Nestled in the valley of Texas lies a campus of ‘scholars’ — the students of IDEA Weslaco Pike are incredibly fortunate to have Carina Pecina, LPN, as their school nurse. With a background in pediatric and geriatric home health, as well as behavioral health, Nurse Carina brings a wealth of experience that she uses to support the well-being of every student on her campus.

Now in her third year at IDEA Weslaco Pike, Nurse Carina’s role goes beyond providing essential health services and her commitment to her students shines through in all that she does. She is a member of both the Campus Crisis Team and the Healthy Kids Here Committee, embodying the school’s commitment to ensuring that every scholar can reach their fullest potential.

For IDEA Weslaco Pike, prioritizing the health of their scholars starts at the district level. At IDEA Public Schools, the health of scholars is a top priority coming from their wellness policy that emphasizes the physical and emotional well-being of all students.

“[We are] prioritizing students’ physical and emotional health in a positive, safe environment to help our scholars achieve the best outcome,” Nurse Carina explained.

Nurse Carina takes every chance she gets to tell parents at her campus about the availability of the SchoolMed program, and said she strongly believes in the connection of a student’s health and their academic success.

“Healthy students are present in class, they can focus better, making them better learners which leads to better academic performance,” she said.

Reflecting on the impact of SchoolMed, she explained, “[Without this program], treatment would be delayed — that is if parents can even take students to a provider to be seen. This leads to slower recovery and if not seen, the student’s condition worsening, leading to an increase in absences.”

Nurse Carina steps onto her campus each day knowing that she is equipped to ensure her scholars can be healthy and successful at IDEA Weslaco Pike.

“This service has been of great benefit to our scholars, promoting and prioritizing their health and wellbeing while making it affordable and convenient to our families,” Nurse Carina expressed.

Thank you, Carina, for always prioritizing the health of your scholars at IDEA Weslaco Pike.