Perfect attendance nets chance to win car

Flathead Valley high school students have a big reason to look forward to waking up bright and early each day to attend school.

That big reason comes in the form of a brand new car. For the 2011-2012 school year, Green Nissan of Kalispell is sponsoring a program called “Cool to Stay in School,” where students who have perfect attendance will be entered into a drawing for a 2012 Nissan from the car dealership. Participating high schools include Flathead, Glacier, Bigfork, Columbia Falls and Whitefish.

Green Nissan General Manager Larry Symmes said the dealership was looking for a fun way to reach out to schools in the region and met with the principals. Symmes got the idea for the drawing from a dealership in Arizona.

“They’ve done it for about five years with local schools and it’s been successful,” Symmes said. “It gives students something to look forward to.”

The model to be awarded has been picked out yet, but Symmes said he thinks it will be either a Versa or a Cube.

High school students may find out that school attendance can really pay off, said Symmes, a former high school teacher. He hopes the contest will encourage students to establish goals now that will help them to develop skills necessary for success later in life.

“If they know they have to attend school, be on time and so forth, it gets them in the right state of mind for when they go to college or afterward when they have to get a job,” Symmes said.

Schools will track student attendance and submit a list of names for the drawing, which will occur at the end of the school year. Students excused to attend school-sanctioned events such as games or field trips will not be penalized.

Bigfork High School Principal Matt Porrovecchio said the contest will be a big motivator.

When students are not in the classroom, they miss out on useful experiences: asking questions, participating in group activities, and watching step-by-step lessons to keep students on track, Porrovecchio said.

He said said this contest is an innovative way for schools to partner with a business.

“Most schools couldn’t afford to give away a car,” Porrovecchio said.

Peter Fusaro, principal at Flathead High School, said, “I’ll be interested to see how many students we have at the end of the year with perfect attendance... the chances are pretty good to win a new car.”

And the more students are in class, the more they stay ahead of grade-level expectations, he said.

“Green Nissan is stepping up and supporting our schools,” Fusaro added.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.