DOVER, N.H. (AP) – Jessica Swible can be called the Cal Ripken of Portsmouth Christian Academy. She graduated with 13 years of perfect attendance – 2,340 days.

Swible, whose mother teaches at the school, went to school every day from kindergarten through her graduation last Friday. Snow, sleet, hail or illness couldn’t keep her from the classroom, according to the school.

Swible realized she was heading toward a record when she reached high school.

Swible said she remembers only one day when she was “really sick.” But a 103-degree temperature did not keep her from school.

She said she also suffers from allergies, but that also was no reason to stay home.

She also remembered two days she would rather have stayed home for “senioritis,” like some of her classmates, but her determination to reach the record was stronger.

Swible plans to go to college, and said she wants to major in political studies and eventually become a lawyer or forensic scientist. She said she is not sure whether she can continue her good attendance in college. She plans to attend Gordon College in Wenham, Mass.

She still plans to be at every class but some of her friends already were plotting to kidnap her, she laughed.

Ripken is the former Baltimore Oriole who played in more than 2,600 straight major league baseball games, shattering the previous record of about 2,100 by Lou Gehrig.



Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.