10/24/2022
Education and Outreach
Kathy Clemens exited her career as an educator on a high note.
She retired after more than two decades in the Clark County School District (CCSD) with impeccable timing, having received a Heart of Education Award from The Smith Center just a few weeks prior.
“I feel humbled and validated. For the past 26 years, I truly did put my heart and soul into the health and education of the students of CCSD,” Clemens says.
As a nonprofit, The Smith Center created its annual Heart of Education Awards to celebrate CCSD educators who go above and beyond. The center recognizes over 700 finalists each year at a red-carpet event, and thanks to generous support from the Rogers Foundation, the top 20 teachers each receive a $5,000 cash award, a medallion and a $1,000 donation to their school.
Community members nominate teachers for the awards program each year, and nominated teachers submit applications that undergo a thorough review process.
“This year, I was nominated by several of my juniors,” Clemens says. “Reading their words about how I make them feel, and how I have positively impacted their high school experience on more than just an academic level, means more to me than words can say. It’s the whole reason that I do what I do.”
Specifically, teaching nursing at West Career & Technical Academy is what Clemens did. For roughly the past 13 years, she prepared high school students for meeting the eligibility requirements to become entry-level, health-care providers known as CNAs.
“I have done my best to present the world of health care in the most realistic manner possible — the good, the bad and the ugly. I have shared my personal experiences as a nursing student and as a practitioner in various areas of nursing,” Clemens explains. “It’s the real-life stories and experiences that my students have told me over the years that have been most valuable to them. I believe it gives them a more realistic picture of what to expect when I take them to the nursing home for their clinical training, and for what to expect as a practicing RN.”
That picture of reality includes the recent global health-care challenges that have impacted the medical community since March 2020.
“The COVID-19 pandemic gave me so much material to incorporate into my lessons, from a community health perspective to a personal responsibility perspective,” says Clemens.
Clemens even arranged an online presentation with a former student, who is now an ICU nurse working with COVID patients.
“She described the difficulties of watching patients deteriorate so quickly, and not being able to be with their families, and then going home to her own family,” Clemens says. “She described how it felt to have people in the local and global community not believe that it was a serious health problem.”
In addition to bringing real-world experiences of health-care practitioners into her classroom, Clemens taught her students how to be compassionate.
“I (taught) them why the things they do are so important. I (taught) them that no matter what, all people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect,” she explains.
In addition to teaching nursing classes, Clemens served as the advisor for HOSA-Future Health Professionals (formerly known as Health Occupations Students of America).
When Clemens started West Tech’s HOSA chapter, she had approximately 10 members. She grew the chapter to over 180 members, by spending countless hours organizing meetings, community service projects, and preparing for state and international conferences.
All of Clemens’ hard work resulted in her being selected as Nevada HOSA Advisor of the Year in 2021.
“So much of being a nurse involves teaching. It involves a relationship, an interaction, a speaking and listening exchange,” expounds Clemens of her teaching philosophy. “This is what I (did) on a daily basis with my students and through this, I formed the foundation for a safe and effective learning environment.”
While she may have retired from CCSD, Clemens has not left the field of nursing.
“I am working on my resume to get back into the hospital,” she reports. “Maybe one of my former students will be my boss. I would love that!”
LEARN MORE
The nomination period for The Smith Center’s Heart of Education Awards runs from November through January each year. To learn more about this awards program, visit www.TheHeartofEducation.org.