By The Numbers
Here’s how many Gwinnett students achieved perfect attendance through their entire academic careers for the past five years.
Class of 2014: 10 students.
Class of 2013: 9 students.
Class of 2012: 22 students.
Class of 2011: 18 students.
Class of 2010: 10 students.
Sydney Clark is close to achieving something few Gwinnett County students have accomplished.
The Grayson High School senior has never missed a day of school since the beginning of her academic career.
Of the thousands of Gwinnett students who earned their high school diploma this spring, only 10 of them attended all 2,336 days of school from kindergarten through their senior year.
Not even the temptation of cutting class on skip day deterred these students from coming to school.
One of those 10 students was Clark’s sister, Jordan. She and another Gwinnett student, Tristin Bowen-Gordon, 18, who achieved perfect attendance recently talked about it with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Jordan Clark, 18, Grayson High graduate.
Q: How tough was it?
A: It was hard, so hard. It was miserable, particularly in high school.
Q: Were there days she felt too sick to go to school?
A: My mom said just go, even if you can't stay the entire day. I was just being dramatic.
Q: Clark said during her junior year before finals, many of her friends made an excursion to Six Flags for a sun-filled day of rides and fun. Clark was in class. Was it worth it?
A: Definitely.
Q: Why did Clark skip a school awards ceremony where she was going to be honored for never missing a day of school?
A: I thought people did cooler stuff than not miss school.
Q: How does your sister feel about all of this?
A: She said 'How come you're getting all of the attention. I'm doing it too.'
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Tristin Bowen-Gordon, 18, Mountain View High graduate
Q: When did you notice you hadn’t missed a day of school?
A: I got an award in the fifth grade for perfect attendance and I was the only person who got it. At that point, it was normal for me to go to school.
Q: Did you ever feel too sick to go to school?
A: There were a couple of days. I just went anyway.
Q: Did you participate in senior skip day?
A: I still came to school that day.
Q: How did it feel to graduate with perfect attendance?
A: It felt good that not many people accomplished what I accomplished.
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