Graduating from McLean High School on June 17, Catherine Overberg sealed in her perfect attendance record for thirteen full years of school. That’s right—not a day missed, not even an hour.
With a schedule packed with honor societies and varsity softball, Catherine remarked that she simply woke up and did what she needed to do each day. “It was kind of a mistake,” she explained, “I didn’t do it on purpose… it just happened!”
Her medical appointments were always scheduled after school, and neither vacations nor sports ever conflicted with the FCPS schedule. During cold and flu season, Catherine makes sure to keep healthy; her robust immune system has never required a prescription.
“In the beginning of the year, when teachers explain the make-up work policy, I guess I’ve learned to zone out,” she joked. Her teachers have even depended on her for updates after their own absences. But she won’t complain about snow days, especially after this year.
For a girl who didn’t skip even Senior Skip Day, however, she received little official recognition. Springhill Elementary granted her the giant PANDA award for six years there, and McLean High bestowed the Cal Ripken award in the same vein, for attendance within that school only. But FCPS does not make special record of such occurrences, and Catherine was disappointed by the void of scholarships that award a feat such as hers. With change, those who follow her will at least be officially recognized at convocation or graduation.
But for now, her friends are happy to poke fun over continuing the trend in college, in the Honors Program at Christopher-Newport University. “‘Just skip your first class!’ they’re saying,” but then she smiled, “But I probably won’t.”