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Brothers graduate with perfect attendance

By Tara Fasol, The Southern

Sunday, May 11, 2008 9:26 AM CDT

WEST FRANKFORT - As "Pomp and Circumstance" plays and the class of 2008 walks on the stage to receive their diploma from Frankfort Community High School, brothers Andy and Aaron Biggs will not only celebrate graduation but also 13 years of perfect school attendance.

The Biggs brothers aren't twins but with only an 11 month age gap between them, both Aaron, 18, and Andy, 17, ended up starting kindergarten at the same time and neither one of them ever missed a day of school from that point forward.

"We just don't get sick," said Aaron. "We always figured it was more boring to be at home."

Aaron said there was never a day that he didn't want to go to school or felt too sick to attend. His brother had a different story.

Andy said he did throw up one morning before school in the third grade. "But, they said I had to come to school. So I did," he added.

Andy and Aaron both acknowledge their accomplishment is unique but neither boast about being a perfect attendee.

"I don't have any experiences to compare it to because I never missed school," Aaron said. "It's not like we were determined not to miss school. We just didn't."

Andy said he thinks getting honored at graduation for his perfect attendance is "neat" but said the attendance record is one of the few things he and Aaron have in common.

"We have to explain to every single person that we aren't twins," Aaron said. "We aren't that much alike."

Andy plays football and spends his free time listening to music and going to concerts. Aaron enjoys literature, reading, and playing video games.

"This one time we got in a fight and I beat him up with a wiffle-ball bat," Andy laughed.

"Then I took it away from him," Aaron said as the boys joked about their differences.

As for the attention from the student body, both Aaron and Andy said they haven't had any pressure to skip school from their friends and haven't compared their attendance records to anyone else.

"Our friends don't skip," Aaron said. "I think the whole thing is a little overrated."

Assistant Principal Ellie Rush said she thought their recognition was exactly what they deserved.

"We are really proud of them for their dedication to education," she said.

After graduation the brothers plan to attend John A. Logan Community College, in Carterville. Andy said he will be studying nursing while Aaron pursues a degree in computer science.

Aaron said his advice to anyone wanting to follow in the footsteps of perfect attendance is simply to hope for good genetics.

"You have to have our excellent immune systems," he laughed.

tara.fasol@thesouthern.com

351-5824