In August, Tennyson Knolls Preparatory School introduced an attendance challenge for September. The prize, the class with the best attendance, was told they would celebrate with a pizza and a movie day party. But what students and staff were excited about was the opportunity to throw a pie in their principal’s and assistant principal’s faces.

Each student and staff member that had perfect attendance in September was entered into the drawing. In total, 115 students and 15 staff members attended school daily. On October 3, at an all-school assembly, Principal Molly Mojden and Assistant Principal Stephanie Fick pulled two names from the drawing. Joscar, a kindergarten student, and Miguel, a 1st Grader, were the lucky winners. Joscar said that his favorite part of coming to school every day was recess, and Miguel said his mom reminded him that it’s a good idea to always go to school.

Stephanie Fick said making school fun is a good way to encourage students to come to school every day, “We want our students to be successful and prioritize coming to school. We are willing to do anything, even get pied in the face, to incentivize our students and teachers to be in the classroom.”

Westminster Public Schools has placed a special emphasis on attendance this year, even creating a special video to remind students and parents about the importance of being in class as often as possible.