When Joua Lee's seven-person Sacramento family wants to go somewhere, two people have to stay home.



The only car in the family of the Valley High School senior is her older sister's Corolla, and they can't all fit–but not for long. Lee on Friday won $20,000 toward the purchase of a car at the Elk Grove Auto Mall for the Elk Grove Unified School District's "No Excuses–Go To School" campaign.



"If anyone at our school deserves to win a car, it's her," Valley Vice Principal Tom Dickinson said.



Seniors at all 10 Elk Grove Unified high schools were entered into a drawing for each month of perfect attendance they had this year, as long as they had at least five months' worth and a 2.0 GPA. Ten finalists assembled in front of a row of cars at the Elk Grove Auto Mall Friday morning, each clutching a set of keys. Only one of the cars would start, and Friday Lee was the lucky student whose blue Toyota roared to life.



"I'm excited and kinda nervous," Lee said after winning.



"When we told her she was coming [as one of the 10 finalists], all she did was cry her eyes out for the opportunity, so we know it means a lot to her," Valley Principal Chelsea Bowler said.



Not many students at Valley High School can afford cars–Bowler said only about 20 or 30 students drive, and visitors to the school sometimes mistake the empty parking lot for a non-school day.



Dickinson said Lee doesn't have her driver's license yet because she couldn't afford the DMV fees–she plans to get it this summer.



Dickinson said winning a car won't just affect Lee–it will benefit her entire family.



Lee said she hopes to get a truck or other large vehicle her dad can use to visit family in Fresno.



This was the seventh car giveaway the Elk Grove Auto Mall has hosted with the school district, and it marks the first time a student from Valley has won. John Driebe, who owns the NIssan, Infiniti and Mazda dealers in the Auto Mall, said the dealers enjoy donating the prize money and helping the district encourage attendance.



"It's really wonderful that we're able to give back to the community that supports the Auto Mall," Driebe said.



The campaign also helps the district, which loses about $30 in state funding each time a student misses a day of class.



"This year, attendance went up again," Superintendent Steven Ladd said. "By a tenth of a percent–but we continue to climb. Yeah!"



The nine runners-up in the contest, who each received a $100 gift card, were:



