Schools

A Big Prize for Perfect Attendance: $20,000

Elk Grove High School student Melayne Alexander won cash towards a new car in the school district's Senior Attendance Drive sweepstakes Wednesday.

It was an enticing reward for a pretty simple task: go to class every period, every school day for a month, and get a chance to win $20,000 towards a new car.

Melayne Alexander, 17, almost didn't enter the Senior Attendance Drive contest cosponsored by the Elk Grove Unified School District and the Elk Grove Auto Mall. But on Wednesday morning, the Elk Grove High senior was glad she did.

Alexander and nine other finalists were chosen at random from a pool of graduating seniors with perfect attendance records for at least one month during the 2010-2011 school year. On Wednesday, they gathered at the Auto Mall and received keys to cars, only one of which would start, indicating the student had won the grand prize.

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Alexander drew the lucky key.

"It was surreal," she said later about winning the supersize gift certificate, which is good at any of the Auto Mall's 18 dealerships.

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The basketball player, whose friend convinced her to enter the sweepstakes, plans to attend San Joaquin Delta Community College next year. She said she'll use her new wheels to commute back and forth this summer while she settles in and looks for a job.

One can buy a lot of car for $20,000. What model is Alexander most interested in?

"I'm kind of leaning towards an Acura," she said. "But the Honda Fit I turned on was also pretty nice."


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