LEWISTOWN - Warm months do not equal an end of classes and homework at the Mifflin-Juniata Career and Technology Center.
The school's Practical Nursing Program students are in the classrooms hard at work as they prepare to graduate in September.
This summer is a special one, however, because the program is preparing its 100th class for the workforce.
To celebrate the 100th class, the PN staff is planning a school reunion for 2 until 5 p.m. July 17 in the Orange Pavilion at Derry Township Community Park. Past graduates, faculty members and coordinators are invited.
" ... We hope you pass this along to everyone you may know who may have graduated from our program," said Program Coordinator Alicia Lentz.
Many of the students who graduate from the Practical Nursing Program stay in the area to work.
Students have been employed at various long-term care facilities, hospitals and doctor's offices including Lewistown Hospital, Valley View Haven, Ohesson Manor, William Penn, Geisinger medical offices and the Medical Center in Danville.
"We have students working in prison medical facilities and in drug rehabilitation," Lentz said. "Our graduates are not only in Pa., in the last few years we have had graduates practicing in Texas, Virginia, Colorado and Kansas."
A member of the first graduating class, Kathy Spagnoletti, of Camp Hill, plans to attend the reunion.
"We have not had any get together in all that time," Spagnoletti said. "I'm looking forward to seeing if anyone shows up from my class."
Now a nurse case manager, Spagnoletti called the Juniata Valley "lucky to have such a program going."
"Whether you get your LPN license or go on to get your RN, what's wonderful about this field is that you can do what you make of it," she said.
The nurses trained at the post-secondary program work directly at patients' bedsides, especially in long-term care facilities, Lentz said. They are often the "24-seven eyes on their patients," keeping track of follow-up appointments and medications, she said.
The fast-tracked, 48-week program prepares students to sit for their LPN licensing exam, Lentz said. For some, the Practical Nursing program is a step toward achieving their RN license, she added.
"It's not an easy year, but it's a rewarding year," Lentz said.
Students practice clinical work in Mifflin and Juniata counties through Lewistown Hospital, nursing homes and doctors' offices. The school also uses the downtown medical simulation lab in partnership with the hospital School of Nursing and the Penn State Learning Center.
The lab coordinator, Tammy Specht, is a graduate of the MJCTC program, Lentz said.
The Practical Nursing Program is an asset to the community because it is local, and the school's joint operating committee maintains a strong priority to keep the program affordable, Lentz said.
The program formed in 1969, one year after the MJCTC opened. The first graduating class in 1970 had 13 students - 12 women and one man.
As the school grew, a satellite program opened at the Huntingdon County Career and Technology Center in 1983. In 2000, the Huntingdon campus split from the MJCTC and became an independent program.
Now with more than 1,300 graduates, the school admits two classes of about 25 students every year, one starting in September and the other in March.
While planning the reunion, Lentz said the staff noticed some interesting comparisons between the first and 100th classes.
In 1969, tuition for program was $100. The current price is $12,602. During the school's first year, the students were responsible for purchasing their own uniforms, equipment, textbooks and nursing caps. All of these items are now included in tuition, Lentz said.
The price of a gallon of gas was 35.5 cents and "a McDonald's hamburger was 18.5 cents in 1969 and now we think getting a burger for $1 is good," Lentz said.
To learn more about the reunion, she said people may visit the school website at www.mjctcpn.org. Graduates are encouraged to submit memories online that will be published in a reunion booklet.
"If you have a funny story about something that happened during your school year or if you just have some comments about the program, we would love to hear from you," Lentz said.
The school also is collecting photos of its graduating classes, yearbooks and other articles for a display.
At the reunion, there will be drawings, guessing games for prizes and light refreshments. The first 100 people to arrive will receive a free gift.
To raise money for the reunion, the school is selling T-shirts for $12. Order forms are available on the website. They also are being sold at the gift shops at Lewistown Hospital and Valley View Haven in Belleville. They can also be purchased from the Practical Nursing Program located at the MJCTC.
For more information, call Becky Fultz at 447-0394 or email rfultz@mjctcpn.org.
