Berkeley Simmons first stepped into the Annex 16 years ago, and she knew the work would not be easy. But challenge has always been part of her path. As a 21-year-old, she started at Murray Center as a direct support person, unsure if she could handle the demands of caring for people with developmental disabilities. “All my friends told me, ‘You’re not going to last a day,’” she recalls. The first six weeks were a shock. But then something shifted. She discovered she loved it.

That discovery became a calling. Through the state’s upward mobility program, Simmons trained to be a nurse while working at Murray. Her motivation went back even further—to high school, when she volunteered to eat lunch with students in the special needs classroom.

“They’re the sweetest people,” she says. “The fact that they can face so many obstacles and still be happy—it changes your whole outlook on life.”

Those early experiences taught her that joy and dignity matter as much as medicine. She carried that lesson into her career at Centralia, where she has spent the last 15 years as the nurse at the Annex.

Her work goes far beyond bandages and thermometers. She attends IEP and 504 meetings, often serving as the voice for children with complex medical needs. She coordinates allergy lists, seizure plans, and staff training. She has even led sessions on using Narcan, the opioid-reversal medication now required by state law to be available in schools. “People think it’s only for drug users,” she explains. “But what if a child picks something up by accident? We don’t want anyone to die.”

What keeps her going are the relationships. A child who greets her with a hug every day at lunch. Another who insists on singing with her. Cards taped around her office from students thanking her for the smallest gestures. “I can give a child with a disability a candy bar, and I’m their best friend for the next 10 years,” she laughs. “You don’t get that in the average community.”

These simple exchanges carry profound meaning. They remind Simmons that her role is as much about presence as it is about treatment. “There’s a real human dignity and compassion to this job that has nothing to do with medicine,” she says.

After 16 years, she still sees her work as a choice—and a privilege. She could have taken her nursing degree to a hospital or clinic. Instead, she chose the place where her skills and her heart aligned. “I think a lot of people wouldn’t choose this path,” she admits. “But for me, it’s exactly where I’m supposed to be.”

In the Annex at Centralia High School, Berkeley Simmons continues to prove that school nursing isn’t just about health care. It’s about creating a space where every student, no matter their challenges, feels seen, valued, and safe.