As elementary students from Struthers City Schools gathered around a table in the atrium, they each took turns to sign an attendance pledge for the 2024-25 school year.
As one student signed his name on the banner, Chomps stepped up beside him and signed the pledge along with the students. On a banner with around 300 student signatures, Chomps joined in the pledge to commit to consistent attendance this school this year.
"Having Chomps, the Cleveland Browns mascot, present to sign the attendance pledge with students on August 15 created a sense of excitement and pride at the elementary school," Assistant Principal of Struthers Elementary School Larry Sammartino said. "The students were thrilled, and the event set a positive tone for the school year, reinforcing the importance of good attendance from day one."
As the 2024-25 school year is underway, the Stay in the Game! Attendance Network has now grown to 159 districts throughout the state of Ohio as of Oct. 28, with 106 of those districts within the Browns region. The Network, which provides support and resources to Ohio school districts with the goal of increasing school attendance and decreasing chronic absenteeism, now impacts 492,099 students. Districts within the Browns region make up half of the Network with 253,574 students.
The Network has tripled in size since the beginning of the 2023-24 school year. As the Network has continued to grow, while also keeping its dedication to maintaining quality of support for each district, the Cleveland Browns Foundation, Ohio Department of Education and Workforce and Proving Ground out of Harvard brought in Battelle to manage SITG! operations in July 2024.
As the Browns continue their dedication to improving school attendance, there is an added emphasis on attendance at the beginning of a school year. Starting off the school year strong is important because absences early in the first month of school can predict poor attendance throughout the school year.
Students missing two to four days in September are five times more likely to be chronically absent throughout the school year, according to Ohio’s Attendance Guide from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. Starting as early as kindergarten, chronic absence is a sign that children will be off track for reading by the end of third grade, achieving in middle school and graduating from high school on time.
When students are chronically absent, they miss opportunities to learn, build relationships, develop their mental health and well-being, and access critical resources available at school campuses.
"Promoting good attendance at the beginning of the school year is crucial for setting the stage for success," Superintendent of Struthers City School District Pete Pirone said. "Strong attendance early on helps establish essential routines, creates a solid foundation for learning, and fosters meaningful connections with teachers and classmates. A successful start sets the tone for a positive and productive school year."
Throughout August and September, the Browns and Chomps visited 22 school districts attending back to school events, rallies and open houses to help Stay in the Game! districts kick off the school year.
Those districts included Akron Public School District, Berea City School District, Breakthrough Public School District, The Brillance School, Brookfield Local School District, Brooklyn City School District, Cleveland Heights-University Heights School District, Cleveland Metropolitan School District, Conneaut Area City School District, Euclid City School District, Garfield Heights City School District, Hubbard Exempted Village School District, Huron City Schools, Liberty Local School District, Lorain Bilingual Academy, Lorain City School District, Mansfield City School District, Struthers City School District, Warrensville Heights City School District, Painesville City Local School District, Parma City School District, and Pinnacle Academy.
At each of these events, Stay in the Game! attendance messaging was shared with students and families.
"For several years, Struthers City School District has informally participated in September's Attendance Awareness Month, utilizing resources from the Cleveland Browns," Director of Student Achievement of Struthers City School District Sarah Herrholtz said. "This year, the district took a significant step forward by becoming a planning district, reinforcing our commitment to community engagement with the message: 'Cats Show Up—Everyday, On Time!' Each school building has worked diligently to educate families, address attendance issues before they become chronic, and support students in showing up as their best selves."
Members of the Browns were also out in the community at the beginning of the school year. On Aug. 27, K Dustin Hopkins and RB Jerome Ford visited Warrensville Heights Elementary School to kick off the school year. Fourth- and fifth-grade students cheered on their classmates while a select few participated in Minute to Win It style games with Hopkins and Ford.
Ford said his team, the orange team, beat Hopkins' team in the games they played.
"I think they had a lot of fun, we had a lot of fun," Ford said. "I think it's very important when people like us, if we can encourage maybe a handful of kids to stay in school and do something positive, I think it's important."
Hopkins said through the activities they played, they wanted to encourage the students to stay in school, while also making memories of playing games and enjoying a part of the school day. He also hoped their presence and hearing how school played a role for both Hopkins and Ford to reach the NFL, will motivate them to stay in school.
Hopkins remembered the guest speakers from when he was in school, and the excitement of those school assemblies. He said those moments stuck out for him during his school years, and he hoped their presence will do the same for the students at Warrensville Heights Elementary School.
"The Stay in the Game program is important, and any time you can leverage something like being a part of the Browns is a big deal in Ohio," Hopkins said. "It's a big deal for me, and it's a big deal for a lot of people. And so, any time you can leverage that into something better, like staying in school, I think it's beneficial for not only the kids, but the community and the state as well."
Then, on Sept. 3, LG Joel Bitonio visited Brook Park Elementary of Berea City Schools to celebrate attendance with all the third-grade students in the building. Bitonio donated a backpack filled with school supplies to all the students at the event and helped each student choose which backpack they wanted.
The students also participated in flag-football drills, showed off their creative skills by coloring Browns bookmarks and coloring pages, and got the chance to be drawn by a caricature artist. Bitonio believed it was important to host this type of event to encourage students about staying in school.
"It was getting out in the schools, making sure they're staying in school, going to school and learning, and we want to be a part of that," Bitonio said. "My mom teaches third grade in California, so to have the third-grade class here in Cleveland was pretty cool and a special coincidence. My mom was so impactful in my life, so giving back when I can is easy for us and I enjoy it."
The Browns wrapped up their back-to-school visits with DT Maurice Hurst II on Sept. 24. Hurst, who is an ambassador for the Stay in the Game! Attendance Network for the 2024-25 school year, with Breakthrough Public Schools. Hurst held a Q&A session and played games with the students.
Hurst decided to become an ambassador because of memories of when he was in school, and the role school played in his life. He thought about the impact that the teachers had on his education and overall success and wanted to do his part.
"Just trying to be that for those kids and try to give them that same motivation that I had to help me excel and help me get to this point that I'm at today," Hurst said. "It's really amazing to see the type of impact that these principals and teachers have on their kids. They're just really rockstars and it's awesome to see how they handle the classroom, how they handle their kids and it's truly amazing. I have the upmost respect for our teachers all around the Cleveland area."
