Posted on 05/19/2010 7:06:29 PM PDT by jerry557
Raquel Torres is the Miami-Dade Schools equivalent of Cal Ripken Jr.
She's a true Iron Student.
The 18-year-old senior at Monsignor Pace High School is closing in on a prestigeous record of perfection that has even the President of the United States taking notice. Torres is just a week away from capping her public school career with 13 years of perfect attendance.
"Sometimes I'd be like, 'Please miss one day, one day please,'" Torres said. Her parents always said "No."
Torres has already received letters from former President George W. Bush regarding the modern-day miracle feat among youth today. She will be the first to ever graduate from Pace with perfect attendance and she plans to keep the streak going at Florida Gulf Coast University next fall.
"The Streak" was almost broken several times. Once, Torres tonsils were taken out. Did that stop her from getting to middle school?
Of course not, proving that dancers are just as tough as hockey players.
"When I had tonsils swolen I said, 'I can't go to school like this! Mom, come on," Torres recalled said. "She just told me, 'Don't talk.'"
The biggest threat to the streak came this year in the form of a right of passage: Senior Skip Day.
Torres said her best friend tried to persuade her to join the fun with the rest of the seniors. She almost buckled under the peer pressure, but decided to show up at school even though she knew her classes would be pretty much empty.
Ripken never had to face pressure like that.
I think it’s a remarkable record but I can’t agree with sending your child to school when they are sick. I try to be considerate of the other children who may not want to share strep throat, stomach viruses and colds.
Believe it or not there's been a "perfect attendance" award in place for many years. After 40 years I got the award ~ have no idea if it covered only part of the period, or the whole thing, but it was very simple to qualify for ~ simply get permission to be on leave before going on leave!
Getting a perfect attendance award in school is a far more difficult thing for a child ~ after all, he or she has parent(s) or guardian(s) involved and you just never know what "those people" want!
I think she's missed out on a big part of childhood - a rite of passage. Staying home while almost everyone else has to go to school is a rare treat that HAS to be experienced at least once. She'll be scarred for life.
Betcha she’s pretty sick of school (or a C student).
My oldest was devastated that her awesome behavior record was marred by her first "U" (unsatisfactory). Her music teacher gave her that grade based on the fact that she was unable to play the recorder to the teacher's satisfaction. I told Amy not to sweat it as I signed off the paperwork for her to enroll in Enriched Math next year! rofl
Agreed. When I first read the headline, I thought it was kinda cool, but sending a sick kid to school - no bueno.
Perfect attendance. I think in her case it may mean that her parents wanted to ship her out of the house everyday. Tonsils out? Come on. Mom or Dad not home to take care of her?
I’m with you. You don’t endanger your own kid or other people’s kids just for a little recognition and a certificate.
Indeed, this is one of the most stupid records ever.
I hope she does not take part in “Senior Skip Day” the last week of school.
A classmate of mine, Vanessa Rodgers, had a 12-year perfect attendance record. We had no Kindergarden.
Cordova HS, Class of 82.
My wife and several of her classmates never missed a day of school in her Asian homeland. 12-year-perfect-attendance kids were almost the norm way back there, way back then.
And the poor people there still ain’t disgustingly, repulsively fat, to this day.
After missing a day of school in the 9th grade for a stomach virus, one of my teachers refused to accept the excuse (despite a prescribed parent note). High school students, he told me, cannot miss class because of illness and should develop self-control adequate not to vomit or cough in his class, regardless of how sick they might be. Other students apparently got the same message at some point. The “sickness is no excuse” mantra also applies to college (with occasional limited exceptions if the student is in imminent, significant danger of losing life or limb).
I haven’t skipped school or work for illness since then. Apparently things are tougher for younger students in Miami (or this girl just never got sick on school days).
I had perfect attendance for 4 years of high school. Thought I was hot stuff and expected some kind of award at graduation. Nah! Two classmates had 13 perfect years. Turned out this was fairly regular during the 70’s - 80’s at my HS.
One of my cousins did that - K-12 (dont know about college).
dont=don’t (trouble w/my apostrophe)
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