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.