Nurse Moses Receives Heartwarming Send-Off At Bishop Kearney

When Maureen Moses, known affectionately by Bishop Kearney High School girls as “Nurse Mo,” walked into the auditorium on Friday, December 19, she figured the school (on 2202 60th Street) was putting on its annual pre-Christmas production.Instead, Moses, who is retiring as the Catholic school’s nurse after 24 years, was stunned by a standing ovation she received.A tearful Moses was ushered onto the stage and presented with a giant oaktag card signed by all of the students, a box of tissues, bandaids, and tea – tokens of appreciation for all the times she had handed out those comforts to her girls, or her “bunnies,” as she calls them.The biggest surprise was when students gifted their school nurse with a build-a-bear bunny and every girl in the auditorium held paper cut-outs of bunny ears on their heads.“I was totally shocked,” she said. “It was just wonderful, seeing all the girls there, having them call for me. It stayed with me all day.”A former student posted the above photo of Nurse Moses on the Facebook group “Once a Kearney Girl, Always a Kearney Girl,” and immediately the page was flooded with comments from former students. Women who had graduated 20 years ago shared memories of spending time in Nurse Moses’ office – a testament to the impression she has made on Bishop Kearney students over the years.One student, Jennifer Overman, wrote:

Former student at BK (class of ’93) and in my senior year I spent many days in her office, she was so kind and always made me feel like I could come to her for anything! BK is losing a gem, but happy retirement, you earned it!!!

“This is really what Kearney is about,” Moses told me.What’s next for Moses? She told me she is excited to finally take a long-overdue vacation to Florida with her husband Paul, a journalist and professor at Brooklyn College (and, full discloser, my former professor). Moses is also on the board at Midwood Catholic Academy, an elementary school, where she plans on volunteering with younger children.Finally, Moses says she is looking forward to taking walks along Gerritsen Creek at sunrise, which she used to drive by every day on the way to work. Still, Moses says she knows she’ll stay connected with her Bishop Kearney girls.“I’ve become a really big fan of their sports teams and their basketball team,” she said. “They just beat Saint Saviour’s.”Congrats, Nurse Moses, and good luck on the next stage in your life!