Calabasas grad finished with perfect attendance
Not one absence in 12 years
By Joann Groff joann@theacorn.com

Marley Pelta

Some students go through an entire school year without missing a day of class. Rarely does one make it through 12 years with perfect attendance.

Marley Pelta is one of the exceptional few.

The Calabasas City Council recently honored Pelta, a Calabasas High School graduate on her way to University of California, Santa Barbara, for not missing a day of school during her 12 years of education.

Her secret?

Good health and good timing.

"I tend to get sick during breaks from school, like summer vacation or winter break," Pelta said. "I'm that lucky kid that gets sick for three weeks during the summer."

It wasn't until fifth grade that Pelta realized she had never missed a day. The Acorn wrote a story about her and her school honored her.

"At first, it just happened," Pelta said. "It was a big deal when people figured it out in fifth grade. I thought, 'Wow, that's cool.' Everyone was saying that I should keep it up, so I decided I'd actually try."

Pelta finished elementary school at Chapparal, attended A.E. Wright Middle School, and in June, graduated from Calabasas High with a perfect record- not that it was easy.

"I wanted to go places, but I didn't," Pelta said when tempted to skip class. "School has always been a priority for me. It was more important to me to go to school than to ditch and have fun."

And the benefits were numerous, she said.

"I think it helped my grades a lot, never missing lectures or anything," said Pelta, who graduate with close to a 4.2 gradepoint average. "I think attendance reflects how determined you are in school and how willing you are to work.

"Plus, it's kind of a hassle to miss school. I didn't want to miss all the work."

Throughout the12-year journey to perfect attendance, Pelta's friends and family supported her.

"My parents really encouraged me," Pelta said, "mostly because they just wanted me to go to school, not for the perfect attendance, but for the education."

Pelta said her sister, Emily, a 21-year-old at Cal State Chico, definitely missed a few days of school, despite her parents claim that genetics helped Marley keep at her goal. Going for her record, Pelta said, is not for everyone.

"I would say, don't go to school if you're sick," Pelta said. "I mean it's good to go to school as much as you can if you're healthy. There are people that miss school because they didn't do their homework the night before or they have tests. It's better to get it over with."

Outside of school, Pelta was a cheerleader for two years and volunteered at the Motion Picture & Television Fund Hospital. She's currently taking two advanced courses at Pierce College to get a head start on the university workload and working at Chick's Sporting Goods.

Pelta is moving soon to Santa Barbara to major in communications at UCSB, although she's not sure exactly what career path she wants to take.

"I hope to (keep up the attendance)," Pelta said. "The temptation will probably be a little stronger. I don't plan on not going to class, let's put it that way."