Pace Student Closes in on Perfection

Raquel Torres hasn't missed a day of school in 13 years

Raquel Torres is the Miami-Dade Schools equivalent of Cal Ripken Jr.

She's a true Iron Student.

The 18-year-old senior at Monsignor Pace High School is closing in on a prestigeous record of perfection that has even the President of the United States taking notice. Torres is just a week away from capping her public school career with 13 years of perfect attendance.

"Sometimes I'd be like, 'Please miss one day, one day please,'" Torres said. Her parents always said "No."

Torres has already received letters from former President George W. Bush regarding the modern-day miracle feat among youth today. She will be the first to ever graduate from Pace with perfect attendance and she plans to keep the streak going at Florida Gulf Coast University next fall.

"The Streak" was almost broken several times. Once, Torres tonsils were taken out. Did that stop her from getting to middle school?

Of course not, proving that dancers are just as tough as hockey players.

"When I had tonsils swolen I said, 'I can't go to school like this! Mom, come on," Torres recalled said. "She just told me, 'Don't talk.'"

The biggest threat to the streak came this year in the form of a right of passage: Senior Skip Day.

Torres said her best friend tried to persuade her to join the fun with the rest of the seniors. She almost buckled under the peer pressure, but decided to show up at school even though she knew her classes would be pretty much empty.

Ripken never had to face pressure like that.

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