After 33 years of nose bleeds, head checks, and bandaging up students, Margo Gilman, the nurse at Valley, will be retiring at the end of the year. Mrs. Gilman has been a nurse for grades UPK- 6^th for 28 years at Marcus Whitman.

She started her college career as biology major. During her first year of college she chose to "explore careers in the medical field and ultimately chose nursing because [she enjoyed] working with and taking care of people." This still carries on with her today.

Working at an elementary school, she has the opportunity to watch the students grow from tiny UPK and Kindergarten students to "very independent children in the upper grades with so many interests and abilities!" By 5^th grade these students can play instruments, sing in chorus, play sports, and can be very artistic! She enjoys watching all of the students grow as individuals. The biggest lesson she has learned, while working with the youngest students especially, is "how resilient children are and that just one person can make all the difference in a child’s life."

One of the things she is looking forward to after retirement is becoming a first time Grandma at the end of May! She is also looking forward to pursuing interests that she hasn’t had time to enjoy in the past. Mrs. Gillman says she will miss the entire school family, both students and staff. She considers it a privilege to have worked with such wonderful people, and believes she couldn’t ever find a more dedicated and caring group of individuals. One thing she won’t miss… is checking for head lice! Good luck with all your future aspirations! You will be missed.