BROOKLYN, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns’ “Stay in the Game!” school attendance effort boasts a simple equation: Attendance plus engagement equals success.
That’s what the Brooklyn City School District is experiencing now that it has joined the community outreach program, which was launched in 2019 by the Cleveland Browns Foundation, the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce and Harvard’s Proving Ground.
“The ‘Stay in the Game!’ attendance initiative, which I believe involves about 85 schools, helps with chronic absenteeism,” Brooklyn City Schools Director of Innovation and Career Development Supriya Culliton said.
“It promotes ways to get kids to school and keep them in school.”
“Stay in the Game!” literature touts that students who have never been chronically absent are more than six times more likely to read on grade level by the end of third grade.
They area also nine times more likely to graduate from high school on time and go on to college or a career.
The Cleveland Browns “Stay in the Game!” network provides different rewards for students who regularly attend school.
This includes receiving tickets to games and getting tours of the Browns facility.
Or, in the case of Brooklyn School, being visited late last fall by Browns offensive lineman Lorenzo Thompson for a gym class takeover.
“It involved about 60 students participating in a clinic that was run by the Browns player,” Brooklyn School Assistant Principal Marcello Deangelis said.
“He ran some drills with the kids, who were selected to participate in the activities based on their really good attendance.
“It was kind of a reward for doing an outstanding job coming to school every day, coming to class on time.”
At that event, Brooklyn School also was awarded a $2,500 “Stay in the Game!” check, which has been used to promote good attendance through the building’s PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) initiative.
“We have these things called Canes Tickets,” Deangelis said, referring to the district’s mascot, the Hurricanes.
“So students coming to school or having perfect attendance at the end of the week, we’ll buy prizes to try to motivate them to continue with their attendance initiative.”
Superintendent/CEO Theodore Caleris said the district currently boasts a 91 percent attendance rate, which has held steady in recent years.
He believes “Stay in the Game!” has played a part in keeping kids in school.
“Focusing on positive student attendance is a priority within our strategic plan,” he said.
“The ‘Stay in the Game!’ initiative has allowed our students to work with community partners like the Cleveland Browns with the intent of engaging our students outside of the classroom and improving student attendance.”
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