WARNER, Okla. – Connors State College celebrated the graduation of 17 new nurses in a pinning ceremony held December 13, 2019 on the Warner campus in the Fine Arts Auditorium. The pinning ceremony signifies the nursing students’ official initiation into the brotherhood and sisterhood of nurses. The modern ceremony is rich with symbolism; it is the right of passage which can be traced all the way back to the 1860s when Florence Nightingale was awarded the Red Cross of St. George in recognition for her diligent service to the injured during the Crimean War. By 1916, the practice of pinning new graduates was standard throughout the United States, and Connors follows this practice.
The Nursing Program at the Connors State College has a high success rate of students placed after graduating. Sandra Watson, the Connors’ Division Chair for Nursing and Allied Health, said, “This is exciting for our community because the projected need for nurses in Oklahoma exceeds the current capacity of the schools in Oklahoma.” Among some of the graduates, the class nominated two students who spoke to their fellow classmates and the family and friends present about the classes’ journey together. Rhonda Clemons represented the Traditional Nurse program, and Shelby Hammett represented the Career Ladder program.
Students received their pins from their instructors, participated in the Candle Lighting Ceremony, and gave the Nightingale Pledge. Students graduating from the Traditional Nurse program were: Megan Arnold, Misty Bell, Heather Bridges, Sarah Childress, Rhonda Clemons, Whitney Cobb, Travis Cockrell, Jesie Davis, Bailee Ellison, Pamela Farmer, Kimberly McCoy, Schyler Ortiz, Breanna Steele, and Peyton Thomas.
Students graduating from the Career Ladder program were: Shelby Hammett, Robin Loco, and Katie Trapp.
For more information about the nursing program at Connors State College, visit our website at www.connorsstate.edu/nursing, or contact our Division Chair for Nursing and Allied Health, Sandra Watson at (918)684-5436.