<!-- /YAHOO POSITION2 AD POSITION --></div></div>By TONY HOLT
Hernando Today
Published: May 17, 2009
SPRING HILL - Desmond Zeng made it known he doesn't ponder his consecutive school days streak.
His parents work seven days per week managing their restaurant. Their work ethic was passed down to both sons.
It helps that Zeng rarely gets sick. He's also a light sleeper.
Keeping his alarm clock on the opposite side of the room is hisfail-safe. When he crawls out of bed, he doesn't go back again untilhis day is done.
"I guess I have a good immune system," said Zeng, who shruggedbefore offering an explanation for the streak. "I don't get sick much,maybe some sniffles or a cough."
Zeng is two days away from making it official. He has gone to schoolevery single day throughout his educational life - since his first dayat kindergarten at Deltona Elementary.
Two of his friends - Derek Wohlfiel and Ryan Clark - have maintainedperfect attendance since early in grade school. The three of them havebeen honored by Springstead High School with a plaque.
"They're a little more outgoing," he said of Wohlfiel and Clark."They've both played baseball for a long time. They're more active."
Only three of their classmates have had perfect attendance throughthe 2008-09 school year, which only proves how rare it is to find onestudent - let alone three - who have perfect attendance through so manygrades.
Zeng, 17, recalled his years while a student at Fox Chapel MiddleSchool. Those who earned perfect attendance back then would get a fieldtrip to a local water or amusement park.
He hardly ever thought about his streak unless he was reminded with some kind of reward.
"Going to those place might have been an incentive, but I can't say it was every a goal to have perfect attendance," he said.
His aptitude in the classroom was evident early in life. His parents let him skip the second grade.
Those achievements didn't wane through middle school and highschool. In a few months, he will pack his suitcases and move to his newliving quarters in Philadelphia. He will be an undergrad student at theUniversity of Pennsylvania, where he plans to study medicine.
Zeng is not about to start missing classes next fall, either.
"When you're in college, you're paying for your classes," he said. "I'm not skipping those."
Perfect attendance isn't his greatest achievement, he said. Herecently earned the maximum score in his advanced chemistry exam. Thatmight have been his proudest moment this year.
His parents, Man and Guang Zeng, were born in China and moved to Florida before their oldest son was born.
"I'm really happy for him," his mother said. "We work hard at therestaurant ... but he works hard, too. Even when we weren't here, heknew to come home and do his homework."
While he has earned perfect attendance, his extracurricularactivities sometimes meant he had responsibilities outside theclassroom. He occasionally had to travel - whether for tournaments orfield trips.
He didn't necessarily need it, but he discovered another incentive not to miss class.
"I had all of that make-up work to do," he said with a smirk. "It reminded me why I never wanted to skip school."
