VIDEO: Benton County students win cars for good attendance

Apoorva Krovvidi, 17, smiles Tuesday as she realizes she won a 2016 Nissan Versa from McLarty Daniel Automotive of Bentonville in its car giveaway at Tiger Stadium in Bentonville. The dealership gave a car to a student in its Attendance is the Key initiative at Bentonville, West, Rogers and Heritage high schools. The Bentonville student had to meet attendance requirements to earn entries to the contest. The entries were pooled, then 10 names were drawn with each person getting a key to try on the car.
Apoorva Krovvidi, 17, smiles Tuesday as she realizes she won a 2016 Nissan Versa from McLarty Daniel Automotive of Bentonville in its car giveaway at Tiger Stadium in Bentonville. The dealership gave a car to a student in its Attendance is the Key initiative at Bentonville, West, Rogers and Heritage high schools. The Bentonville student had to meet attendance requirements to earn entries to the contest. The entries were pooled, then 10 names were drawn with each person getting a key to try on the car.

Two high school students from Benton County both won a new car Tuesday thanks to their excellent attendance rates and a little bit of luck.

Apoorva Krovvidi, a Bentonville High School junior, got the key that opened a 2016 Nissan Versa. Jimmy Whitten, a senior at Rogers High School, picked the key that started a 2016 Jeep Renegade Sport.

Two cars left

McLarty Daniel is set to award two more cars next week through its attendance award program. A Dodge Dart will be given away at Heritage High School in Rogers and a Ford Fiesta will be given away at Bentonville West High School in Centerton.

Source: Staff Report

McLarty Daniel Automotive of Bentonville donated the cars to the schools last year as part of an effort to promote good attendance. Students earned entries into a drawing if they achieved perfect attendance for a grading period. They earned additional entries if their attendance was perfect for consecutive quarters or the entire year.

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The cars had been parked at each campus since September to remind students of the prize awaiting them.

Both schools held outdoor assemblies Tuesday to give away their cars. School officials drew 10 names of students who had qualified for the drawing; those students then took turns choosing and trying out keys on the car before one of the keys worked.

Whitten was the obvious crowd favorite at Rogers High School. Fellow students loudly cheered for him -- first when his name was chosen from the raffle drum, and again when the key he'd chosen started the car.

Whitten, 20, has Down syndrome, said his teacher, Chris Wann. He is a second-year senior on track to graduate next year, Wann said.

"All the students love him," Wann said. "He brings a spirit to the school that's unbelievable. I couldn't be more proud of him and his growth here, but I think that has a lot to do with the environment at Rogers High School and the fact that everyone is family and everyone tries to take care of each other."

Lewis Villines, principal of Rogers High School, helped Whitten start the car. As the engine sprang to life, Villines turned around, threw his cap on the ground and raised his right hand in excitement. The Rogers High band began to play.

"Jimmy is an amazing student," Villines said after the event. "He brings positivity to our campus every day, visiting with other students at lunch, in general doing what he can to spread good will and cheer."

Whitten's new car has a sticker price of $24,905, according to a McLarty Daniel employee.

Earlier in the day, at Bentonville's Tiger Stadium, the suspense built slowly as nine students picked keys but were unsuccessful at unlocking the Nissan Versa.

It came down to Krovvidi holding the last key. Fellow students observing from the stands burst into cheers as Krovvidi opened the door and took her place in the driver's seat.

Krovvidi, 17, said she never thought she'd get the car. She already drives a 2016 Toyota Corolla, she said.

"Since I got (the Versa), I might just give it to my brother when he starts driving," Krovvidi said.

Jack Loyd, Bentonville High School's principal, said the car -- specially wrapped with the school's Tiger logo and the phrase "attendance is the key" -- generated much excitement among the students.

"It was the talk of the campus all year," he said.

It also seemed to help attendance. The past fall semester's attendance rate was 5 percent better than the previous fall semester's rate, which was already above 90 percent, Loyd said. Rogers High School saw improved attendance this year as well, Villines said.

Students had to be present at Tuesday's events to be eligible to win.

Russ Daniel, owner of McLarty Daniel Automotive, said this is the first time the dealership has run a promotion like this. He said he expects to offer it again.

"We wanted to do something we knew would have an impact on the community," Daniel said. "Attendance is a big talking point when it comes to education, because of the funding that goes along with it. So we thought this was a good way for us to contribute back to the community, really accentuate the education piece."

Students whose names were drawn but were unsuccessful with their keys received a $100 gift certificate to McClarty Daniel.

NW News on 05/17/2017

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