This  year the BHS staff is nearly unrecognizable, with new teachers in most departments.

One of these  staff members who is new to the high school is Jennifer Zontini, who started working in August as a nurse at the high school after 13 years in other Beachwood buildings.

She has been interested in nursing since she was a student at Kenston High School.

“When I was in high school, I worked with the Special Olympics team, so I got to take care of athletes with disabilities, but I watched the nurses do all their medical care, like their wound care, tube feeding or breathing treatments, and I realized that I wanted to do more,” Zontini said.

Being a nurse is a passion she’s always had and she never ventured out of that profession, but working with children wasn’t originally on the agenda.

“[Before becoming a nurse], I was a direct caregiver for [children with] special needs,” she said “What made me come to Beachwood [was while working] at the Cleveland Clinic for about seven years, there was a special student that needed direct medical services, so I [worked] one-on-one with the student so he could attend a public middle school.”

Zontini is excited to work at this school and is hoping to accomplish a good and healthy school year.