He skipped school and climbed trees, broke into buildings and tooled around on his dirt bike.

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Breaking all her mother's rules, she skipped school to spend time with Xavier.

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The crowd included students who skipped school, but farm workers and their families were by far the most prominent group.

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It was so embarrassing that "I never skipped school again, " says that daughter, Marilyn Ruberry, now a bookkeeper in Raymond, Alberta.

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In 2007, he skipped afternoon classes at his school in Beijing and started an internship at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

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He was also caught reading while driving on a city expressway, once called the police when a comedian tried to film part of a popular TV show outside his home, and skipped council meetings to coach high-school football.

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He haunted the library and rarely skipped class, heading to the gym most days after school to practice boxing, said his classmate, Luis Vasquez.

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He describes himself in an autobiography as a hot-and-cold student in high school, doing well when he studied but suffering plummeting grades after he skipped class to smoke and drink with friends.

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Mr. Benga said if he knew that the admissions process would have as much to do with luck as skill, he and his wife might have skipped the stressful process altogether, moved to another district or explored how to pay for private school.

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