Colds, family vacations, and “mental health” days are just some of the reasons that most students miss school a few days a year, but junior Matt Moore and sophomore Carson Thieret are members of an exclusive group who have attended school every day since kindergarten.

“I never really thought of having perfect attendance as a title,” Moore said.

Moore comes to school daily simply because he feels he has to, although he acknowledged the temptation to take a day off.

Moore was close to skipping school one day for a concert by the band State Champs because he thought he was going to have to get in line early to get a good place to stand for the show. He learned that doors would be opening later, so he went to school.

“I would have skipped school no question if the doors opened sooner so I could line up,” he said.

State Champs is not his favorite band, but his thoughts about needing to have perfect attendance have changed, and it is not not as much of a priority for him.

Moore said making sure to come to school every day helps him with his schoolwork by never having to make up work or miss out on lessons.

“My friends always complain about their makeup work for all of their classes, but I can never relate to them. I don’t want to, though,” Moore said.

Moore said he is lucky he does not get sick easily because that has helped him in coming to school every day.

“I’ve never really had a sick day. Thankfully I’m usually healthy and don’t have to worry about missing school,” Moore said.

For Thieret, his parents have played a role in his attendance.

“I think I’ve always had perfect attendance because my parents didn’t like me skipping school. My mom has always been strict about going to school,” Thieret said.

Thieret came to school one day this year with a sore throat, and it had been difficult for him to get out of bed that morning. Because he knew his perfect attendance was on the line, though, he came into school, but left after the allowed five periods to continue his perfect attendance.

“I’ve come to school sick a lot,” Thieret said.

When he graduated from elementary school, Thieret received an award for his perfect attendance, but has not recently earned anything for the title and is not normally praised for it.

Thieret’s older brother, senior Trent Thieret, has nearly the same record, missing only a couple days of school his whole life.

Both said their mother stresses the importance of attending school to them, as she did with their older brothers. She is strict about the idea of coming to school every day.

“I think it’s just normal. I don’t think anyone really knows,” Trent said. “Everybody at school sees us every day.”

Both Moore and Thieret hope to continue their perfect attendance records until graduation.