Capping, Pinning at SCCC/ATS Friday

Capping and Pinning ceremonies for the nursing program at Seward County Community College/Area Technical School are set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, at the Green House gymnasium on campus. The Allied Health division graduates will receive one-year honors for practical nursing — the Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) — and two-year honors for graduates who have earned the Associated degree of Nursing, (RN).

Allied Health Division director Veda King, who also instructs nursing students, said each program will graduate 26 new nurses.

“It’s always so exciting to see them complete the program,” she said. King, who is retiring after more than two decades as a nursing instructor at SCCC/ATS, has worked with nearly 1,500 nurses. The feeling of watching them receive their caps and pins is still deeply moving.

“Every class is special to me,” she said. “In other nursing programs, you’ll come into the classroom and they tell you, ‘Look around. Some of your classmates aren’t going to make it,’ but that’s not how it is at SCCC/ATS. We’re success-oriented and want to see all our nursing students graduate.”

Friday, King said, another 50-plus nurses will do just that.

The public is invited to attend the Capping and Pinning ceremony, which begins at 7:30 p.m. Friday.