With sleepy eyes and his blue puffer coat, 5-year-old Greyson Coleman held his father, Brandon’s hand as they strode into the gym of Thomas Jefferson High School early the morning of Nov. 13. After months of uncertainty and anticipation, the big day had finally arrived: Greyson was about to receive his first dose of the covid-19 vaccine.

After checking in at the front desk, the Colemans were guided to nurse Lerin Nobile’s station. With only a small wiggle of fear, Brandon reassured his son, and Greyson felt the quick pinch of the needle. In under a minute, Nobile administered the vaccine without a tear or scream from Greyson.

Business proceeded like this as dozens of local families flocked to the pop-up vaccine clinic.

With the help of Pleasant Hills Apothecary, West Jefferson Hills School District was once again able to offer covid-19 vaccines to members of the community. For the first time since these clinics began — shortly after the vaccines received FDA approval — some of the youngest members of the community could receive their shots.

Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review Pharmacist Luke Taylor of Pleasant Hills Apothecary loads a syringe with a dose of the Pfizer covid-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 during a child vaccination clinic at Thomas Jefferson High School.  

“We luckily have the blueprint down from previous clinics,” said Luke Taylor, an employee of Pleasant Hills Apothecary.

He, along with a handful of volunteer nurses and pharmacists, prepped more than 300 doses of the Pfizer vaccines.

Although the Apothecary did not normally host vaccine clinics — especially not at this scale, before the pandemic —Taylor said they quickly found their stride once they partnered with WJHSD and began offering vaccinations to the community with widely attended pop-up events.

“We thought honestly there would be a learning curve,” Taylor said. “The school gives us a lot of support, too.”

In an initial survey, WJHSD spokesperson Jeffrey Nelson said the district received more than 250 responses saying families were planning on attending the clinic. The clinic also accepted walk-ins.

Families poured in during an early morning rush and frequent waves of activity, keeping volunteer immunizers like Nobile busy. Although pediatrics is not her specialty in her work at St. Clair Hospital, she said she was happy to help the community and do her best to accommodate the unique needs of younger patients.

“You tell them to stay calm and give them a piece of candy,” Nobile said.

Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review Noah Steinmetz, 11, of Jefferson Hills, waits for his shot of the Pfizer covid-19 vaccine from nurse Do Sabol, while seated next to his mom, Emily Steinmetz, left, on Nov. 13 during a children’s vaccination clinic.  

Nobile was not the only nurse slightly out of her usual role. She was joined by Liz Biddle, an ICU nurse from UPMC Presbyterian. Biddle, like Nobile, was happy to offer up her skills and her Saturday morning to help protect the children of her community, she said. Although both saw their share of children who were less than eager to get a shot, they faced the challenge head-on, finding ways to make the process as painless as possible for the children.

“I think involving the parents is super important,” Biddle said. “Candy afterward always helps, too.”

After offering Greyson some candy, he and Brandon, like the other families in attendance, sat for 15 minutes in the bleachers to ensure no allergic reaction would occur.

Coleman said the uncertainty of his son’s safety has been the hardest part for his family. Finally, after months of waiting for FDA approval, Coleman described his son’s vaccination as a “breath of fresh air.”

“Him being vaccinated just gives us an extra level of peace of mind,” Coleman said.

Although he highly anticipated getting his son vaccinated, Coleman said he understands that parents may have concerns about vaccinating their children. However, Coleman said he looked to trusted experts to advise him and his husband on whether Greyson should receive the vaccine.

“Consult the professionals,” Coleman said. “Call their doctors.”

Other parents, like Christina Slebrich, brought their own medical expertise to their decision-making on this matter.

“I’m a nurse,” Slebrich said. “If there’s a vaccine, we get it in our house.”

Her 9-year-old daughter Alvia clutched her doll as she waited after her shot. While not overly hopeful about the rising cases across the country, Slebrich said she is glad her daughter could finally get vaccinated.

“We’re just trying to do our part,” Slebrich said.

Celeste Farison, a teacher at McClellan Elementary School, brought her youngest son, Ben, 11, to get vaccinated. While Farison said this won’t drastically change her family’s day-to-day life, the antibody protection from the vaccine will help ensure that Ben can stay in school and winter sports this season.

She said she anticipates that Ben’s newfound vaccination status will keep him from getting sent in quarantine from contact tracing and all that comes with it: online schooling, time away from sports and isolation from friends and peers.

Like many parents, Farison is happy to see other families taking advantage of vaccination clinics in the community.

“It’s great,” Farison said. “It’s been a long wait.”

---

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)

---