For a student to make it through 12 grades of public schooling without missing a single day is remarkable.
For more than one student within the same family line to make a clean run from first-grade through 12th-grade is virtually unheard of. But four? That’s not possible, right?
It is in Plato.
When Caeden Hathaway graduated last Friday, he became the fourth boy in his family line to achieve the rare feat of perfect attendance during all 12 grades. It all started in 1999, when Caeden’s uncle, Jason Hathaway, became the first family member to complete the unblemished streak (even missing zero days of kindergarten). In 2016, two of Jason’s nephews, Conner Hathaway and Sheldon Clinton, also completed school without recording a single absence.
Caeden’s mother, Amy Hathaway (a kindergarten teacher at Plato) said Caeden did miss one day in kindergarten.
“But we all know kindergarten doesn’t really count,” she said. “It’s not even mandatory.”
Nonetheless, being absent that day became a thorn in Caeden’s side.
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“When I saw my uncle’s picture on the wall at school, I regretted missing that day,” he said. “I said to myself, ‘I’m not going to miss another one.’”
While he enjoys school, Caeden also views it as a duty.
“This is what I need to be doing and where I’m supposed to be,” he said. “It’s a commitment we’re supposed to make.”
Keeping that commitment was very difficult at times, Caeden said, but something kept him going.
“Just knowing I was so close,” he said, “like being a couple of years away and then one year away. And then I finally made it.”
Amy is Jason Hathaway’s sister-in-law and mother of both Conner and Caeden. She said the three younger boys were always inspired by the story of their uncle Jason.
Plato High School principal Nathan Wilkerson talks about graduating senior Caeden Hathaway after presenting him a certificate for perfect attendance from first through 12th-grade during an awards and recognition assembly last week inside the new school’s gym.
“It was a goal from an early age not to miss a day,” she said. “They really never got all that sick; they’re all outside kids and stayed pretty healthy.”
Amy’s husband, Chris (a former custodian at Plato Schools), missed only a couple of days of school due to chickenpox. The pair has carried on the family tradition into their adult years by making a habit of not missing work.
“This is just how we live life,” Amy said.
A third generation student at Plato Schools, Caeden is the last Hathaway in the district. But Amy said an unrelated male student in the Houston School District has been inspired by the ongoing saga in Plato and has his sights set on a perfect attendance mark of his own.
Awards and recognition notwithstanding, Amy said attendance should matter to anyone and everyone involved in public school.
“From a teacher’s perspective, we’ve always seen attendance as very important because you can’t educate a student who’s not in school,” she said. “With that as my background, I always wanted Conner and Caeden to have good attendance.”
As a student at Plato, Caeden was a member of the basketball, baseball, cross country and track teams, and this year was one of the top long-jumpers in Missouri in Plato’s class. He was also active with several organizations, including Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), Beta Club and Skills USA.
A plaque recognizing Caedens’ feat will be mounted on a wall next to three others honoring his relatives’ similar achievements. Amy said she hopes more students and families are motivated by her family’s rare and amazing story.
“It’s like anything else – you set a goal and find a way to achieve it,” she said. “I think it boils down to pride and commitment.”
“It’s a commitment we’re supposed to make.”
CAEDEN HATHAWAY