Waterville Central School District’s March Madness attendance challenge has successfully boosted student engagement and highlighted the critical role of consistent attendance in academic success.
The month-long Stay in the Game! initiative, inspired by the excitement of college basketball’s March Madness tournament, encouraged students to show up, stay engaged, and develop strong attendance habits that support their learning. A total of 161 students demonstrated exceptional attendance for the month, defined as missing no more than 0 days of school, highlighting their commitment to being present and engaged in their education.
“March is the longest teaching month, and we know when students start missing days now, it can set the pattern for continued absences for the remainder of the school year,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jennifer Spring. “This challenge gave students a reason to stay on track, and we were thrilled to see the progress made.”
Throughout March, students participated in a friendly competition where classrooms vied for top attendance records. Engaging activities including homeroom door decorating contest, spirit week with themed dress-up days, a trivia contest and for basketball fans a 3-on-3 basketball tournament. The challenge helped reinforce the message that showing up to school every day is a game-changer for their future.
“Our goal was to make attendance a fun and rewarding experience while emphasizing its importance,” said Andre Paradis, Principal of Waterville Jr./Sr. High School. “When students are in school consistently, they have greater opportunities to learn, grow, and succeed.”
Pre-K Achieves Slam Dunk Victory
The March Madness Challenge at Memorial Park Elementary School (MPS) wrapped up with exciting results. The Pre-K grade claimed victory, showcasing outstanding commitment to attendance. A special congratulations goes to Mrs. Jamie Curtis and her Pre-K class for their exceptional participation and school spirit.
Keeping a Full-Court Approach
The competition at the Jr./Sr. High School grouped students into teams based on their first-period class, with their teacher serving as the team’s coach while recognizing the overall grade level with the best attendance. The winning team, Mr. Langdon’s seventh-grade English Language Arts class, claimed victory in the first-period attendance challenge. The grade level with the highest attendance was seventh grade, and they were awarded a custom-made trophy (and bragging rights), crafted by students in the school’s technology program.
At the start of the challenge, each team received a baseline attendance percentage based on data from the preceding month, February, which is shown in purple in the graph below. Throughout the four-week period, team attendance performance was tracked; the final percentage is in yellow in the graph below. Grades seven, eight, and 12 experienced a significant improvement, with attendance rising more than 3%. Tenth grade saw over 2% improvement, and grade 11 saw an increase over 1%. Throughout March, attendance improved across all grade levels, with the exception of ninth grade. The district will continue to look for ways to emphasize the importance of daily attendance.
“We’re thrilled with the enthusiasm this challenge generated and the positive results we’ve seen,” said Spring. “This challenge not only highlighted the importance of being present each day but also fostered a sense of community, accountability and school spirit among our students.”
“The attendance challenge broke the February and March slump, fostering responsibility and teamwork as students showed up knowing others relied on them. It instilled a sense of purpose and belonging, letting students feel part of something bigger than themselves,” said Paradis.
“I am thrilled with how successful the “Stay in the Game” initiative was in motivating students to be more conscious of their attendance. Students were really into friendly competition of trying to outdo their peers in other classes. As the coach of the winning “team”, I could not be more proud of my first period class for taking the challenge head on and making a meaningful change in their attendance. It was a close competition and I am glad to see such an improvement from everyone. Let’s keep up the momentum for the rest of the year,” said Langdon.
“I think that the attendance challenge helped to make students aware of the fact that attendance is critical for performing well in school, and succeeding in life. I think a lot of students are aware of the fact that going to practice for sports teams improves performance in athletics. The same is true with academics. The attendance challenge created opportunities to have conversations with students about the importance of good attendance in school. Before this challenge, I rarely had conversations with students about this topic. The challenge inspired these conversations, and brought attendance into the spotlight,” said Mr. Sirtoli, science teacher of Waterville Jr./Sr. High School.
The Waterville Central School District Foundation provided funding for prizes, further motivating students to take part in the challenge.
“We are incredibly grateful for the foundation in making this initiative even more exciting for our students. Their partnership plays a key role in fostering a positive school culture and encouraging students to take ownership of their learning,” said Spring.
Waterville Central School District has been serving the local community for over 150 years and is dedicated to fostering academic excellence, personal growth, and lifelong learning for every student. The Stay in the Game! attendance challenge is just one of the many initiatives designed to support students on their educational journey and reinforce the district’s commitment to their success.
Photo Caption: Mr. Langdon’s seventh-grade English Language Arts class
3-on-3 Basketball Tournament
Photo Caption (left to right): Jaden Ortman, Austin Glazier, Allen Morey, Jackson Ruane, Quinnlan Mayne, Gavin Barth
The three students on the left were called “The Fab 4,” and they were the winners of the tournament. The team on the right were “The Chief Sharks,” and they came in second.