A classroom surprise on January 14, came in the form of 25,000 Alaska Airlines Miles for Highland Tech Charter School ninth-grader Derek Mack. The reason he’ll get to travel the globe: showing up to school, everyday.
Part of the Attendance Recognition Program started in 2014, to incentivize going to school, local sponsors like GCI and Lithia Chrysler Jeep Dodge of South Anchorage, among others, pool together resources and release prizes to students with no skipped days. The coolest, in my opinion, being a 2015 Jeep Compass for 11th and 12th graders. Though not every perfect attender gets a car the odds are certainly better than the lottery.
For the second academic quarter of the 2014-2015 school year 20,160 Anchorage School District (ASD) middle and high schoolers were flawless in their attendance, according to a GCI release.
A seventh grader of Mears Middle School was also awarded an IPad on January 15, through the program that seems to offer an interesting way in motivating local youth.
“We are excited to be part of a fun and successful incentive for kids to stay in school,” said GCI Senior Vice President and General Manager of Consumer Services Paul Landes, in a release. The effectiveness of the initiative on attendance in ASD schools is unexplained, but for at least two students you can bet they’re thankful for showing up to class.
Additional information on the program can be found here.
Sebastian Garrett-Singh 