School Health

Baltimore County health officials are investigating why about 200 students at Pot Spring Elementary in Timonium - a third of the children there - got sick with gastrointestinal symptoms last week. The school's principal alerted school health officials after an "unusually high" number of students were absent Friday and a large number of students went to the nurse's office complaining of vomiting, said Debbie Somerville, coordinator of health services for the county schools. Nine staff members also got sick.

Baltimore County health officials are investigating why about 200 students at Pot Spring Elementary in Timonium - a third of the children there - got sick with gastrointestinal symptoms last week. The school's principal alerted school health officials after an "unusually high" number of students were absent Friday and a large number of students went to the nurse's office complaining of vomiting, said Debbie Somerville, coordinator of health services for the county schools. Nine staff members also got sick.

The Baltimore City Council showed wisdom when it voted recently to restore funding for health centers in the city's public schools. Few investments are more beneficial in terms of preventing illness and making schools more conducive to learning. Fully funding the health centers is also an excellent way to welcome Baltimore's new health commissioner, who established her reputation running the health department for New York's 1.1 million-student school system. Funding for the city's 13 school health centers will come in part from additional revenue raised from new taxes.

Mary Esther R. "Essie" Feldmann, a retired registered nurse and pioneering Rodgers Forge resident, died Sunday of complications from dementia at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Towson. Earlier this month, family and friends gathered to celebrate Mrs. Feldmann's 103rd birthday. She was born Jan. 13, 1910, in Baltimore. The daughter of a carriage maker and a homemaker, Mary Esther Roche was raised in Mount Washington. After graduating from Mount St. Agnes High School in 1929, she earned her nursing degree from the Mercy Hospital School of Nursing in 1932.

Carroll County's experiment with teaching gun safety to public school students as part of the health program this year could become a model for others in Maryland. Little has been done statewide to teach children what to do if they find a gun or encounter one somewhere, said Ron Peiffer, Maryland's assistant superintendent for school and community outreach. In Carroll, a committee of school staff, working with crime victims and law-enforcement representatives, has devised a program for students from kindergarten to high school that deals with guns as a personal safety issue.

The rubber glue in the shop class at Atholton High School is intended to paste together wooden cars and other class projects. But for 15-year-old Steve, the material was a first lesson in getting high.Howard County police and school health officials say the use of inhalants, common household substances, is making a comeback with youths who want to experiment with drugs.That's why school officials have mailed pamphlets on inhalants to the parents of elementary, middle and high school students who may not suspect they have substances around their homes that their children could use to get high.

Forgive Sandee Besser if she has an identity crisis.Her white uniform indicates she's a nurse, but on any given day at Glyndon Elementary School, she's also a teacher, cafeteria monitor, confidante, role model and "mama hen." These days, it's all part of being a school nurse in Baltimore County -- or elsewhere in Maryland.With many families short on time and health insurance, the school nurse often becomes a child's primary health care professional, making the first diagnosis on injuries and illnesses.

Dr. John M. Krager, deputy director of the Baltimore County Department of Health, died Sunday of a heart attack at his Ruxton residence. He was 69.Dr. Krager joined the Health Department in 1965 as assistant health officer, director of the Bureau of Preventive Services and chief of the Division of School Health.Since 1991 he had been deputy director of the Health Department. He was acting health officer from late 1994 -- when Dr. Margaret L. Sherrard retired as director -- until August, when Dr. Michelle A. Leverett was appointed to the position.

Officials seek leader for Health Council The Howard County public school system is accepting applications for the position of chair of the Howard County School Health Council. The council provides leadership and advice to the superintendent of schools and the health officer on developing and promoting school health programs. The executive committee meets four times yearly; the full committee also meets four times a year. Local school health councils are required by state law. Membership is drawn from the health, business, religious and volunteer communities, and includes parents and members of the school system and the Health Department.

ANNE ARUNDEL County school health staff are on the job preparing for the return of their students. For students, parents and teachers, it is an exciting, sometimes anxious time for which the health professionals are highly trained and qualified. The county Department of Health recently recognized school nurses, aides and support staff for their outstanding achievements in serving public school students during the past school year. Nearly 300 school health service professionals gathered at Kurtz's Beach in Pasadena for the department's first-ever breakfast awards program.

Back to school can also mean back to germs, breaks, sprains and concussions. While most of us know kids need a good night's sleep and a good breakfast, just what exactly do experts define as "good"? And what other basics should parents put on their checklist to ensure a more healthful year ahead? Here are a dozen rules to help you help your kids better prevent schoolhouse maladies. 1. A recipe for a good day. It's easy to pop your late-waking, picky eater in the car with a box of dry cereal or a toasted plain bagel for the drive to school.

Healthy living The Baltimore Washington Medical Center will present a discussion of diabetes prevention, exercise to achieve weight loss, and how to lower blood pressure and cholesterol from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. June 6 and from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. June 14. Cost: $25. Reservations: 410-787-4940. Nutrition, exercise classes The University of Maryland Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology at Baltimore Washington Medical Center will offer classes on nutrition and exercise.

Cookie dough logo contest could yield scholarship dough Jeanne's Gourmet Cookie Dough and Pretzels is offering a $1,000 scholarship to students 16 to 18 years old. Students must design an original character that depicts Jeanne's products or logo. The character will become the copyrighted property of Jeanne's Gourmet. In addition, the art department of the student's school will receive a $500 cash donation. Drawings must be submitted by May 30. Judging will take place in June, with the winner notified by July 15. Information: Jeanne's at 192 E. Main St., Westminster, or 410-751-2270or 800-665-2270.

Dr. Margaret Sherrard Hamberry, retired director of the Baltimore County Health Department who planned and directed large-scale 1950s polio immunizations, died Thursday of ovarian cancer at her North Baltimore home. She was 78. An advocate for public health issues in the Baltimore County schools system, the Homeland resident retired in 1994 after 40 years with the Health Department. "She was the most honest, down-to-earth, pragmatic, common-sense individual you'd ever know," said Dr. J. David Nagel, an internist who lives in Butler.