As RB Jaleel McLaughlin entered the gymnasium of Eliza Northrop Elementary School, he pumped his arms in the air amidst a loud cheer from the students. With a smile on his face, McLaughlin ran down the line of students sitting on the floor, giving out high fives on his way. 

McLaughlin answered questions from the students, including one about his favorite subject in school growing up, which was math. He also emphasized the importance of consistently participating in school. 

On Oct. 13, McLaughlin and Browns mascot Chomps attended Eliza Northrop Elementary School for the Browns' Gym Class Takeover, presented by Meijer. The event marked the second of four Gym Class Takeover's that the Browns will hold during the 2026 fall semester. 

"My mom encouraged me to make it to school every day," McLaughlin said. "She taught me at a very young age that school is No. 1, and I had to do great in school to be able to play in sports. School will always be very important to me."

After speaking to the students, McLaughlin presented Medina City Schools with a check for $2,500 on behalf of the Cleveland Browns Foundation and Meijer to further support the district's attendance efforts.

Following the assembly, students selected for their strong or improved attendance at Eliza Northrop Elementary participated in a circuit of non-contact football activities. There were six stations, including agility ladder drills, a relay race and a football-throwing accuracy challenge. At one station, McLaughlin required the students to do their own celebrations after catching the football. 

"It was amazing," McLaughlin said. "The kids seemed like they had fun and I really enjoyed my time with them."

The Gym Class Takeover was hosted as part of the Stay in the Game! Attendance Network, which was launched in 2019 by the Cleveland Browns Foundation and Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, now managed by Battelle. Working to reduce chronic absenteeism, the Network currently partners with 194 districts and impacts 601,000 students across Ohio.

Medina City Schools, which Eliza Northrop Elementary is part of, has been a member of SITG! since the 2021-22 school year. Over that time, Eliza Northrop Elementary Principal Amanda Dodez has seen first-hand the impact that the program has made on her students. 

"It has changed our ability to encourage kids to come to school," Dodez said. "When they see people that they see on TV on the weekends and professional athletes encouraging them to come school and do their best, and we get special incentives, that kind of stuff changes everything for us."

The Browns also remain committed to advancing youth and high school football throughout Northeast Ohio. With their year-round programming efforts, which includes camps and other initiatives, the Browns strive to foster the social, emotional, intellectual and physical growth of participating youth athletes. They concentrate their focus on establishing equal opportunities for players, and support coaches, officials and parents.

Browns Flag In-Schools is one of those initiatives, which is active in 16 SITG! districts. Browns Flag In-Schools is a turn-key flag football implementation model provided to physical education teachers that establishes a base for 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.

"A lot of the kids in there have perfect attendance," Dodez said. "For them, that hard work and recognition means everything. To spend the afternoon with the Browns, Chomps and Jaleel is a dream come true for most of these kids."