This year has been pretty different for everyone at school. There’s new rules, new schedules and even new staff. However, the new school nurse is more than just another change. Once you get to know her, you’ll find that Mrs. Allison Gravlin is not only the perfect fit for the job, but also an awesome addition to our crusader family.

St. Dominic alumnus Mrs. Gravlin is hardly new to this area, as she grew up right here in St. Charles. She attended St. Joseph Cottleville grade school, and then went on to our own St. Dominic campus for her high school education. While she did end up enrolling at Southeast Missouri State University and living in Cape Girardeau for a little while, she has mostly called this area home for her entire life. For her, being the school nurse is an awesome way that she can give back to the school that she loved so much.

“One of the main reasons I wanted to come work here was because this is where I attended high school! I really enjoyed my time here, and I knew it would be an excellent place to work,” Mrs. Gravlin explained.

Although the environment might be familiar, the daily job differs quite a bit from her days as a student to say the least. A typical working day, as she described, consists of meeting the needs of students who come in feeling sick, injured or simply in need of some medication. However, these students mean much more to her than just patients.

“The most important thing to me is getting to know each student that comes in so that I can care for them appropriately, whatever their needs may be,” Mrs. Gravlin said.

Although she loves her job and takes a lot of pride in it, she also finds it important to relax after a long day. Outside of school, Mrs. Gravlin stays extremely active. In the summer, she prioritizes playing sand volleyball with friends, and she tries to play indoor soccer whenever possible. She also enjoys to run and exercise year round. However, all of her athletics take second place to spending time with her family. In her time off, nothing is more important to her than being with her husband Travis and her newly born son, Reid. She is also very close to her sisters Brittany and Kristen.

Going forward, Mrs. Gravlin cannot wait to see what the school year has in store as she gets a new feel for what the current day St. Dominic community is like. While many things are different, she notes that some things never change, and that the St. Dominic family is as strong as ever.

“I feel there is such a great sense of community here at St. Dominic. Everyone has been so welcoming and gone out of their way to make me feel at home! It seems to me like the faculty enjoys working here and the students are excited to be back in school,” Mrs. Gravlin stated.

Only time will tell what this year has in store with us, but students can rest assured knowing that there is a great school nurse that is here to help with everyone’s needs. The health of students is now more of a priority than it ever has been, and Mrs. Gravlin is leading the fight against COVID-19 here at St. Dominic.