It’s hard to even conceive of anyone having perfect attendance from kindergarten all the way through senior year of high school.
It takes supreme dedication to the process, and James Dusek has it.
“The advantages of never missing a day is that I’m always there, so I always understand, I never need to make up work, I never need to review, I usually always know what’s going on so I’m never lost of confused or behind,” said James, a senior at Monarch High School in Coconut Creek.
Where does that motivation to just show up every day come from? It’s a family tradition; his older sister also never missed a day of school.
“Just pushing yourself out of bed in the morning is just the start you need,” James explained.
That work ethic and mature-beyond-his-years outlook carry over to everything James does, fueling his ambition to be an aerospace engineer.
“I never saw school as a burden; it’s always just an opportunity,” James said.
This year, Broward County Public Schools has two more students graduating with unblemished attendance, and they’re identical twins.
Everyone knows Jayden and Jovaun Stevens at South Plantation High School. The brothers motivate each other, with a huge push, they say, from their mom.
“Whether she was coming home from work late or going early, she made sure we were up and at school on time,” Jovaun said.
They’re each in the top 10 of the senior class, but they see absolutely nothing special about their record of showing up every single day.
“No,” they answered in unison.
“It was just what I need to do, every day,” Jayden said, speaking for both of them.
The benefits of never missing a class are obvious, the brothers said.
“I don’t miss my school work, so I don’t have to turn it in late,” Jayden said.
“Especially those tests, I know my math teacher likes to make the makeup tests harder, I know she does,” Jovaun added.
James, Jayden and Jovaun are an employer’s dream. The twins went back and forth on that topic.
“I’ll just show up,” said Jayden.
“Do the best that I can,” Jovaun said.
“You’re never gonna have to worry about, OK, am I gonna bail on you, I’ll just always be there,” Jayden added.
“Willing and able,” Jovaun said.
All three students plan on keeping that same mindset through college. The twins are going to Gainesville to study veterinary medicine at the University of Florida. James wants to major in aerospace engineering at UCF.