Celebrating 25 years of caring for students’ health

Students are the heartbeat of the district, and at Buckner Terrace Montessori, school nurse Angela Edoghotu has been making sure that those heartbeats stay strong and healthy for the last 25 years.

This year, as Dallas ISD marks the 100th anniversary of the Health Services Department, Edoghotu was named Employee of the Year in recognition of her exceptional contributions to students and their learning environment. 

Originally from Nigeria, Edoghotu discovered her love for education and caring for others at a young age. That passion carried her across continents to the United States, where she faced the challenges of culture shock and the pressures of raising five children while pursuing a degree in nursing.  

In 1995, she completed an associate’s degree in nursing from Dallas College and eagerly applied to Dallas ISD. When she learned she needed a bachelor’s degree to become a school nurse, Edoghotu wondered if she had the stamina to go back to school again while raising her family.   

“I have always wanted to be a nurse in the school system. That is where my passion is,” she said. “I want to help students, because when they are healthy they can learn better.” 

She pressed on, working to earn her degree and balancing the demands of night and day shifts in hospital settings. Finally, in 1999, she achieved her dream of becoming a school nurse.  

Her first year, Edoghotu split her time between two campuses, Edna Rowe and S.S. Conner elementary schools, serving about 2,000 students, many with chronic health conditions. She has served at Edna Rowe, now known as Buckner Terrace, for the last two decades.  

Over the years, she has seen the role of school nurse expand with new tools and practices. Telehealth, she said, has been especially crucial to giving families access to doctors, clinics and resources they may not otherwise have.  

“I’m so happy that nurses are in schools to address the health issues that may come up,” she said. “Parents can be assured that their child is being taken care of and teachers can feel supported while they are managing their classrooms.”  

Edoghotu also commends the entire Health Services Department for its leadership during the pandemic. 

“Dallas ISD has come a long way to make sure that each school has nurses,” she said. “And so much has changed, especially through COVID. We didn’t shy away from it during that time. We took things head on. We were there, teaching and protecting staff about precautions and making sure they knew about the illness and how it evolved.”  

Dallas ISD nurses, she said, helped the district through an unprecedented time. 

While building her career, Edoghotu also raised her five children, all Dallas ISD graduates. Today, her family continues her legacy of service in education and medicine.  

Her daughter, Jennifer Edoghotu, is currently the principal of Wilmer-Hutchins Elementary School, and recently led the school to earn an A rating from the Texas Education Agency. Her youngest son, a former teacher at Emmett J. Conrad High School, is now a resident doctor at Emory School of Medicine – Emory University in Atlanta, Ga. 

As a school nurse, she also extends her role beyond wellness. She supports young mothers, helps students find solutions to improve their wellbeing, and makes sure children’s needs are met, whether that is clothing for a special school occasion or a simple hug on a hard day, she said.   

“Sometimes you go into work every day thinking nobody will ever know what you do,” Edoghotu said. “You feel like nobody knows. But somebody does know.”