Our Kindergarten classes learn about Community Helpers as part of their first SEAL unit. On Thursday, September 26, 2019, two former Dahl Students returned to school to present to our Kindergarten classes about the medical field. Nurse Judy Sumida Sumitt and Paramedic Amy Sumida, attended Dahl in the mid-1990’s, when Dahl was known as Hillsdale Elementary School.
As you may have guessed, both Judy and Amy are Mrs. Sumida’s daughters! They came to school to speak about careers in the medical field and to help celebrate Mrs. Sumida’s 60th Birthday. It should also be noted that Judy was a Second Grade student in Ms. Nguyen’s class when Ms. Nguyen first started teaching at Dahl.
Judy Sumitt has been a nurse working with geriatric patients at a hospital in Monterey for two years. Judy received her BA at SJSU and got her RN at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA.
She spoke to the Kindergarten students about working hard in school to go to college if they want to become a nurse. She let them know that to get a nursing license students can attend a community college, a four year college, or a for profit nursing school. She also talked to our students about what she does at the hospital to help patients and gave a demonstration on the proper way to wash hands. Demonstrating that students wash the front and back of their hands with soap and water for as long as it takes to sing the Happy Birthday song. She also recommended that when using hand sanitizer students remember to wash both the front and back of their hands until they are dry.
Amy Sumida now works as a Paramedic for San Bernardino County Fire Department. She was the Paramedic of the Year in Yucca Valley, CA for 2018. Amy talked to the students about working hard in school to go to college. She attended Paramedic School at Redwood College in Humboldt, CA and is currently applying to nursing schools while working as a paramedic. She has been an EMT and paramedic for over ten years.
Amy spoke to the Kindergarten students about working on an ambulance with a fire department and rescuing people when they are hurt or having a medical emergency. She talked about what firefighters do also. She brought some of her equipment to show the students. She told them that at a fire you can identify what job rescue workers have by the color of their helmets. Paramedics and EMTs wear blue helmets. She showed students how the different parts of her helmet protect her in a fire. She told students that in a fire every inch of a rescuers skin must be covered with fire/heat resistant material, so that they do not get burned. At the end of their presentation, the students received stickers, erasers, fire dog pins.
Both former Dahl students reminded our current students that they have to work hard to learn to read, write, and do math to become a nurse or paramedic because they have to use those skills everyday in their jobs.
All in all, our Community Helper Day was a fun and engaging learning experience for everyone!