FORSYTH COUNTY, N.C. — Maintaining great attendance in school requires a lot of dedication, but one Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools student made it her mission to never miss a day of school, and she never did!
Reagan High School Senior Ashleigh Larson achieved perfect attendance every year during her K-12 career. She said there were some close calls senior year when she had to undergo shoulder surgery while also battling mono.
“Well I made it 12 and a half years, I can't quit now, I have to finish it out like it would irritate me so bad if I knew that I could make it 12 years, and then that last year was the one where I missed one,” Larson said. “I was like I have to push through; I have to finish it out."
Larson said she first realized she could achieve perfect attendance after receiving an award in fifth grade for never missing a day of elementary school. As the daughter of two teachers who worked in her school district, she said she always had someone to take her to school and hold her accountable.
“Everyone pretty much knew I was doing this,” Larson said. “So, everyone was like come on Ashleigh you got to go. Some of my friends, on the days where no one was at school, at least one of my friends would go to school so I would have someone there to be with so I wouldn't be alone all day."
This Fall Ashleigh will attend Appalachian State University’s Honors College and plans to study psychology.