As RB Dylan Sampson and TE Harold Fannin Jr. walked into the Buhrer Dual Language Academy, they were welcomed by an eruption of cheers.

Sampson and Fannin were at the school on Dec. 9 for a Gym Class Takeover presented by Meijer, the last of four visits that took place during the 2025 fall semester. Both players talked to the students about the importance of school in shaping their futures.

"You have to stay in class and listen to your teachers so you can be great and be where you want to be in life, no matter what you want to do," Sampson said.

Sampson and Fannin then fielded questions from the students. The questions ranged from what their favorite parts of school were, their favorite youth football memory and what they would be if they weren't a football player. Before the assembly ended, they presented a $2,500 check to the Cleveland Metropolitan 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 strong and improved attendance participated in a variety of football and non-contact games alongside Sampson, Fannin, Chomps, volunteers from the school and Cleveland Metropolitan School District. 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.

"I think that it is really good for the students that they get to see that there are rewards for coming every day and working really hard every day," Cleveland Metropolitan School District attendance liaison Brittany Butler said. "They all get so happy when Chomps comes in and they see the DJ. I just love seeing them all so happy and so hyped up."

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 to reduce chronic absenteeism by bringing together experts, partners and communities. The Network partners with 238 districts and impacts more than 611,000 students throughout Ohio.

The Cleveland Metropolitan School District has partnered with the Cleveland Browns Foundation since 2015, working together to combat chronic absenteeism. Since then, the district has continued its strong efforts to encourage students to come to school each day. As a result, this is the second Gym Class Takeover the Browns have held in collaboration with the district after holding the event at Stephanie Tubbs Jones School in the 2024 fall semester.

"It means a lot to CMSD (Cleveland Metropolitan School District) for the Browns to be so committed (to) our district (and) our kids and it means a lot to them," Butler said. "This is not our first one with the Browns, so I think that it's really good and it's such a nice relationship between CMSD and the Browns. […] I think that's a big part of what can motivate the kids to try and come to school every day."

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 273 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 Stay in the Game! 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 the Cleveland Metropolitan School District's participation, they were selected to have a Gym Class Takeover and chose Buhrer as the location.

The school's selection for a Gym Class Takeover was especially meaningful for the school. The event highlighted the progress they have made in building consistent attendance habits and gave students a tangible reminder that their efforts are recognized.

"The staff and students and parents work very hard on attendance here, and to be recognized for this wonderful special event just really means the world," Buhrer Dual Language Academy principal Michele Ibarra said. "I feel like we here at Buhrer, always strive for excellence and we really work hard as a team together. The students work really hard learning two languages as a dual language program and so attendance is so important."