After the Pfizer vaccine was authorized for children aged 5 to 12, local elementary school principals and superintendents began discussing ways to support their students in getting vaccinated. Because LT has hosted vaccine clinics in the past and has a large space, the administration coordinated vaccine clinics for feeder schools. 

“Offering up our school facilities to support our community is really important to our school,” SC Associate Principal Greg Gardner said. “It’s something we all value being [a] community school and being a partner with our associate schools.” 

Although the target audience for the vaccine clinic consisted of students aged 5 to 12, the clinic also provided the Pfizer vaccine for other previously unvaccinated community members and third dose booster shots. In total, LT administered 1,975 COVID-19 vaccination shots at the Nov. 13 vaccine clinic in the SC Fieldhouse. 627 of those shots went to children 5 to 12; 167 were Pfizer booster shots and 181 were Moderna boosters.

The second dose of the Pfizer vaccine was administered on Dec. 4; community members also had an additional opportunity to receive a Pfizer or Moderna booster shot as well.  

“It’s important to offer [the vaccine] at LT so that every student has a quick, efficient method to get it as soon as possible,” Dom Mini ‘22, who received his Pfizer booster shot at the Dec. 4 clinic, said. 

Like previous vaccination clinics, LT partnered with Albertsons/Jewel-Osco, who prepared the vaccines and provided medical professionals to administer the shots. LT provided volunteers who helped with the registration process, paperwork, and instructions at the clinics, Gardner said. 

Something that initially the administration did not plan for is that some children are scared of getting shots, Gardner said. At the first clinic, many of the children were upset and nervous while waiting for their shot. To accommodate this, at the Dec. 4 clinic, the administration projected movies such as “Frozen II,” and positioned chairs in the waiting area away from where the shots were being administered. This was all to make the space more welcoming for the children. 

“We’ve been reflecting on what has worked and what hasn’t, to make [the clinics] the most efficient and enjoyable place for everybody,” Gardner said.