A family tradition: Ridgeline High School student has 13 years of perfect attendance
Feb 13, 2024, 1:45 PM | Updated: Feb 14, 2024, 6:18 am
MILLVILLE — A Utah dad praised his daughter for keeping a two-generation tradition alive.
She will have completed kindergarten through her senior year of high school with perfect attendance.
Giana Pugh has loved learning ever since she was a kindergartener living in Alaska.
That’s when she decided she wanted to follow in the footsteps of her dad and big sister, who also went to school every day for 13 years.
“I have perfect attendance. And when I finish this year, I’ll have 13 years,” she said.
This image shows one of the certificates Giana Pugh earned for perfect attendance. (KSL TV)
She did not miss one day of school. You could say it’s a family tradition.
“My attendance was 11 years of perfect attendance. My brother, I had 13. And my father had 12,” her dad Greg Pugh said.
She chased her dream following in her big sister’s footsteps.
“I don’t know what it is, but I just, I love going to school. I love being there and learning,” Giana Pugh said.
Her dad said it took a lot of sacrifice.
“They have gone to school at 40 below,” Greg Pugh said. “Now, you know because most of their school was in Alaska. They’ve gone to school with earthquakes, they’ve gone to school with rain and all that weather elements.”
Giana Pugh (right) is completing her senior year at Ridgeline High School with perfect attendance. (KSL TV)
“I was in eighth grade when COVID happened,” Giana Pugh said. “And it was really difficult to wake up and go on to the Zoom meetings and things like that, but I still did.”
All while maintaining good grades. So, what’s her secret?
She said she owes a lot to her parents.
“They’re the ones that drove me. And they’re the ones that supported me, I couldn’t have done it if I didn’t have that, “’Good job, you went to school today,’ when I got home.”
Dad said he never had to push his daughter. He said she was always determined.
“I tell them all the time,” Greg Push said. “It’s, it’s a Pugh thing. It’s a legacy.”
She is always looking ahead. After graduation, Giana Pugh plans to attend Utah State University and major in business. She’ll use those skills to open a gift shop.
