A Partner in EDUCATION B
oone Hospital Center has had a partnership with Columbia Public Schools for almost 40 years. Becoming one of the first partners in the district, Boone Hospital joined Jefferson Junior High School ( JJHS) in 1984 as their sole Partner in Education. Partners in Education allows schools and businesses in the community to work together and share resources. “The partnership with Boone was established to increase community relations and involvement with Columbia Public Schools,” says Nancy Jones, former PIE chairperson for JJHS. When the PIE partnership started in 1984, Jefferson Junior High School taught 8th and 9th graders. In 2013, the school was converted to Jefferson Middle School ( JMS), and the grades changed to 6th, 7th and 8th. When it was JJHS, Boone was able to offer the 9th graders a chance to explore work opportunities at the hospital. The Volunteen Program accepted 25 9th graders each year. The students would be assigned to various departments, and it gave them a chance to see the inner workings of the hospital. Matt Borgemeyer, MD, an OBGYN at Women’s Health Associates was in the first volunteen program at JJHS. Job Shadowing was also available to the older students, and showed students that the hospital offered jobs that went beyond medicine. Students interested
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BOONE HEALTH
Winter 2024
Dr. Borgemeyer was in the first Volunteen program at JJHS.
in security learned how expansive the hospital security system was. Through the PIE partnership, Boone Hospital was instrumental in installing security cameras at Jefferson Junior High School. “Long before horrendous school shootings and when school buildings were not locked from outsiders, Boone was concerned about people who cut through Jeff ’s halls. Our location between the business loop and downtown provided cut-through traffic that was most concerning. Boone had security
cameras placed in our main hall to help monitor those who might not have school business in the building,” says Linda Hutton, former PIE chairperson. While it was also a Junior High, Boone Hospital allocated funds for there to be a full-time nurse at school at all times. Boone worked with contractors in Columbia and helped renovate a portion of the building to take the nurse’s office from a tiny room to a nicer office for the nurse to work from. Boone Hospital regularly stocks the nurses office with supplies and snacks. Home Economics students used to hold Teddy Bear Teas. Each year around Valentine’s Day, faculty and staff from the school and any Boone employee could bring their children ages 3 through 6 with a Teddy Bear to the Teddy Bear Tea. There would be cookie decorating and crafts and the drama/speech students would perform puppet stories. Since 2005, there has also been a Boone Excellence in Education Award that is given to one JMS employee every year. The JMS faculty nominates teachers, and the winning teacher receives a $500 check that is given to them at the annual awards assembly held on the last day of school. Health Fair and Flu Shots for Teachers As part of the PIE partnership, Boone Health's Community Wellness
