Lexington County School District One proudly announces that the South Carolina Department of Education and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control recently recognized two of our school nurses as top in the state.

Nursing and Health Services Director Amy Wood, RN, BSN was honored as the state’s top school nursing administrator, and Lexington Technology Center’s Rachel Rogers, LPN was named the 2022 School Health LPN of the Year.

“Our school nurses worked tirelessly during the pandemic, and always, to support our students,” said Superintendent Dr. Greg Little. “Amy Wood’s expertise was critical to the operations of our schools during the last few, challenging years. I will always be grateful for her leadership. As for Nurse Rogers, she is a stellar example of the amazing healthcare professionals who help to keep our students healthy and safe. Both of these nurses are well-deserving of these fine awards.”

Wood received the prestigious Dee Dee Chewning School Nurse Administrator Award, which recognizes a registered nurse functioning in a school nurse administrator role who excels at administering and coordinating quality school nursing and school health programs.

The award honors Ruth D. “Dee Dee” Chewning, RN, SNP, NCSN, who worked for 15 years as a school nurse in Lexington District One and as a nurse practitioner at Wil Lou Gray Opportunity School for one year.

With 17 years of nursing experience, Wood’s nursing career began in 2005 at Lexington Medical Center. She joined Lexington District One in 2007, simultaneously working at LMC and the school district for seven years. In 2015, she was promoted to the district’s nursing and health services coordinator, then promoted to director in 2018. In this role, she manages and supports approximately 45 school-level RNs and LPNs, and coordinates nursing services at all schools.

Rogers began her nursing career in 2014, working for four years in medical offices. She joined Lexington District One in 2017 as a float nurse, providing support and coverage to schools across the district. In 2019, she became the full-time nurse at Lexington Technology Center. She is trained to deliver specialized care to our district’s most medically fragile students.

Both awards are voted on by school nurses from across the state. Rogers and Wood were honored by their peers during a recent virtual event held by DHEC.

More about Ruth D. “Dee Dee” Chewning

During her tenure, Ruth D. “Dee Dee” Chewning collaboratively developed the first S.C. School Health Standards and Procedural Manual, implemented professional development for school nurses and supported school nurses across the state.

As a school nurse, she witnessed the impact that lack of access to health care had on children and their families, which helped to establish her goal to make a difference by improving services for underserved people, especially students.

From 1992 through 2005, she served as the executive director of Healthy Learners, a ministry of the Sisters of Charity that strives to assure health services for uninsured and underinsured school-aged children by providing access to needed health care. Her passion for Healthy Learners stemmed from experiences as a school nurse.

In retirement, Chewning continues to give back to her community through volunteer membership with boards and organizations that aid others. She received numerous awards including the Governor’s Order of the Silver Crescent and the Palmetto Gold Award for excellence in nursing.