Perfect Attendance Pays Off: Harlingen CISD Student to Win 2025 Chevy Trax in Annual Giveaway

(This article was written by Abigail Muniz-Garcia and was featured in the May 2025 issue of Explore Harlingen Magazine .) Photo courtesy of HCISD Every year, one fortunate high school student from Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District (HCISD) gets the keys to a brand-new vehicle all because they didn’t miss a day of school. This year is no exception. The grand prize in store for a lucky high schooler on Friday, May 9 will be a 2025 Chevy Trax LX. The prize will be announced at the 12th Annual Drive for Perfect Attendance event at Gillman Chevrolet in Harlingen. What began as a partnership between Gillman Chevrolet of Harlingen and HCISD to promote the importance of perfect attendance 12 years ago, continues strong to this day. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors from the four HCISD high schools: Harlingen High School, Harlingen High School South, Harlingen Collegiate High, and Harlingen School of Health Professions who maintain perfect attendance during the school year are eligible.   “We encourage all students and their parents to attend the event—it’s truly a celebration of dedication and success!  The high schools bring their drumlines and cheer teams, adding energy and school spirit to the day. We provide Chick-fil-A and Kona Ice for everyone to enjoy, making it a fun and festive afternoon,” Jana Kusin, marketing director for Gillman Chevrolet of Harlingen, said. According to SchoolStatus, a leading provider of K-12 attendance and family engagement solutions in the United States, their 2025 mid-year student snapshot data showed the overall daily attendance rates for grades Pre-K through 12th grade are nearing pre-pandemic norms at 93.45 percent. This data was gathered from over one million students in the U.S. Unfortunately, a regression was noted in the first half of the school year for grades 10th through 12th, lower than last year’s findings. There was also an increase in chronic absenteeism (those who miss at least 10% of their school days) of 1.90% for these grade levels, compared to last year. According to a U.S. Department of Education study in 2016, students who are chronically absent for one year between the 8th grade through 12th grade, are seven times more likely to drop out of school than students who weren’t. Photo courtesy of Gillman Chevrolet “When students attend school, the school district receives crucial funding,” Kusin said. “Thanks to this program and the incredible commitment to students showing up, this program has helped generate over $28 million for the district over the past 12 years—by encouraging perfect attendance among our 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students.” In addition to the vehicle, the students are also eligible to win $250 gift cards, a 13” MacBook Pro, a Microsoft Surface Pro, or an iPad mini. “Each year, Gillman invests over $50,000 into this event—because we believe in supporting education, rewarding hard work, and making a lasting impact in our community,” Kusin said. Kusin also notes that students must be present to win. The event has had a strong turnout every year. “It’s a day full of excitement, anticipation, and community pride,” Kusin added. For more information or to reserve tickets for the event, check out Gillman Chevrolet Harlingen on Facebook.