Thirteen Years Strong, a Streak to Brag About
By Laura Collins, The Herald-Sun, Durham, N.C.
Jun. 8–DURHAM — Some say it’s good luck, others say it’s good health, but there’s no denying the drive of five students in Durham Public Schools.
Out of the more than 1,900 students graduating from Durham Public Schools as the Class of 2008, five can say they’ve been there every step of the way.
Timothy Samuel of Northern High School; Justin Hobgood of Riverside High School; James Blackwell Jr. and Chantal Cassells of Josephine Dobbs Clement Early College High School; and Jeremy Rigsbee of Southern High School will be graduating without ever having missed a day of school.
Ever.
That means that since kindergarten, these students have heard about 2,340 morning announcements and end-of-the-day bells. Most of the students agreed it was their parents who instilled in them the importance of going to school.
“Good parents. They just pushed me along,” Rigsbee said. “They made learning interesting and made me want to learn.”
Rigsbee said he has been fortunate as far as his health is concerned and has only been sick twice, during Thanksgiving and winter breaks.
Cassells said the perfect attendance has been a combined effort.
“It was my parents all the way until eighth grade,” she said. “In high school I didn’t want to miss a day. I decided I wanted to get perfect attendance. I wanted to get that achievement for myself.”
Blackwell said his perfect attendance is a reflection of his future goals.
“You just wake up every day and go to school. I have certain things that I want to do in life and I need school to do that. I treat school like a full-time job,” he said.
Samuel agreed that persistence in school forms good work habits for the future. He said while it was sometimes hard to wake up in the morning, a good breakfast every day got him going.
Hobgood said he decided in eighth grade to go all 13 years without an absence.
“Somebody at my church told me in eighth grade that she didn’t miss a day of high school, and that’s how she got her first job. I kind of kept that in mind the whole time,” he said.
Northern High School Principal John Colclough said the students’ accomplishments are remarkable.
“It’s a very uncommon thing,” he said. “There are so many reasons why a student would miss. It’s very unusual to see a student with that kind of dedication. It says a lot about their character.”
Though they may not have had the same astonishing attendance record, many other students stayed the course over the past 13 years.
Come Monday and Tuesday, the largest class ever will graduate from DPS, with over 100 students more than last year’s graduating class, according to information provided by the school district.
The 1,900 students will head toward 155 different colleges and universities in 32 states and Canada and Mexico. The graduating class earned $11.5 million in scholarships including full rides for some to Harvard and Duke and an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy.
On his upcoming graduation Monday, Rigsbee said he feels a combination of emotions, most of which is excitement.
“I’m looking forward to it. I’m excited to go to college. I’m finally through with high school and taking another step in my life,” he said.
Hobgood said he’s ready to walk on Monday, but will miss the friendships he’s made along the way.
“I will miss the people I’ve known since elementary school. I’ve known them for a long time, and now I’m going to have that fresh start and have to meet people all over again,” he said. “But I’m really excited about it. We just got done with rehearsal so I’m ready for it. High school’s really fun, but I’m ready to keep going.”
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Copyright (c) 2008, The Herald-Sun, Durham, N.C.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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