MOUNT PEARL, N.L. — It was a laundry basket full of love, but a Mount Pearl Senior High teacher says she’s not alone in receiving incredible kindness from students.
“I was over the moon, touched with their kindness,” said French teacher Erin Noseworthy, who became ill with COVID-19, which developed into viral pneumonia, and received a bundle of goodies from students.
“I am one person, one teacher who is sick. There’s a dozen teachers who have this virus. This act of kindness is getting attention. However, I can guarantee you there are a dozen other teachers who have in some way or another had students reach out to them and express their care and their kindness as well. I am certainly not the only one, that’s for darn sure. Beyond that, there are so many students who are sick with this virus. Yes, I know there is a lot of negativity as well, but they are also receiving a lot of care and kindness as well and that’s really important.”
Noseworthy wanted the public to know about the students’ thoughtfulness, as Mount Pearl Senior High and its students were the target of some public and social media blaming surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak on the Avalon Peninsula.
Kind students and staff
“There is a lot of negativity going around, but that is not the Mount Pearl Senior High that I know,” said Noseworthy, who teaches Grade 9.
“I know a Mount Pearl Senior High where staff and students are some of the kindest people that I have had the opportunity to meet in my life. And I knew that before this happened. This just kind of drove it home.”
The giant laundry basket of flowers, balloons, gift cards and cards signed by the teens, water bottles, a blanket, and other goodies and treats was delivered by two students (maintaining public health protocol) on behalf of a Level II (Grade 11) group she taught two years ago. The students contacted another teacher who was a friend of Noseworthy’s to see if it was OK and to get her address.
"It was such a kind and thoughtful gesture and it really touched my heart." — Erin Noseworthy
The group also emailed her a video, a compilation of get well messages.
“The basket itself was lovely. To me it was the thought that went behind it — that they took the time to send messages to each other and reach out and do all of this. … To contribute financially (to the gifts) as teenagers, I don’t expect that. It was such a kind and thoughtful gesture and it really touched my heart,” Noseworthy said.
She said one of the students who dropped off the items had recovered from COVID-19, and some students in the video didn’t seem to be feeling well, either. (They compiled the video virtually).
That made the gesture even more touching, she said.
“They still took the time away from their recovery … and that meant the world,” Noseworthy said.
On the mend
Noseworthy is feeling better now and hopes to be back in the virtual classroom Monday.
She emphasized there was no party of teenagers that spread the coronavirus.
“The rumours are just false. … What party did I go to?” she said.
"(The Grade 9s) weren’t out partying with grades 11 and 12s. That’s not how this happened. … It’s really important that the public know that no one did anything wrong.”
"No one should be blamed or accused of any wrongdoing in this situation." — Noseworthy
Teachers and students simply went to school — and played sanctioned sports — unaware of the fact the coronavirus variant was spreading, just like everyone else was going about their lives within the then existing public health guidelines, she said.
“Someone caught the virus (unknowingly) and went to school. Of course they went to school. That's what they are supposed to do. So, it doesn’t matter who was the first student at Mount Pearl Senior High who had the virus,” Noseworthy said. “It didn’t start at Mount Pearl Senior High. It just happened to spread there because we’re in a situation where there’s nearly 1,000 people in a building and, as safe as you want to assume that you are when we get one of these variants they say spreads so much easier than the regular COVID, we did everything we could have done at the school.
“It’s no one’s fault. No one should be blamed or accused of any wrongdoing in this situation. It was just a really unfortunate, unlucky circumstance. … It could have been any school. We just got unlucky.”
Follow rules
Noseworthy was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Feb. 16. Initially she had a test on Feb. 10 that came back negative.
She started coughing a few days later and got tested again.
The experience underscores the need to follow public health rules, Noseworthy said.
She self-isolated, as she was told due to working at the high school, after the first test and, four days later, she had symptoms. If not for following self-isolation rules, she might have infected others, she said.
It was nine days from Noseworthy’s last day of work before she developed symptoms.
And when she did develop symptoms, they mimicked a cold — cough and tiredness.
“Then it just gets really bad,” Noseworthy said.
She developed congestion and had chest pain, so she called the 811 health line and was told to go to the ER. She had to wait nearly four hours in her car outside the hospital before being treated, and then was given IV fluids for dehydration and medication for pain and nausea, and then sent home to rest.
She started to feel a bit better then, and each day after.
The one person who did contract the coronavirus from her is her fiance, but he has only had mild symptoms, Noseworthy said.
Advice for others
She has two pieces of advice for the public.
No. 1 is nobody goes out with the intention of spreading the coronavirus, so please be kind.
No. 2 is the coronavirus is serious and public health measures need to be taken seriously and people should listen to Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice FItzgerald.
Noseworthy has taught at the school for eight years, but also is an alumnus.
“(The students) are strong and we as a community are strong. … We’re going to come out the other end of this stronger and more unified and just full of pride for everything that our school community stands for because we do a lot of good and we are going to keep doing good after this is over,” Noseworthy said.
"We’re going to come out the other end of this stronger and more unified and just full of pride..." — Noseworthy
Another school faculty member who didn’t want to be named due to the nature of her position said she wants the public to know how kind the students have been to Noseworthy and others.
“I wanted to bring a little bit of sunshine and some good news to the community, to also send a message to the kids that no matter what (the public) say to them, no matter what you do to them, they are doing the best they can,” the teacher said, adding some students are suffering from stress, anxiety and bullying.
The teacher said some students fear wearing their Mount Pearl Senior High hoodies and other logoed wear.
But she said the empathy shown by the students should be celebrated.
“This is a beautiful thing,” she said.
Barb Sweet is The Telegram's senior report. [email protected] | Twitter: @BarbSweetTweets
