At East Hartford High School, students competed in a March Madness challenge not on the court but in class. Attendance was the goal for every single student in school.
Each Period A class was entered into round one of the EHHS Attendance Challenge beginning the week of February 27-March 3. After each week, the class with the best attendance overall advanced to the next round with attendance resetting at the beginning of each week.
After seven rounds of play, Fred Carofano’s Period A Statistics class were named the champions. Every student in the winning class, plus Mr. Carofano, received an EHHS sweatshirt for their efforts to come to school each day.
Assistant Principal Ed Lavoie said it was fun seeing how the school embraced the challenge and got into the competitive spirit.
“Everyone buys in when you add something extra like the chance to compete. Teachers have been checking in to see how they’re doing and then they’re promoting the challenge through their students,” said Lavoie.
Most importantly, the challenge had its intended result: improved attendance and more opportunities to learn. Attendance in March was up compared to February.