Apex teen tops off 13 years of perfect attendance

“It’s hard enough to have kids in school for every day of a season versus every day of one year, but to do it for 13 straight years – that’s a superb effort by him,” said Jeremy Thompson, who coached Herring on the Middle Creek High School baseball team.

Herring downplays the achievement.

“I never liked staying home,” he said. “I figured if my friends and everybody else went to school, why not me? I could at least socialize with them and learn a couple of things instead of staying home and having to do chores all day.”

That was just fine with dad Cedric Herring, who said his son even went to school when he wasn’t feeling 100 percent.

“He would always tell me that if he didn’t feel good, he would call me,” Cedric Herring said. “But he would never call.”

Keenen said his perfect attendance honor is already bringing in job offers.

“Because they know if they want to count on somebody, they’re going to count on the guy who never missed a day of school to come into work,” he said.

But more school is in Herring’s immediate future. He said he plans to keep his perfect attendance – and keep playing baseball - while at Pitt Community College. He hasn’t chosen a major yet.

“I couldn’t be more proud as a father,” Cedric Herring said. “As I said, he’s never given me a day of trouble.”

Wake County schools said Wednesday that Victoria Bass, a graduating senior from Green Hope High School, also completed 13 years of school without missing a day.