MURRAY, NEB.–This November, a new face can be found roaming the hallways of Conestoga High School. Mrs. Tracy Andersen, or Nurse Tracy as she prefers to be called, was hired at Conestoga after former school nurse, Dawnelle Martin, took a position at Nebraska Medicine.

“I’m very excited to be here and I’m looking forward to it,” said Nurse Tracy. She is happy to work at Conestoga because she lives in the district and her two kids attend school here.

Andersen has been a nurse for 16 years. She began her career in Lincoln on a neuro floor, and had two nursing jobs in Iowa prior to starting her first school nursing job at GMG. Most recently, Andersen worked at Weeping Water High School.

Nurse Tracy loved working at Weeping Water. “One thing I’ll miss is the students,” said Andersen. She loved the students and the staff at Weeping Water, and liked how it was all one big building. She also loved feeling included at Weeping Water.

Nurse Tracy had only good things to say about her old job and said she would miss Weeping Water, but she is looking forward to being a Cougar and everything that Conestoga has to offer.

As a school nurse, Andresen tends to the whole of the student’s well being, including physical and mental health. With the pandemic, new challenges arise. Nurse Tracy said that one thing that is different is that she feels out of reach, because kids can’t just walk into the office and talk with her. One of Andersen’s favorite things about being a school nurse is that she loves seeing the students and being around them, and having them just know that she’s another person that cares for them.

Being new to the staff at Conestoga, people might not know a lot about her life outside of school. Nurse Tracy and her husband, Adam, have two kids that attend school at Conestoga, Addison (11th) and Averie (8th). They also have two dogs, Teddy and Pippi. The Andersen Family has been a part of Conestoga since 2017, when they moved back from Iowa. Living at Beaver Lake, Nurse Tracy loves boating and the lake. She also loves baths and hot teas.

Nurse Tracy hopes that Conestoga continues to thrive, and she is excited to be a part of its success.