successes in the schools.
As a true “Friend of Education,” Dye provides multiple training sessions every year for both Washington Court House City Schools and the Miami Trace Local School District. As required by law, all teachers and staff members must learn how to effectively monitor school children with diabetes.
Dye’s training sessions are specific as she has worked closely with classroom teachers and administrators, secretaries and bus drivers, providing information about blood sugar readings, how to administer insulin by mouth and injection, and overall diabetes care and management. She has spent significant time with the food service personnel in both districts, giving tips and ideas about carbohydrate counting and healthy exchanges. More importantly, she is available and approachable at any time to answer questions or give encouragement or advice when school personnel have specific needs regarding diabetic students.
After raising her three children, Dye finally decided what she wanted to be when she grew up and with great courage, went back to school at age 40 to become a nurse. As an RN, she has spent her entire nursing career at Fayette County Memorial Hospital where she leads the ambulatory care/outpatient surgery department. She provides teachings for those who have been newly diagnosed with diabetes, as well as for those that constantly deal with the daily struggles of being a diabetic. She offers the people of Fayette County information, classes, and helpful resources that may not otherwise be available to them.
Dye has made a tremendous impact on her community and schools – an impact that goes mostly unnoticed unless one has been affected by the disease of diabetes. Every building in both the Washington Court House and Miami Trace school districts has at least one diabetic student. However, through the compassionate reassurance and wealth of information that she provides, many times she helps to bridge the gap between home and school. Officials from the Washington Court House City Schools and Miami Trace Local School District said they are fortunate to have Dye as a “Friend of Education,” where her sincerity for helping others is evident in Fayette County.
R. Kirk Hamilton, Ph.D., the executive director of the Buckeye Association of School Administrators, was guest speaker for the event held at Laurel Oaks Career Development Center.
Information for this article was provided by The Wilmington News Journal and Washington City Schools.
