Carol Menz was awarded the Brooke Zimmerman Award on May 7 in the Wellness Center.
The Brooke Zimmerman Award is presented to someone who has exemplary behavior and is an exceptional advocate for student mental health.
The award is named after the Wellness Center founder Brooke Zimmerman, who founded the Wellness Center in 2007. Zimmerman has still maintained a role in the Wellness Center, with a student leadership group advocating the Wellness Center, applying for grants, and bringing up the importance of the center.
The presentation of the award started with Millennium High School Principal Irma Muñoz Daniels saying a few words about Zimmerman and Menz.
“I am one of the district nurses here at PUSD. I have been at Piedmont for about 10 years, starting off part time in the beginning,” Menz said. “I was on the Wellness Center support committee for five years prior to that.”
Menz is an advocate of mental health and wellness. She has also been a great friend and co-worker to those around her.
Muñoz said that Menz has been essential in policy making, such as nutrition conversations for Board of Education policies and talks about health.
“[Menz] has been a source of reassurance talking to parents and kids,” Muñoz said.
Menz said that she hopes she has a profound impact with helping students out and speaking for the importance of health education.
“I feel like there’s so much misinformation. I’m hoping that kids learn to take care of themselves and also be savvy consumers of health information,” Menz said.
At the Wellness Center, students come in not feeling well or with an injury. They want to talk to a nurse and get some guidance in terms of how to handle something. Menz said she is there to help, provide a bandage, make referrals, and supply some health guidance and education.
“I would like to be considered a trusted adult. That is my goal for working with students,” Menz said.