"Perfect" - DHS senior, Kara Kilroy, completes her objective ...

It was Thursday, March 12, 2020 and the dismissal bell had just rung at 2:10pm, much like it has at Dedham High School for the past three and a half years. Senior Kara Kilroy paused for a moment, getting her thoughts together, making sure that she had everything she needed for the weekend in her backpack.

You see, on this particular Thursday, the DHS staff and students had just found out that school had been cancelled the next day, Friday March 13, 2020, so there could be a "cleaning" over the weekend...

The Town, the State, the Country, was on the doorstep of this Coronavirus - Covid 19, and nobody knew what to expect.

This weekend, and the remainder of the school year for that matter, had been planned out for months. Especially for an active senior, things were slotted in to a tightly packed schedule to try and accommodate all that Kilroy needed to and wanted to complete. Days earlier, cases of the virus had been detected here in Massachusetts and the uncertainty of our collective health and well-being was "fast becoming" a top priority for all.

On March 10th, a State of Emergency had been declared, Harvard University resorted to on-line classes, the St. Patrick`s Day Parade had been cancelled, all major league sporting events were placed on hold, and there was almost an impending fear in the air.

As Kara Kilroy left school that day, she, or anyone else for that matter, had no idea that they would never return to Dedham High. Like other seniors across the country, Kilroy was in the process of completing term 3, preparing for a handful of Advanced Placement tests, had been applying to and visiting colleges across New England, was preparing for her senior prom, rehearsing for her role in the senior play, tutoring after school, volunteering at the local nursing home and getting ready for her big eighteenth birthday. All of this would simply "freeze in time" as the door closed behind her that day...

Kara Kilroy also had one other notable feat under her belt. She had achieved "perfect attendance" on her journey through the Dedham Public Schools - present every day - from grades K-12!

All year her friends, teachers, guidance counselors, and those that knew her, had rallied around Kara, so proud of this achievement. On Thursday, March 12, 2020 Kara had tallied 2,276 consecutive days of school, with 64 days remaining in the school year. Kara was so proud of this accomplishment, that she had written her college essay on her reflection over the past twelve years.

As the pandemic unfolded over the coming weeks, Kara continued classes on line, logging in each day with teachers, classmates, administrative staff and colleges to fulfill her requirements and complete her senior year.

On Saturday June 6, 2020, Dedham High School senior Kara Kilroy, almost three months after unknowingly leaving school for the last time, graduated with Honors and got her diploma, enrolled at Merrimack College in the Fall pursuing a degree in Health Sciences and a career in the medical field and followed her brother Corey Kilroy in completing her perfect attendance.

We would like to congratulate Kara on her perseverance and wish her our best in the future!

2,340 consecutive days of school over the past 13 years!