More Than a Nurse: Cross Anchor's Melanie Samol on 23 Years Caring for Students
Cross Anchor native Melanie Samol, a product of the Woodruff schools, has spent 23 years as a school nurse and now serves at Laurens Elementary. The Woodruff Times profiles her faith, her work and her love of small-town life.
The Woodruff Times published a profile of Melanie Hembree Samol on October 4, 2026.
Who she is: Samol is a lifelong Cross Anchor resident who went through the Woodruff school system. She graduated from Greenville Technical College's practical nursing program in 1994. She has been a school nurse for 23 years and now serves at Laurens Elementary School, which covers K3 through fifth grade.
Why nursing: As a child she wanted to be a teacher or a nurse, and she says school nursing has let her do both. Helping her family care for her grandmother, who had dementia, at home confirmed that she loved caring for people.
The work: She describes school nursing as caring for the whole child. Some days that means serious medical needs such as tube feedings or tracheostomy care. Other days it means noticing that a child needs food, clothing, hygiene supplies or someone to listen. She tells the students who come to her office that she loves them. She also describes how the job has changed since her first day, from paper and a medicine cabinet to computerized records and formal orientation.
Faith and community: Samol is a lifelong member of New Hope Baptist Church in Cross Anchor, where she works in children's ministry and is Women's Ministry Director. The women's group does outreach visits around the community. She says she could not thrive anywhere but a small town where neighbors look out for one another.
Read the full profile, including her own reflections on family and faith, at The Woodruff Times (link below).