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HFM BOCES LPN
program honors 20 nursing graduates
‘It takes a very special person to be a nurse’
 JOHNSTOWN
- Twenty adult learners took a significant step from student
toward licensed practical nurse in a graduation ceremony in
their honor Wednesday, June 22 at HFM BOCES. After investing two
years and countless hours in study and clinical training, the
fresh crop of new nurses were enthusiastically cheered by their
friends, family, and teachers as they recited the practical
nurse’s pledge and received their pin.
Doctors, surgeons and other medical specialists contribute their
important skills and expertise to the treatment of disease and
injury. However, it was evident from the comments of several
speakers that the care and compassion delivered by nurses was
the component of healing that most remembered and valued.
 “It
takes a very special person to be a nurse,” HFM BOCES Board of
Education President Robert Townsend said in his remarks. “I have
personally benefited from the compassionate smile of a caring
nurse, and I am very happy that people like you have taken an
interest in nursing.”
Administrative coordinator Duilio Viscusi, who oversees the LPN
program shared that he was “in awe of people with the fortitude
to succeed in a program like this,” referring to the obstacles
to be overcome along the way without sacrificing an attitude of
caring and compassion.
District Superintendent Dr. Patrick Michel said that he had
watched the students come and go each day carrying a “huge”
book. “I never would have taken a class like this if I saw the
size of that book you had to learn,” he said. “I am impressed by
you for choosing to serve others. You have chosen a truly noble
life.”
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Lorraine Hohenforst offered three
tips for the graduating class, gleaned from a book called “1001
Tips for Graduates.”
“For the sake of time we will settle for only three,” she joked.
“First, ask lots of questions. As much as we learn, we never
know everything.
“Second, ask someone you respect to observe your work. We all
grow through evaluation by others.
“Finally, accept that you will make mistakes. We all do it. It’s
best to own up, learn from it, and move on.”
Kathleen Jones, a registered nurse and administrator at St.
Mary’s Wilkinson Residential Health Care Facility, told the
graduates that learning is continuous and contagious.
“Learn from your experiences and from,” she said. “You never
know where your journey might take you.”
 Jacquleen
Priamo spoke as a representative of the 2011 class. She thanked
her husband and all the family and friends assembled for their
patience and support.
“It’s not your right to be a nurse, but an honor,” she said to
her classmates. “It feels so great to know we all are in exactly
the right place at the right time in our lives.”
After the speeches, diplomas and awards were presented to the
graduating class. Recognition for academic achievement and
clinical proficiency were combined with awards like the “Head,
Heart and Hands Award,” honoring students for not only technical
skills and knowledge, but also the measure of their compassion
for others.
 Several
monetary awards were presented, including one for every student
from the Johnstown Hospital Foundation to assist them in meeting
their licensure costs.
After the cheers, a few tears, the flowers and the hugs, the
graduates walked down the aisle, no longer HFM BOCES students
but newly minted practical nurses.
The LPN Class of 2011
Sandra L. Allen, Kristen L. Brumaghim, Sean I. Dolton, Inika
J. Downes, Katy Sue Eckard, Ashley A. Henderson, Susan A.
Hunter, Heather A. Johns, Desiree A. Lennon, Megan M. Loux,
Saleena L. Maxson, Jennifer L. Miller, Jacquleen J. Priamo,
Marcie J. Rowe, Amy Lynn Sauve, Nonka W Schuyler, Randy A.
Simpson, Amanda M. Small, Shannon L. Smith, Cristobal Tirado
Awards
• Most Professional
Student Award – Saleena Maxson
• Highest Average Award –
Jacquleen Priamo
• Nursing Proficiency Award
– Cristobal Tirado
• Head, Heart & Hands Award
– Amy Lynn Sauve
• Compassion in Nursing Award
– Shannon Smith
• Dr. Mayer & Cope Family
Practice Award – Katy Sue Eckard
• Mountain Valley Hospice Award
– Megan Loux
• Nathan Littauer Hospital Award
– Kristen Brumaghim
• Nathan Littauer Nursing Home
Award – Ashley Henderson
• St. Mary’s Healthcare –
Wilkinson Campus Award – Susan Hunter
• St. Mary’s Hospital Nursing
Peer Relations Council Award – Amanda Small
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