Staff photo / Ashley Fox Danielle Yates receives her COVID-19 vaccination Friday morning at Boardman High School, administered by Ken Hlywa, a pharmacist with Giant Eagle. The Lowellville teacher said that she opted to receive the shot to help stop the spread of the virus.

BOARDMAN — As she waited in line wearing a mask and carrying paperwork, Danielle Yates had one thing on her mind: The safety of others.

A teacher with Lowellville Local Schools, Yates said she wanted to get the COVID-19 vaccine to protect those around her.

“Mainly, I don’t want to be someone spreading (COVID-19) to others. I want to make it safe for my kids, for the people I work with, for my family,” Yates said.

She was one of 1,100 personnel from Lowellville, Poland, Struthers, Campbell and Boardman schools to sign up to receive the vaccine Friday at Boardman High School.

Tim Saxton, superintendent for Boardman Local Schools, said the atmosphere in the school was different than most other days in almost the past year.

“It’s exciting. After months of always feeling negative, you can feel some excitement,” he said.

That excitement was visible as education personnel from the districts waited in line, then in the cafeteria after receiving their vaccination. People were instructed to wait 15 to 30 minutes after their shot.

“In the cafeteria, the ‘waiting room,’ there’s energy,” Saxton said.

When Traci Hostetler, superintendent of the Mahoning County Educational Service Center, reached out to Saxton asking if the district could host the vaccine distribution, he jumped at the opportunity.

“As soon as she asked, I volunteered as soon as possible because we have a large facility” with convenient locale, Saxton said.

Hostetler could not be reached for comment Friday.

Another reason for Yates to receive the vaccine, she said, is to help do her part in bringing the pandemic to an end and allow people to communicate closely again.

Her students feel the masks are “the least of their worries,” but it’s the proximity that impacts them, Yates said.

“Everybody has to stay separate. That’s the hard part,” Yates, of Struthers, said.

She teaches math and social studies for grades 7 through 9.

Oftentimes, former students will go back to Yates and reminisce about certain hands-on projects.

“I can’t do those now because those activities involve the students being with another person,” Yates said.

As more people get the vaccine, she is hopeful she will be able to lead more interaction in the near future.

The pandemic has led to teachers being creative with their lessons as they largely have taught in remote settings over the past year, Yates said.

Still, being remote doesn’t allow for the full connection of in-person learning.

“You don’t get their personalities. They’re quiet and don’t want to turn on the camera,” Yates said.

It’s easier to convey intent or emotion. “We get each other,” she said.

Before she arrived at BHS to get her shot, Yates spoke with her family doctor to weigh pros and cons of receiving the vaccine, as she has fibromyalgia.

“We decided it was better to ‘take the risk,'” she said.

Her doctor told Yates to expect a bit more arm pain, with more overall body aches that have been reported as side effects.

Yates said she was thankful the vaccination happened on a Friday, giving her the weekend to prepare if she were to have a “flare up.”

Right after she received the vaccine, Yates said she felt fine.

“It was just like a normal shot,” she said, adding that the pharmacist who administered the vaccine was careful enough she didn’t feel the needle.

afox@tribtoday.com