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School nurse Margaret Van Cleve-Rocchio was sick of treating so many sick kids.

Shortly after Van Cleve-Rocchio started at Trotter Elementary School in Boston in 2007, she was alarmed by the steady stream of kids seeking treatment for severe asthma symptoms. As many as a third of the children, ranging from preschoolers to fifth-graders, had asthma; on any given day, between 10 to 30 of them came in coughing, wheezing and short of breath.

“It was overwhelming,” she said. “I was giving Albuterol to children all day and calling parents to let them know their kids’ asthma was out of control.”

In an effort to ease asthma flare-ups during the school day, Van Cleve-Rocchio helped organize a massive school cleanout – an effort that so widespread and effective that she earned a second title at the school: environmental health activist.

Health Resources in Action is recognizing Van Cleve-Rocchio’s efforts to help young asthma sufferers by naming her as the organization’s Community Champion. Van Cleve-Rocchio was presented with the award at HRiA’s annual meeting in January.

“I’ve never had an award like this,” Van Cleve-Rocchio said. “I am honored and a little bit surprised. I feel like I have just been doing my job.”

Yet those who have worked with her agreethat Van Cleve-Rocchio went above and beyond a typical school nurse’s duties – and they are impressed at her vigilance in keeping asthma attacks from rising.

“It takes a quiet kind of diligence every day to make sure areas remain clean and that new teachers who are brought in are educated about the issue,” said Laurita Kaigler-Crawlle, Healthy Schools project director at HRiA. “The effort she makes doesn’t waver in a system that changes constantly.”

When Van Cleve-Rocchio started working at Trotter, the Boston Public Schools had designated the school as “underperforming.” Van Cleve-Rocchio believed that a cleaner environment could go a long way toward improving the school’s academic performance. After speaking with asthma and environmental health community leaders at the Boston Urban Asthma Coalition, the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health, the Ecumenical Social Action Committee and Children’s Hospital Boston, she realized that the school itself – with all its clutter, dust and even rodents – was exacerbating the asthma problem.

So Van Cleve-Rocchio organized a survey of the school, held parent nights for asthma education, and joined with the Boston Healthy Homes and Schools Collaborative to advocate at City Council hearings for budget and policy decisions that would allow for a cleaner school environment.

Ultimately Van Cleve-Rocchio spearheaded a thorough cleanup of the school in 2009. Several dumpsters were filled with stacks of abandoned paperwork, old carpets and other clutter that had been collecting dust. All the vents were cleaned out and air purifiers were checked to make sure they were working properly. Rodents and their droppings were cleared out. Classrooms with a high percentage of asthmatic children were targeted for extra interventions. “We got rid of a whole lot of junk that had been accumulated over 40 years,” Van Cleve-Rocchio said.

Van Cleve-Rocchio also met with teachers one-on-one, letting them know that they might need to s wearing perfume or using bleach wipes because they can trigger asthma attacks.

The end result: When the children returned to school in September 2009, they were much healthier. Fewer kids were showing up in the nurse’s office, and more students were able to get through the school day without needing medical attention.

“I noticed a huge difference,” Van Cleve-Rocchio said.

But Van Cleve-Rocchio didn’t stop there. She was intent on helping children feel better at home, too. So she connected families with the Boston Public Health Commission’s Healthy Homes program and is working to start home visits to help improve environmental conditions in the children’s homes.

Her strategy to target classrooms with high percentages of asthmatic children for environmental review was presented at the recent Massachusetts Asthma Action Partnership Summit as a “gold standard model” and has been adopted as part of a project organized by nurse leaders in 20 Massachusetts communities.

Van Cleve-Rocchio is pleased that the Trotter School students are healthier – but she also knows it takes constant vigilance.

“You have to keep on top of it, making sure the classrooms stay clean. Prevention makes all the difference,” Van Cleve-Rocchio said. “But it’s worth it. Trying to control the children’s asthma makes my life easier. I would rather do this than spend all day giving Albuterol to children.”