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No notes from home necessary

Cindy Ramunno

Chad Strakbein is moving on to high school. The grade Eagle Valley Middle School graduate is heading to Eagle Valley High School in the fall and if his high school career is similar to the rest of his schooling, he won’t miss a day.Strakbein was honored at the recent continuation ceremony at the middle school for perfect attendance – but not just for his eighth grade year or this three 3 years in middle school. Strakbein hasn’t missed a day of school since starting kindergarten – that’s nine years without missing a day. Administrators at the Eagle County School District stress to parents a sick student should stay home. So when you hear a kid has had perfect attendance for nine straight years, you wonder – was he sneezing and hacking through the hallways to earn that honor? That’s not the case here. Eagle Valley Middle School principal Jerry Santoro says that Strakbein was healthy and determined to attend school each day. “Healthy kids who receive perfect attendance demonstrate tremendous work ethic,” Santoro says, “those are the people you eventually want to hire.”While Strakbein was generally a healthy kid – very healthy – he admits to attending school a few of those days with the sniffles. “I never considered it an option to miss school just for a cough or a sneeze,” Strakbein says. Strakbein also participated in extra-curricular activities, including club soccer, wrestling and basketball. He plans on staying active during high school with soccer and wrestling, and maybe a little student government. During his extensive time in the classroom, he didn’t slack off either. Strakbein continues to earn straight A’s on his report card.When Strakbein started elementary school, it was never his plan to attend every day, he says. “It just kind of happened,” he says, adding that after a few years, it became more of a goal. “Once I got four years under my belt, I was more determined not to miss.”Strakbein’s advice to younger kids is to look at school in a more positive light. “It’s not the worst thing – in fact, it’s rewarding to learn more things,” he says. “Always have fun – learning more will pay off for your future.”


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