May 24, 2011

Graduating nurses were pinned in a special ceremony at Shawnee State University on Friday, May 6 at the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts.

The nursing pin is a public symbol of work well done. It originated from the time when the Crusaders marched to Jerusalem to recover the Holy Land. Among those Crusaders were the Hospitallers in black robes with a white Maltese cross sewed on the front of the robe. That cross became the symbol of groups who cared for the sick.

The pin itself relates to customs from the 16th century. It was a symbol of noblemen who served kings with distinction. Later, the privilege was extended to schools, and Florence Nightingale chose the Maltese cross for the badge worn by the graduates of her school of nursing. In modern times, each school has a unique pin that is symbolic of the program.

Students who received a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing at the 2011 Spring commencement are Diana Burns, Monica Frye, Erika Isaacs, Keri Kuhn, Tina Lang, Helen Scherer and Judith Tiller.

Students who received an Applied Science degree in Nursing at the 2011 Spring commencement are Rachael Adkins, Michael Antis, Jordan Linae Barnhart, Kayla Marie Besco, Chad M. Bragdon, Erin Elizabeth Brown, Seth Carr, Kayleigh Caudill, Dedra L'Ann Charles, Jamie Dawn Daniels, Brooke R. Davis, Clarissa M. Dollar, Jillian N. Dummitt, Caitlin E. Durbin, Lori Ervin, Kari Lynn Gibson, Richard Golden, Jennifer Hall, Kathryn A. Harris, Alisha Nicole Hicks, Alicia Renee Holbrook, Jami James, Ryan Kirkpatrick, Daniel Laxton, Kristi D. Liston, Crystal Maglott, Megan Elizabeth McGowan, Louella Maxine McNamara, Jeremy Morris, Trisha Erin Near, Ainsley Pruitt, Erin Quillen, Ashley Erin Riley, Mareena Romanello, Leah Elizabeth Sprague, Nathan W. Swords, Christine Williams and Kristen Wright.