Emily Reams caught the ‘attendance bug’ during her kindergarten year in the Bradford Area School District, and it never left her.
Reams, who graduated with honors from Bradford Area High School Thursday, likely views her perfect attendance during all 13 years of her school career as one of her biggest achievements.
The fact that Reams never missed a day is made even more special by the fact that she never arrived late for school or left early — not by one second.
Reams’ mother, Danielle Reams, a speech/language therapist for the school district, said she believes her daughter’s accomplishment may be the only time this feat has been achieved in the district.
Whether district records can prove this claim true or not, Emily Reams’ determination to make it to school, day in and day out, is something she holds with pride.
Her quest for perfect attendance began after she realized she hadn’t missed a day of school in kindergarten. She liked the accomplishment and wanted to continue it.
“To me, perfect attendance kind of represented determination and health,” Emily Reams recalled. “It was something I wanted to strive for because I thought it would make me a better person for being there all the time and trying to do my best.”
She said her mother and father, Sean, recognized her tenacity on the subject, but didn’t push her. Her two older brothers, Austin and Justin, also had good attendance records, but had issues such as bronchitis and orthodontic braces that caused them to miss.
“I’m definitely grateful that I had the health to do this,” Emily Reams remarked. “I was fortunate, in a sense, that the only time I got sick was on a school break, like Christmas breaks” or other holidays.
A highlight of her elementary years was when she won a bicycle in fifth grade, along with a couple of other students who also had perfect attendance up to that point.
Danielle Reams said she and her husband, who is principal of Coudersport Elementary School, are proud of their daughter. She admitted there were times, however, she wasn’t certain her daughter would reach her goal.
“At times when she didn’t feel great, I’d say, ‘Come on Emily, you need to stay home,’ and she’d say, ‘Nope, I’m fine.’ It was always her sheer will that she set that goal for herself,” Danielle Reams explained. “We tried to instill in all our kids that when you start something you want to finish it and put your all in it.”
They also instilled the importance of education in their children.
“I think that may have helped motivate Emily to keep excellent attendance throughout her school years,” her mother added.
Reaching the goal also took planning by her daughter, Danielle Ream said.
“Anytime she had appointments (outside of school) for sports injuries or ear infections we’d always schedule them for after school,” her mother said of her daughter who participated in cross country and softball. “Sometimes that prolonged the time that she would be able to get in.”
Family vacations or trips were also planned so they didn’t create absences at school.
Emily Reams even attended her very last day of school, which is often taken off by seniors.
“The seniors weren’t required to attend, but she said ‘I’m not going to miss my last day,’” her mother said.
Emily Reams said she received certificates every year for her perfect attendance. In addition, she was recently recognized for her attendance during senior awards night.
Emily Reams said she hopes to keep up her good attendance when she enrolls in the University of Kansas this fall.
“I think it shows you care what you do,” she said, while noting the hope that good attendance will look good on another important document — a job resume.
