High School Awards Student with a Car

Benton Central High School in Indiana came up with a creative way to get students to attend school. The school teamed up with Emerson-Sondgerath, a Kentland car dealership, to award perfect attendance with a chance at a car. The dealership donated a black 2000 Chevrolet Malibu to the cause.

All twenty-seven students with perfect attendance for the year were given a key. Only one lucky key would unlock the car's door. The high school students lined up with their keys in hand on Monday afternoon, each hoping that theirs would be the one that would open the car's door. When Courtney Lavelle turned the key in the Malibu, the door unlocked.

Courtney Lavelle is a junior at Benton Central High School, a small high school located twenty miles northwest of Lafayette, Indiana in a small town named Oxford. The school has just over 1000 students combining the middle and high school.

Courtney Lavelle was shocked and happy when she won. She will no longer have to share a car with her older sister since her key unlocked the 2000 Chevrolet Malibu. According to the Journal & Courier, Ms. Lavelle was motivated by more than just the car. She said, "I don't like missing school because then you have to make up work."

The high school offered the award as a way to boost attendance. According to the school's website, the school sets its attendance goal at 96%. Attendance at the high school raised three crucial percentage points, from 94% to a whopping 97% once the incentive was offered. To be eligible for a chance at the car, students had to attend every class without ever being tardy. Students with excused and/or unexcused absences were not eligible.

The dealership, Emerson-Sondgerath has promised the school another car for next year. According to the Journal & Courier, Tom Sondgerath, co-owner of the dealership said, "Our main goal in doing all this is to support the local schools and show that attending school is an important part of life."