Twenty-one students at Spencer Elementary School were able to end the school year riding in style with new bicycles they were given for perfect attendance.
During a recent Awards Ceremony at Spencer Elementary, a special gift was given to the students who had maintained perfect attendance throughout the year. Twenty-one bikes of all different sizes and colors were given to the students who managed to attend school and be on time every single day.
One extra bicycle was given to a student who had only missed one day. Those with near perfect attendance had their names put into a basket and drawn by Lisa Zavogiannis, the district attorney for Warren and Van Buren counties, for a 22nd bike.
“Our future lies with our children, so everything we can do to help them advance is positive for them and positive for our community as a whole,” Zavogiannis said.
The children and their parents were thrilled to watch as the students’ names were called. Each student received a certificate of perfect attendance, along with their bicycle. The kids then celebrated with cupcakes and drinks.
At the beginning of the year, Zavogiannis, and a representative from Walmart, came to the school during an assembly to inform students of the bicycles they would receive if perfect attendance was obtained.
“It helps the children have a goal and obtain that goal. It also teaches children if they work hard for something they can achieve it,” Zavogiannis said. “It’s good to keep the children in school. The rewards are exponential by helping the county, school system and helping test scores improve. The rewards reaped from the kids are beyond measurable.”
The incentive paid off since last year no student maintained perfect attendance compared to 21 this year.
Assistant principal Amanda Binkley stated, “I’ve had students stop me at the front door and tell me they were supposed to go to the dentist that day, but they had their parents change the appointment to avoid missing school. For the students who really latched on, they went above and beyond to try to gain perfect attendance.”
The Walmarts in Sparta and McMinnville, Kenny Delong from Citizens Tri-County Bank and the District Attorney’s office donated funds to purchase the bikes, while the McMinnville Walmart provided the bicycles and delivered them to the school. The mayor of Spencer, Mickey Robinson, donated the helmets.
