Portland teen graduates with perfect attendance

PORTLAND – Her family always emphasized the importance of education, a message Katherine Ureneck took to heart.

So for 12 straight years, from first grade to her senior year at Deering High School, Ureneck never missed a day of school and was never late to class.

“I know of no one who’s been able to do this,” said Dan Murphy, her guidance counselor. “And I’ve been at this for 24 years.”

Ureneck, 18, was recognized for perfect attendance before she graduated this month. “I’ve always loved learning and going to school every day,” she said.

When a bug bite caused her right leg to swell and doctors put her on intravenous antibiotics, Ureneck begged them to let her leave the hospital.

“I was like, ‘I have to be at school on Monday. I need to be there,'” Ureneck recalled.

She went to school with an IV tube embedded in her arm, covered with tape. For several days, dressings were applied at Deering’s health clinic, and after school she headed to the hospital for a daily drip of drugs.

There were times “she probably should not have been at school,” said school nurse Karen Mooney. “But,” said Mooney, who became friendly with Ureneck over the last four years, “she was always very cautious and avoided me. Because, the truth is, if she had come down to my office and she had a fever, she would’ve been sent home.”

Parental pressure was not a factor behind the streak. Ureneck was the one who would use strong-arm tactics to make sure her dad drove her to school on time.

“If the time was getting a little close and I wanted to grab coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts, she’d go through the roof,” said her father, Paul Ureneck, laughing. “I mean, we’d have 20 minutes left, and she’d say, ‘No, we might hit traffic.'”

Fellow students were surprised when Ureneck got her award at the last senior assembly. She’s better known as a good student who played tennis and basketball and is friends with everyone.

“Katherine’s a popular girl,” said her longtime friend Maria DiFiore, 18. “If you’re popular, you don’t go to school every day.”

Now that school is out, Ureneck is working as a supermarket cashier and deciding whether to attend college in Maine or out of state.

An amateur boxer, she also may compete in the Golden Gloves tournament in Vermont this year. Regardless, she is tackling her workouts and sparring with the same fervor that allowed her to achieve perfect attendance.

“It’s about commitment, basically,” she said.