From family roots to modern tools: Jenn’s story at Wheaton Academy
With over 30 years of nursing behind her, Jenn was looking for more than just a flexible schedule. She wanted to make a difference. She spent nearly 10 of those years in elementary schools before moving to a campus deeply tied to her family’s history.
"My husband and all three kids went to Wheaton Academy... I had to get a job in order to be alumni-esque,” she joked.
Now, as the school’s only nurse, Jenn plays a pivotal role in student wellness and in modernizing how the school supports student health on and off campus.
Before discovering August Schools, Wheaton Academy relied on an EHR that wasn’t serving their needs.
“August was similar to our previous EHR, but had a couple extra things in there that our previous EHR didn't have,” Jenn said.
Notably, August's analytics capabilities immediately caught the attention of the school leadership.
“[Our leadership] likes seeing the number of kids that are being seen, what are the kids being seen for.”
Another standout feature was how August simplified field trip and travel sports preparations.
“I used to have to create folders for all the coaches with all their emergency information,” Jenn explained.
“Now I just tell them to download the information to their phone... it was a game changer.”
The shift not only saved time but also made health data more accessible when it mattered most.
“They didn't have to remember a separate form, they didn't have to remember papers. I told them, just download this to your phone... and you can have access to it at any point.”
This new approach proved especially powerful during high-travel events like Wheaton Academy’s senior trip to Florida.
“Each chaperone had a cabin so I could get each cabin their kids’ emergency lists,” she said.
“It was really easy to access that information when we needed it, especially on the fly.”
When students got sick, staff could immediately confirm over-the-counter medication permissions and even call parents directly from the emergency contact list.
“So you don't have to remember the number… hitting that button to just make a phone call to a parent was huge.”
The benefits of August extended beyond logistics. The platform fostered new levels of collaboration among Wheaton Academy's student support team.
“Our Dean can chart her notes for when she talks to students, which we didn't have in our previous system,” Jenn said.
“And our counselors and staff are using it as well.”
This centralized communication allowed for better, more informed care.
“Now we can all have our notes on the same system.”
August also helped identify and support students who might need additional help.
“We were noticing a couple of kids that were coming to my office a little bit more frequently... so that allowed the Dean of Students to say, hey, let's see if this becomes a trend,” Jenn explained.
The data allowed them to take a proactive approach.
“Maybe we can email the parent and say, so-and-so is coming down to the office quite a bit... maybe you can talk to them about it.”
August helped streamline communication and collaboration from the school to the families, leading to stronger wrap-around support for each student.
Jenn especially appreciates the improvements to day-to-day workflows.
“One of the things that I initially found super helpful is the fact that I can search a student by their first name,” she said.
In a fast-moving health office, where anxious students often walk in without giving a last name, that kind of intuitive detail makes a big difference.
“Being able to limit the search to just a grade or sport is really helpful too.”
Jenn speaks highly of the August Schools support team.
“Brad at your help desk is amazing, so good, so patient,” she said.
She also praised Jake and Casidee for their assistance with enrollment packets and onboarding.
“Casidee was amazing in the beginning. Super helpful,” she said.
“Jake was super helpful this last year when I was trying to get my enrollment packet tweaked.”
The responsiveness and real-time chat support have been key to her comfort with the platform.
“I feel super comfortable telling parents, just hit the question mark in the corner, they'll get back to you and help you,” she said.
“I don't think that the help desk on [our previous EHR] was nearly as helpful as your help desk with parents and for me as well.”
Jenn’s verdict after a full year?
“I would recommend August to another school after a year or so of getting it under my belt,” she said.
“It is super helpful... the customer support has been incredible. You're constantly putting out new stuff, which is just making our lives even easier.”
One of the biggest wins has been unifying the entire student support team.
“Our athletic trainer can have his notes on there... we're able to have everybody using the same platform at the same time, which has been super helpful,” Jenn said.
From counselors to coaches, and from the front office to Florida field trips, August Schools has given Wheaton Academy a smarter, more connected way to care for every student.