Six Ceres student are among the finalists to win a new car thanks to their perfect attendance.

The Stanislaus County Office of Education announced the names of 50 high school student finalists eligible to win a 2024 Toyota Corolla through the Every Day Counts Attendance Matters campaign. 

The Ceres students are:

• Widad Sharif from Argus High;

• Aaliiyah Smith from Central Valley High;

• Jaiveer Singh from Central Valley High;

• Alexa Sedano from Central Valley High;

• Zahra Sediqi from Ceres High;

• Karyzma Carreon from Ceres High.

The student finalists were recognized for their school attendance during a Tuesday recognition event held at Modesto Toyota. During the event, students will each submit their names for the final drawing to win the car donated by Modesto Toyota. SCOE and Modesto Toyota will draw the winning name and surprise a student at their high school with the car on Friday.  

To be entered into the contest, a student must have had at least one month of perfect attendance to be eligible to participate. Each month of perfect attendance, earned an additional opportunity for entry into the contest. Perfect attendance means that the student has attended all class periods of all school days within the calendar month of August 2023 through mid-April 2024. School districts diligently entered student names and held drawings at their schools in April, submitting the allotted number of qualified students as finalists to SCOE on April 19.

“School attendance is a serious issue – one that concerns educators and should concern all of us,” said Stanislaus County Superintendent of Schools Scott Kuykendall. “We applaud Modesto Toyota for recognizing the importance of school attendance and partnering with us.»

 An opportunity to win a new car encourages and motivates high school students to prioritize attending school daily.”