Hough High senior hits 2,100 days of perfect attendance. She’s ready to share her secrets
Gabrielle Jumah will let the public in on a few of her secrets: take a multivitamin to stay healthy and iron supplements for an extra boost of energy.
Then, for the days when you’re still waking up and not wanting to go to work or school, stop at Starbucks for a frappuccino.
Jumah is 16 years old, and from the time she was a first-grader in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to now as a senior at William Amos Hough High, she hasn’t missed a single day of school. That’s roughly 2,100 days.
“I have a pretty strong immune system,” Jumah said. “My mom has always emphasized having perfect attendance, too. It’s just one of the values in my family. You go to school Monday through Friday.”
Jumah is the district’s poster child for its Attendance Awareness Month, and officials hope her dedication to the school day inspires her peers across CMS. The district has identified chronic absences as a culprit behind low test scores and other academic issues.
“Of course I have those days when I don’t want to go, especially when it’s cold outside, and I just want to stay in the warm house,” said Jumah, who also is dual-enrolled in Central Piedmont Community College. “But going to school every day makes it so much easier to retain information because I’m there, I’m taking in the material.”
To-do list for perfect attendance
Jumah, whose college aspirations include attending a four-year school and majoring in medicine or law, skipped kindergarten. Her perfect attendance streak began in first grade and the motivation came from her dad and mom, a pharmacist and clinical social worker, respectively.
She’s gone to school with minor colds. But for the most part, she’s stayed healthy. During the pandemic, when in-person learning began again, she wore a mask.
“I’ve avoided catching things like the flu and COVID,” she said. “I’ve been lucky.”
Her morning routine includes a to-do list: “shirt, pants, shoes, face, hair, teeth.”
“I repeat it every morning,” Jumah said, laughing. “When I do those things - put my shirt on, my pants, my shoes, wash my face…everything is possible. I can get ready for school and be there.”
Carrie Bushell, Hough High’s social worker, says Jumah is an inspiration for other students.
“Kids see her and her perfect attendance,” Bushell said, “and they think, that’s something achievable for them.”
Parents can be prosecuted in NC
In North Carolina, a student must attend school for at least half of the day to be counted present. If a student under the age of 17 has 10 or more unexcused absences, and the parent or guardian is not making a “good faith effort” to address attendance challenges, the parent or guardian could be prosecuted.
It’s something Jumah’s parents don’t have to worry about. And they’re also not worried about her younger sister, who is in the fifth grade.
“Yes, she has perfect attendance, too,” Jumah said. “Sometimes I do think it. It’s definitely a shock. I’ve been to school every day for 12 years.”
Bushell, a social worker for more than 20 years, says it’s difficult to motivate teenagers to go to school.
“And as a result of COVID, mental health is really impacting our young people,” Bushell said. “I’ve never seen mental health impact kids the way it has now.”
Bushell said Jumah may have found the secret.
“She just reminded me that she has a 4.3 GPA,” Bushell said. “It’s amazing she’s figured out a way to handle her physical and mental health. And she’s not just showing up, but she’s showing up and achieving things.”
Jumah spends her weekends doing the things she loves, including reading and doing her hair. She paints, draws, writes essays and articles, and practices the viola and piano. She’s a part of the school’s orchestra.
“School is fun if you make it fun,” she said. “Keep up with your work, build friendships and get to know your teachers. Be at school. Be present. But it’s also important to take care of yourself and on the weekends, take breaks.”
