Little Elm Journal > News
LEHS honor grad achieves 12 years of perfect attendance
By Emily Hill, ehill@starlocalnews.com
Little Elm High School honor graduate Elizabeth Wilson has a little more to celebrate than other graduates in her class--Wilson has never missed a day of school since starting pre-kindergarten.
"I always loved school and felt it was really important," Wilson said. "Any time I saw people miss, I never wanted to do that. I just loved being there [at school] so it was easy."
Wilson will be joining her fellow classmates this Saturday to walk the stage as a 2012 graduate. She was recently honored for ranking seventh in class as well, proving that she really does enjoy school.
"I loved learning and I always have, and [school] has been something really important to me," Wilson said. "I loved the atmosphere of it and being with all my friends."
Wilson has been so dedicated to achieving perfect attendance since an early age that she even passed up a trip to Disney World. When she was in elementary school, her brother, a competitive gymnast, and his team qualified to compete at Disney World. Her family was invited to attend the four-day weekend event, but when Wilson found out she would have to miss one day of school, she asked her mom if she could stay.
"[I told her] 'I can't leave you here, I can't go to Florida and leave you here,'" Torro Wilson, her mother, said. "[She said] 'But Mom, I can't miss school, I can't.'"
Elizabeth Wilson remembers there was something going on at school at the time that she didn't want to miss. Her mother agreed to stay home with her while her father and brother traveled to Disney. Even to this day, Wilson has never regretted her decision.
"[Perfect Attendance] is always something very close to me and something that meant a lot," Wilson said. "I always stood true to it. It's one of those things that some people when they tell you you can't do it, you want to do it more."
Torro Wilson said the Disney trip was when she and her husband realized how serious Elizabeth was about her perfect attendance.
"She's that kid when she commits to something, she never does it halfway," Wilson said. "She truly loves school. We jokingly say that if she doesn't show up [to school], the roof might cave in."
Wilson said when her daughter was younger, she would not let anyone touch her if she was sick. Wilson, a teacher, recalls one afternoon when she noticed Elizabeth had not walked down to her classroom after school. After walking to Elizabeth's classroom, she found Elizabeth asleep behind her teacher's desk with a 102-degree fever. Her teacher had said Elizabeth told her she was tired and asked to lay down.
Once, Elizabeth Wilson said she even had pneumonia for a month before being diagnosed. By the time she found out about it, she was not contagious any longer so she still attended school.
"I just willed myself well," Wilson said. "They like to say if I got sick, it was always a Friday afternoon so I would be better by Monday."
Wilson said her parents never forced her to go to school.
"My dad preferred me to stay home some days, but he didn't want to fight the battle because he knew it was always something I wanted to do," Wilson said.
She said she would joke with her friends that since she was involved in so many clubs and organizations, by the time she reached her senior year the field trips she's taken has made up for not missing any days.
Wilson said her mother had a huge impact on her love for school and her goals. She will be attending The University of Texas at Austin where she will be double majoring in education and Spanish. Wilson hopes to continue her perfect attendance while away at college.
"I couldn't be more proud of her," Torro Wilson said. "She has an incredible work ethic and integrity. Everything she does is 150 percent."
"I always loved school and felt it was really important," Wilson said. "Any time I saw people miss, I never wanted to do that. I just loved being there [at school] so it was easy."
Wilson will be joining her fellow classmates this Saturday to walk the stage as a 2012 graduate. She was recently honored for ranking seventh in class as well, proving that she really does enjoy school.
"I loved learning and I always have, and [school] has been something really important to me," Wilson said. "I loved the atmosphere of it and being with all my friends."
Wilson has been so dedicated to achieving perfect attendance since an early age that she even passed up a trip to Disney World. When she was in elementary school, her brother, a competitive gymnast, and his team qualified to compete at Disney World. Her family was invited to attend the four-day weekend event, but when Wilson found out she would have to miss one day of school, she asked her mom if she could stay.
"[I told her] 'I can't leave you here, I can't go to Florida and leave you here,'" Torro Wilson, her mother, said. "[She said] 'But Mom, I can't miss school, I can't.'"
Elizabeth Wilson remembers there was something going on at school at the time that she didn't want to miss. Her mother agreed to stay home with her while her father and brother traveled to Disney. Even to this day, Wilson has never regretted her decision.
"[Perfect Attendance] is always something very close to me and something that meant a lot," Wilson said. "I always stood true to it. It's one of those things that some people when they tell you you can't do it, you want to do it more."
Torro Wilson said the Disney trip was when she and her husband realized how serious Elizabeth was about her perfect attendance.
"She's that kid when she commits to something, she never does it halfway," Wilson said. "She truly loves school. We jokingly say that if she doesn't show up [to school], the roof might cave in."
Wilson said when her daughter was younger, she would not let anyone touch her if she was sick. Wilson, a teacher, recalls one afternoon when she noticed Elizabeth had not walked down to her classroom after school. After walking to Elizabeth's classroom, she found Elizabeth asleep behind her teacher's desk with a 102-degree fever. Her teacher had said Elizabeth told her she was tired and asked to lay down.
Once, Elizabeth Wilson said she even had pneumonia for a month before being diagnosed. By the time she found out about it, she was not contagious any longer so she still attended school.
"I just willed myself well," Wilson said. "They like to say if I got sick, it was always a Friday afternoon so I would be better by Monday."
Wilson said her parents never forced her to go to school.
"My dad preferred me to stay home some days, but he didn't want to fight the battle because he knew it was always something I wanted to do," Wilson said.
She said she would joke with her friends that since she was involved in so many clubs and organizations, by the time she reached her senior year the field trips she's taken has made up for not missing any days.
Wilson said her mother had a huge impact on her love for school and her goals. She will be attending The University of Texas at Austin where she will be double majoring in education and Spanish. Wilson hopes to continue her perfect attendance while away at college.
"I couldn't be more proud of her," Torro Wilson said. "She has an incredible work ethic and integrity. Everything she does is 150 percent."
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