As he got out of his car in the parking lot of Helen Steiner Rice Elementary, Browns DE Elerson G. Smith could hear a group of students assembled in the nearby gym, teeming with excitement.

Smith had arrived for a Gym Class Takeover, in partnership with the Cleveland Browns Foundation's Stay in the Game! Attendance Network and Meijer. During an assembly, Smith shared a message about his experience in school and in the NFL, and fielded questions ranging from his favorite school subject to his game day routine.

Smith then presented Lorain City Schools with a check for $2,500 on behalf of the Stay in the Game! Attendance Network and Meijer before leading students through various flag football drills.

"It gives you motivation to keep doing it," Smith said of the students' energy during the drills. "It was pretty fun seeing them try different types of football drills, different positions, trying to teach them a little bit about what I know."

For Smith, who joined Stay in the Game! earlier this month when they opened up their sixth Stay in the Game! Room at Memorial Junior High School, participating in events like Gym Class Takeovers are a key part of the responsibility that comes with being an NFL player.

"I remember the moments where we had an NFL player come to our practice and the impact that had on me," Smith said. "Now that I'm in that position, to be able to give back, I think, 'Why not?' It was such a special opportunity for me as a kid. It doesn't even feel real that I'm on the other side of that now, at times. It's probably one of the best parts of my job and I'd love to continue doing it."

The Cleveland Browns Foundation is a proud founder of the Stay in the Game! Attendance Network, which partners with school districts to create localized, data-informed attendance campaigns in support of strong student attendance.

This Gym Class Takeover at Helen Steiner Rice Elementary was the fourth this semester, as the Browns and Meijer further their efforts to incentivize students to come to school.

"It's just exciting to see the kids and encouraging perfect attendance and just how important school is for their continued future," Meijer Market Director Leah Brown said. "Collectively, we can do so much. So, it's nice to be able to have great partners like the Browns to be able to do that much more in our communities and for the kids."

Students who are not chronically absent from school are three times more likely to graduate from high school on time. Stay in the Game! was launched in 2019 seeking to dramatically improve student attendance across Northeast Ohio.

Working with Stay in the Game! has benefited schools like Helen Steiner Rice across the state as they seek to come up with incentives for their students to attend school.

"Bringing on the partnership with the Cleveland Browns has been an incredible experience. I was just sharing with some of the other staff how empowering it is for some of our students who don't necessarily succeed in academics, but it gives them the opportunity to show some strengths and what they can do," Helen Steiner Rice principal Brittany Brookbank said. "It's remarkable the amount that the Cleveland Browns and Meijer have put into the program, because I do see a big difference."

In addition to their efforts to increase school attendance, the Browns Flag In-Schools program is active in 165 elementary schools across Northeast and Central Ohio. The program is dedicated to developing a turn-key flag football implementation model for elementary physical education teachers and their classes, aiming to prioritize flag football as an in-school physical activity to build and maintain a foundation of healthy, lifelong physical activity among students.

The Browns are committed to advancing the game of youth and high school football throughout Northeast Ohio with year-round programming for players, coaches, officials and parents. Through camps, clinics and other in-school initiatives, the Browns' goal is to promote the healthy, social, emotional, intellectual and physical development of youth by enhancing opportunities for youth football participation and education opportunities.

Gym Class Takeovers, presented by Meijer, are a key way the Browns are able to engage with students and encourage both school attendance and physical activity. Volunteers from local Meijer stores help run the activity stations at each Gym Class Takeover.

"It's about giving back to the communities and it's important for the team to understand that the work that we do helps support this," Brown said. "I've been [at Meijer] for 29 years and a good part of the reason why I've been here for so long is because it's not just about the items we sell, it's about enriching the lives and the communities we serve."