New Teacher of the Year CONNIE ROLISON

Nathan King

Connie Rolison RNC, MSN, WHNP, a health science teacher at Biloxi High Career Technology Center (CTC), emboldens her students to impact their community through outreach and deeply needed health education awareness.

At Biloxi High CTC, Rolison teaches Health Care Core and Health Care and Clinical Services (HCCS), under the leadership of her career and technical education director, Sheneatha McDaniel, Ph.D. When Rolison was awarded the 2024 MS ACTE New Teacher of the Year, she emphasized that, “Receiving this award is a humbling experience for me. It is a reflection not just of my efforts, but of the collective support and inspiration that I have received from my students, colleagues and the entire school community. I am grateful for this acknowledgment, which motivates me to continue striving for excellence while impacting my students’ lives.”

McDaniel responded, “Ms. Rolison’s New Teacher of the Year award is a significant moment for the Biloxi High CTC, highlighting one of our outstanding educators within our A-rated school district.” McDaniel added, “A teacher with Connie Rolison’s skill set is truly rare, as one might imagine. Ms. Rolison embodies the high standards we uphold at Biloxi High: ‘Excellence from all for all.’ Rolison understands the importance of aiming for A’s and pursuing excellence in every aspect—academics, activities, and attitude.”

Rolison emphasized that her passion for teaching stems from the opportunity to help students grow and succeed, stating, “Every lesson and every challenge drives my passion for helping a new generation of future health professionals.” She finds daily inspiration in her students’ curiosity, resilience, and enthusiasm and views

Opposite: Rolison pictured during the MS ACTE awards ceremony. Top: The Biloxi HOSA chapter at the HOSA State Competition in Tupelo: Top row (L-R): Connie Rolison, advisor, Ava Naron, Claudia Quave, Hassan Dawson, Emmah Gehlsen, Ajani Cummings, Jasmyn Sharpe, Baron “Audie” Reeves, Jaidyn Sharpe, Erian Johnson, Shambrah Cuffee, Landon Miller, Jada Washington, Tristan Aguilar. Front Row (L-R): Autumn Crider, Takiyah Williams, Carrington Poole, Aamara Dancel, Kayla “KP” Pilato, Aldyn Saucier, Jordyn McClusky, Diana Lai, Lisa Hong Bottom: “Out of the Darkness” Suicide Awareness Walk: (L-R): Diana Lai, Jaidyn Sharpe, Jasmyn Sharpe, Unknown, Amailya Golden, Keona Ball, Marianna Gonzalez, Angelica Gonzalez, Madison Lockwood challenges as opportunities for growth and learning. She advises new teachers to, “Be yourself, show students who you are and that you care, and to powerfully motivate students by setting high expectations while giving them praise and positive feedback when they achieve them.”

Rolison, a registered nurse and women’s health nurse practitioner since 1996 and 2001, respectively, “Semi-retired from clinical practice in 2018,” after her daughter was diagnosed with a very rare skull-based tumor in 2015.

She stated, “My true inspiration to begin teaching was my daughter Mackenzie, as I wanted more time with my family. Teaching would have been my second choice as a career if I didn’t go into nursing.” Rolison noted that nursing and teaching have similarities, say- ing, “As a teacher, you may find yourself ‘nursing’ concerns beyond the lesson plans and class assignments. You become more of a caregiver sometimes to your students.” She added, “After educating patients daily in my nursing career, teaching was a natural transition for me. Lesson plans and nursing care plans are similar, so the planning was familiar to me.”

Students treating their pumpkin during the ‘Pumkinectomy’ project held each Fall during the week of Halloween.

Rolison shared that her “Students’ favorite activities are hands on, including games, arts and crafts projects, and practicing skills that we are learning. They love hands on activities in addition to class presentations and role playing, which develop the soft skills, or ‘bedside manner,’ needed as health care providers.” She noted, “One favorite project is the ‘pumpkinectomy’ during the week of Halloween, where students carve pumpkins set up to simulate a real surgery. They have assigned roles and treat the pumpkin like a patient.” Rolison expressed, “I hope they become not only competent but nurturing healthcare professionals, remembering that they are not just taking care of a ‘patient’ or a ‘diagnosis’ but human beings that have feelings, often at their most vulnerable point, when kindness is needed most.”

Rolison’s HCCS program introduces essential skills and provides hands-on clinical experiences, covering safety, employment preparation, human development, nutrition, emergency services, and basic medical skills. The comprehensive curriculum addresses healthcare systems, infection preven- tion, ethics, communication, medical terminology and key body systems, preparing students for a variety of healthcare careers. It equips students with real world workforce experience while completing a minimum of 100 hours of clinical-type activities. McDaniel expressed, “Many students reported a significant confidence level boost after engaging in post-secondary coursework and field experiences.”

Rolison has formed lasting alliances with Merit Health Biloxi and Frank Duke, their director of emergency services, who visits her class each year to discuss emergency services and facilitates clinical rotations. She said, “We go to the hospital for clinical observations every Tuesday starting around October and Frank Duke makes sure that the students have a great observation experience.” McDaniel noted that Rolison fosters collaborative relationships with Memorial Health systems, Singing River Health systems, Merit Health systems, William Carey College School of Nursing and School of Pharmacy, and Keesler Medical Center to meet the needs of the students as well as the community. McDaniel celebrated Rolison’s “Unwavering commitment to lifelong learning, which empowers her to instill a deep appreciation for the healthcare field among her students.”

McDaniel added that Rolison’s ability to sustain positive relationships with her students is remarkable. Many continue to reach out to her after graduation to share their experiences.

Simran Patel, a senior at Biloxi High School, who completed the program, credited Rolison with “Showing me what I would truly love to pursue as my future career, Pediatric Dentistry.” Patel added, “There are opportunities in health care for each student. Mrs. Roli- son is such a funny, bright, and creative person who has helped me to personally evolve into who I am and helped me to discover the career that I desire to pursue in health care. She has gone above and beyond to give us the best opportunities including becoming certified EKG and phlebotomy technicians. Ms. Rolison stayed after school to make sure that her students felt confident and understood the material. She provided a great clinical experience through hospital job shadowing.” Patel highly recommends this course, stating, “Ms. Rolison is such an outstanding Health Science teacher. I am prepared for my health care future.”

Rolison emphasized that most healthcare careers require a post-secondary education, noting, “When students leave my health science program, they have a lot of knowledge that will help them in their respective post-secondary programs like medicine, nursing, pharmacy, x-ray, sports medicine, and so on, but they really cannot get a job straight out of high school.” To address this, Rolison started an optional after school program for certifications as Certified Phlebotomy Technicians and Certified EKG Technicians. She proudly reported, “Nine out of 10 EKG tech students passed their test and seven out of seven phlebotomy students passed their test, giving them a chance to get a job straight out of high school to gain healthcare experience while waiting for acceptance into their post-secondary programs.”

McDaniel noted, “Ms. Rolison’s extensive knowledge, experience and skills in healthcare have provided her students with opportunities to exceed standard expectations, encouraging them to excel and explore beyond the curriculum.” McDaniel added, “Connie’s passion for learning is contagious. Her love for teaching is impactful, leaving students feeling confident, knowledgeable and ready to enter post-secondary studies or health-related careers.”