Karen A. Kleinschmidt, RN, NCSN, M.Ed., lead nurse for the Christina School District and school nurse at Oberle Elementary School, has been named the 2014 Delaware School Nurse of the Year by the Delaware School Nurse Association. Karen is a Registered Nurse in Delaware and Pennsylvania, and holds a bachelor's degree in nursing from Neumann and a master's degree in health education from Widener University. She also holds national certification in school nursing and a Legal Nurse Consultant certificate. She has a total of 33 years of experience as a Registered Nurse and 17 years as a school nurse. She has been a member of the Delaware School Nurse Association and National Association of School Nurses for the past ten years.

Karen serves as a legislative representative for the Delaware School Nurse Association, has been a school nurse member in the development of the Delaware Performance Appraisal System for nursing evaluations, has been a licensure subcommittee member for the State of Delaware Professional Standards Board, has served as a mentor for newly hired school nurses, and has served as the lead nurse in the Christina School District for several years.

She has worked with all grade levels, from preschool through high school, including special needs schools such as the Delaware Autism Program and Delaware School for the Deaf. At Oberle, she participates on the Emergency Management Team, Response to Intervention Team, and IEP meetings, and has helped raise more than $5,000 in clothing grants for two elementary schools. She has coordinated an asthma program for four high-risk schools in Newark, which provided asthma education for students and parents in conjunction with the American Lung Association. She has also initiated a state dental screening program, and works with outside agencies to ensure that all students receive glasses if needed. In addition, she researched and developed The High Needs Nursing Model for Christina School District, a plan designed to improve nursing care for students.

She will be honored by the Christina Board of Education on May 20th.