Some kids do not like school and have not figured out that education is key to living a full life as an adult. In the Cripple Creek/Victor School District, Superintendent Dan Cummings has tasked Sasha Johnson to come up with a plan.

“We are above the state average for chronic absenteeism, but we still want to address it,” said Larson, the district’s absentee coordinator. “We see some of our students struggle with motivation.”

According to the state education department, chronic absenteeism occurs when a student misses more than 10% of school days.

Larson began her research by questioning other districts and doing the research. The crux, she said, was sticking to a plan, playing the long game.

She made a list and effective communication with parents was at the top.

“At the end of every month, parents get a phone call reminding them of the percentage of their student’s attendance,” Larson said.

If the student raised his attendance rate, the parents received congratulations and “good job” response, she said.

For elementary school students who achieve 90% attendance, the result will be a reward of some kind every month, rather than at the end of a quarter or semester.

“At the elementary school, the class with the best attendance of every week will host Daryl, the attendance donkey, in their classroom,” Larson said.

Focusing on the positive, Larson goes for the silly reaction. 

“For the junior/senior high school, we will have the ‘atten-dance,’ a 30-second dance party every month,” she said. “We just want to distract the students for a moment, give them something to laugh at.”

Attendance at 90% and above qualifies a student for a ticket to be spent on “freebies” and an entry into a drawing at the end of the semester. The prize could be a $100 gift card.

Larson’s research shows that students want social activities. Acknowledging budget concerns, Larson plans to appeal to businesses to sponsor events.

“We would post the sponsors on our website to increase their visibility to customers and also help out the school,” she said. “Social events are for everybody who wants to come; they are a way to improve the students’ school experience, give them more opportunity for social interaction.”

Larson has even tied the social with the traditional back-to-school night from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Aug. 6. At the event, parents can learn about the various programs offered by the district, from culinary and fire science to the construction trades, for instance.

“We also developed a system for at-risk kids regarding attendance,” she said.

In October, Larson plans to implement a mentorship program.

“Studies have shown that mentorship, with a trusted adult who has passed a background check,” she said. “Some kids think of school as a prison sentence. But there are so many things they can develop while they’re here that they’ll be golden when they get out.”

To add interest to the evening, representatives from the city’s parks and recreation department, the Aspen Mine Center, Diversus Health and Gorman Medical Center will be on hand to provide support and answer questions.