Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
As he graduated from Warsaw Community High School Friday, senior Jeremy Pifer left behind a legacy few other students have come close to.
He hasn't missed a single day of school.
Ever.
Not in elementary school. Not in middle school. Not even in high school.
"It was just a really long time," he said Friday morning of his 13-year perfect attendance record. "I don't really know what else to say about it. (Thirteen years) was just a really long time."
Counting every day from kindergarten to graduation, Pifer figures that's 2,338 days of perfect attendance.
Pifer, 18, is the son of Tom and Dixie Pifer. He said his relationship with his parents is a unique one and they never forced him to go every day.
"My parents pretty much let me do what I wanted because they trusted me to do what is best," he said.
Of his son's perfect attendance, Tom Pifer said, "It's incredible. It's just incredible."
Dixie Pifer said he was never forced to go every day, "that was what was amazing." Jeremy, she said, was just always ready to go to school and very mature, even in elementary. "Teachers knew Jeremy would be there by 8 or 8:15 (a.m.)" in elementary school.
"It seems like it went by so fast," she said.
Tom said, "We didn't really push (him) either."
It was in the fourth grade, Jeremy said, when he first realized he hadn't missed a day of school. After finishing school at Lincoln Elementary, the school gave him a plaque for his perfect attendance.
Part of his perfect attendance was due to a little bit of luck and good fortune. "Really," he said, "I didn't get sick very often."
In the eighth grade, he did feel ill one day and the school asked him to go home. He never did.
By the time he entered high school, he figured he was "already nine years into it," approximately 77 percent of his educational career, so why miss now?
That doesn't mean there weren't days he wanted to miss.
"There were days I wanted to skip but I had extracurricular activities to do" and he didn't want to miss those, he said. His activities included clubs and National Honor Society, and he's been a manager for the Tiger basketball program for six years - two years in middle school, four years in high school.
In fact, he said, Tiger basketball was his greatest influence to show up every day at school and to work hard. "I do love basketball," he said.
For any future student interested in getting perfect attendance or not missing any more school, Pifer said his advice is, "It's difficult to learn if you're not there and learning is the most important thing you can do in your life."
Another piece of advice, he offered, was "a glass of o.j. everyday."
After high school, Pifer plans to attend Taylor University to study math and psychology. He wants to be either a teacher at the college level or go into business.
Of Pifer's feat, WCHS Principal Paul Crousore said, "Thirteen years, I think is - Wow! ... It's a miracle. It's above and beyond expectations."
