As WR Isaiah Bond and DE Alex Wright walked into Sunview Elementary School's gymnasium, the school assembly welcomed the Browns players with cheering.

Bond and Wright were at the school for a Gym Class Takeover presented by Meijer, the third of four visits that will take place during the 2025 fall semester. Bond talked to the students about the importance of attending school to achieve their dreams.

Bond and Wright then fielded questions from the students. The questions ranged from what they would be if they weren't football players, their favorite pre-game snacks and what their favorite part of school was. Bond talked about how school contributed to who he is today, sharing with the students how his mom reiterated the value of school the role school played in achieving his dream of playing football.

"For me, my favorite part about going to school was honestly that I knew when I went to school it was going to make me a better man," Bond said. "You show up to school, those are little things but doing the little things a lot over and over in your life leads to success."

As the assembly wrapped up, Bond and Wright presented a $2,500 check to the South Euclid-Lyndhurst City School District on behalf of the Cleveland Browns Foundation and Meijer to support the district's efforts to combat chronic absenteeism.

Following the assembly and check presentation, 50 third-grade students selected for good or improved attendance participated in a variety of football and non-contact games alongside Bond, Wright, Chomps and volunteers from the Brush High School Girls Flag Football team. The drills included the students catching and throwing a football to their classmates, working on their communication and teamwork skills. Students also competed in agility ladder relay races to improve ball control and in tic-tac-toe challenges focused on speed and accuracy.

"We're celebrating the kids, attendance and rewarding them with gifts and just coming in to be a part of the Gym Class Takeover," Wright said. "We're just having fun with them, just celebrating that school is important, attendance is important. In order for you to learn, you have to show up but just take it seriously."

Launched in 2019 by the Cleveland Browns Foundation, Ohio Department of Education and Workforce and Harvard's Proving Ground, the Stay in the Game! Attendance Network, now managed by Battelle, works together to reduce chronic absenteeism by bringing together experts, partners and communities. The Network partners with 237 districts and impacts more than 600,000 students throughout Ohio.

Sunview Elementary School and South-Euclid Lyndhurst City District joined the Network in the 2023-24 school year. Coordinator of Student Services Dawn Imler works as a liaison between Sunview and SITG!, and remembers the Browns' efforts to increase attendance even before the Network was launched. She recalled the 'You Can Make It!' campaign to encourage kids to go to school that featured recorded calls from Browns players about the importance of attending school. Now, Imler said events like the Gym Class Takeover continue to create memories for the students as well as encourage their dedication to attendance.

"I'm beyond appreciative for this because the kids will walk away from this, love this and they'll talk about it," Imler said. "The Browns supporting the students and coming in here, it's important because this might be the only validation they receive."

While the Browns are dedicated to improving attendance, they are also focused on advancing the game of football throughout Northeast Ohio. Browns Flag In-Schools is an initiative that is active in 270 elementary schools across Northeast and Central Ohio. The Browns Flag In-Schools program is a turnkey flag football implementation model designed to help physical education teachers build a foundation of healthy, lifelong physical activity for their students.

The program works in tandem with the Stay in the Game! Attendance Network by providing school-based activities to further engage students and increase school attendance. Gym Class Takeovers, presented by Meijer, are one of those experiences for schools activating Browns Flag In-Schools. Due to South Euclid-Lyndhurst City School District's participation in Browns Flag In-Schools, they were selected to have a Gym Class Takeover and chose Sunview as the location.

Principal of Sunview Elementary School Arika Taylor said that the event and the visit from Bond and Wright will stay with the students. She emphasized participating in an event that celebrated their attendance can remind students that going to school can set them up for success.

"Students remember some of the fun parts of school and not that academics aren't fun, but these memories are lasting when they see Chomps, when they see the Cleveland Browns players Isaiah Bond and Alex Wright," Taylor said. "That is going to be something that they remember for life. The impact of Browns players coming to their school is going to be a lasting memory."