Photo: fox10phoenix.com
Learning values that will come in handy later in life, when you join the work force, means more than getting good grades in school. And the reward for it is also a sweet one.
The East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT) in Mesa, Arizona, came up with an interesting approach to school absenteeism, by rewarding students who have perfect attendance. Well, they actually rewarded just one, but hundreds of them qualified for the contest.
The big prize was a Chrysler PT Cruiser, Chad Wilson, Interim Superintendent at EVIT, tells Fox 10 News.
“We ran our perfect attendance list from all of our campuses, and we had several hundred that qualified for it, and then, we went through the process to of kind of whittling it down to the six,” Wilson explains.
Of the six, the school had to choose one who would get the car. Because this wasn’t an easy choice, it was done randomly: all 6 received a box with a key inside, but only one key could start the car. Whoever was lucky enough to get it would drive the PT Cruiser home.
That lucky one was Saguaro High School junior Michael Duarte, who says he didn’t actually believe he’d win anything. Still, throughout the year, he kept his eye on the prize: each morning, he made sure he made it to class on time because he wanted to be an eligible candidate.
Now he’s a new-car driver as well.
In addition to the possibility of winning a car, with this contest, students also got the chance to learn important values that will later serve them in the work force, Wilson believes. Good grades are never enough to make a competent worker.
“Some of the soft skills, like punctuality and attendance, matter in the work field just as much as the academics do,” Wilson explains.
The big prize was a Chrysler PT Cruiser, Chad Wilson, Interim Superintendent at EVIT, tells Fox 10 News.
“We ran our perfect attendance list from all of our campuses, and we had several hundred that qualified for it, and then, we went through the process to of kind of whittling it down to the six,” Wilson explains.
Of the six, the school had to choose one who would get the car. Because this wasn’t an easy choice, it was done randomly: all 6 received a box with a key inside, but only one key could start the car. Whoever was lucky enough to get it would drive the PT Cruiser home.
That lucky one was Saguaro High School junior Michael Duarte, who says he didn’t actually believe he’d win anything. Still, throughout the year, he kept his eye on the prize: each morning, he made sure he made it to class on time because he wanted to be an eligible candidate.
Now he’s a new-car driver as well.
In addition to the possibility of winning a car, with this contest, students also got the chance to learn important values that will later serve them in the work force, Wilson believes. Good grades are never enough to make a competent worker.
“Some of the soft skills, like punctuality and attendance, matter in the work field just as much as the academics do,” Wilson explains.
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