Middle schoolers at Preps Willard Campus had the chance to hang out with a Cleveland Browns player on Tuesday as part of the team's Stay in the Game! Attendance Network.
Defensive Tackle Maurice Hurst II stopped by to encourage good grades and attendance.
The event aimed "to engage students and cultivate a fun learning environment to ultimately encourage regular attendance and eliminate chronic absenteeism."
"It was really amazing to get to spend some time with the kids and the teachers," Hurst said during an interview after the event. "You could truly tell the teacher's impact on these kids."
Preps Willard Campus is a charter school with many children of color in attendance.
"It was really cool to see people of my color and, you know, just seem them be so well behaved in school and do so well and show up and be in attendance today," Hurst said.
Over a dozen children greeted Hurst with thunderous applause and cheering, welcoming him to the school.
"He played with them, and it's really impactful because now they can visually see the impact of what teamwork means to have the community come into the actual school and to bridge that partnership—it's definitely amazing," said Dominique Pugh, the dean of culture at the school.
Hurst hoped the students would take to heart the importance of staying in school.
"The kids had a great time, got to give them some toys an stuff and, you know, really just get to sit down and talk to them and try to inspire them," he said.
Having someone like Hurst stop in and talk means a lot to the school and the students, Pugh said, as he is someone they look up to. Getting to meet him firsthand and hearing that type of wisdom from someone besides their parents and teachers helps them realize how important it is and that education matters.
Hurst said an event like this helped him step out into the community, have an impact, and be a role model.
