COVINA, CA – When Brandon Calderon walks across the stage to accept his high school diploma at South Hills High School’s upcoming commencement ceremony on June 7, it will cap a run of nearly perfect high school attendance – an uncommon achievement in a post-pandemic world. Calderon only missed one day of school in his four years of high school – and that was just last week when he took a day off after finals to attend his sister’s graduation.

Calderon completed his almost-flawless attendance record over the last four years on May 31, South Hills High School’s last day of class for seniors. He believes his attendance is what kept him on track to graduate by helping him maintain good grades and better retain information.

“It was hard at times to keep perfect attendance. There were times where I didn’t feel like going to class but I knew I had to and just powered through,” Calderon said. “I knew I needed to come every day to get things done and not fall behind. It was my responsibility to always show up to class, that’s just how I’ve always been.”

A self-described lover of learning, Calderon estimates he has attended every day of school since the sixth grade. He transferred to Covina-Valley Unified School District to start high school in 2019-20 and credits his time in the District for helping better prepare him for college.

Calderon took advantage of C-VUSD’s Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program all four years, which he says gave him guidance and helped him develop skills and strategies to succeed in college and careers.

South Hills High Principal Dr. Allan Tyner describes Calderon as a role model for other students for his commitment to attendance, and also as a great student with a 3.87 grade-point average.

“Brandon’s ability to maintain attendance throughout high school is super impressive. In my 20 years in education, it has been fairly rare to see students with that level of dedication,” Dr. Tyner said. “It was tough for students to accomplish before, but the pandemic made it nearly impossible.”

After graduation, Calderon plans to dive straight into college by taking summer school classes and completing his general education courses at Mt. San Antonio College. Once he decides on a major, he plans to transfer to Cal Poly Pomona or Cal State Fullerton.

“Brandon’s unwavering perseverance and pursuit of knowledge is clear through his commitment to high school attendance, even during a pandemic,” Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Eminhizer said. “He is a phenomenal example to every student in our District, and we are looking forward to seeing him achieve great things in his next chapter of life.”

PHOTO CAPTIONS:

CVUSD_ATTENDANCE1: When South Hills High School senior Brandon Calderon walks in his upcoming graduation ceremony, it will cap a run of almost-perfect high school attendance over the last four years. Calderon only missed one day of school in his four years of high school – and that was just last week to attend his sister’s graduation.