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School nurse earning global degree

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By Meagan Engle, Staff Writer Updated 11:22 AM Monday, August 3, 2009

Shane Allison has taught nursing, led health classes and coached academic teams and athletes.

But the Middletown City Schools nurse isn’t stopping there.

Allison is one of 150 educators worldwide accepted into the first year of the Global Field Program from Project Dragonfly and Miami University.

Allison is earning his master’s degree through the program with online courses and three international trips to study conservation.

“It’s an opportunity for me to one day diversify my role,” he said.

Allison, one of two male school nurses in the state, plans to use the degree in his efforts to be a model of a different and highly active school nurse.

“My entire life’s mission over the next 30 years is to change what people think about their school nurse,” he said.

Allison recently traveled to Belize in Central America for a 10-day exploration with scientists there to study community conservation of harpy eagles and jaguars, as well as manatee and sea turtles.

During the year, the Carlisle High School graduate will continue to study health-related barriers to education as he develops a lesson plan that will allow teachers in Belize to do vision screening of the students. Allison hopes his tool will make a difference in the lives of children, who could struggle in school simply because of vision problems.

“They’ll go their whole lives without intervention and that’s sad, because it’s a really easy thing to do,” he said. “You could potentially change that child’s life and that’s a worthwhile thing.”

Allison’s work also could have an impact here in Middletown.

“He’ll find a way to talk to the kids about it, too, so it will have a very impressive impact on the younger children in particular,” said Susan Combs, Middletown’s director of student services.

Combs said she hired Allison last year for Amanda Elementary, Central Academy and Middletown High School. This year, he will work at Rosa Parks Elementary and the high school. He’ll also again advise the academic quiz team.

“Shane is just willing to do anything you ask him to do,” Combs said.

Allison will continue his travels in the next two summers, with the chance to study cheetahs in Namibia, research the world’s last wild horses in Mongolia, tag leatherback sea turtles in Trinidad, explore tropical rainforest ecology in Costa Rica, and research marine and terrestrial ecosystems in Baja, according to the program.

“I’d be a worse person if I hadn’t done it and I get to do it two more times,” he said.

Earth Expeditions has been offering the trips for several years, but the master’s degree program is a newly created venture with Miami University and the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, said Chris Myers, Miami professor of zoology and director of Project Dragonfly.

“I don’t know really of any other program that does what this program does, which is one of the exciting things about it,” Myers said.

“It’s just exceeding all of our expectations,” Myers said. “One of the neatest things about the program is looking at the potential of this group of global environmental leaders and what they’ll be doing. People are doing fantastic things already all over the globe.”

Allison said he feels very fortunate that he was accepted into the program.

“It’s such a big world out there and there’s all these amazing thing,” he said.

“We take so much for granted. I don’t think we realize how lucky we really are,” Allison said.

“There’s somebody somewhere who doesn’t have access to food or clean water and has a scorpion in their bed,” he said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2551 or mengle@coxohio.com.

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It was great to meet you on the Earth Expeditions trip this past summer Shane! You are an amazing person!!! Middletown is lucky to have you as part of their team!

Sandy
10:20 PM, 9/28/2009

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Way to go Shane, great job! We will miss you very much at Central! Have a great year!

Tricia & Roger
10:46 AM, 8/3/2009

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Great job, Shane! You're an asset to your profession and Middletown Schools.

Cindy
8:37 AM, 8/3/2009

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