Students' video to kick off Browns game
CMSD NEWS BUREAU
10/30/30
Some current and former CMSD students’ rendition of the National Anthem is turning into a virtual singing tour.
The six students, past and present members of the District’s All-City Arts program, will appear on the scoreboard Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium, singing the anthem before the Browns play the Las Vegas Raiders at 1 p.m.
Earlier this month, the same video kicked off the Council of the Great City Schools’ annual fall conference. The council, which met virtually because of the COVID-19 threat, represents 76 of the nation’s largest urban school districts. The students shared a program with former First Lady Laura Bush, former presidential candidate Julian Castro, historian and author Ibram X. Kendi and Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman.
The video was initially created as part of drive-up and virtual graduation ceremonies held for this year’s CMSD seniors.
The cast includes three 2019 graduates -- Octavia Meeks-Colen (Cleveland School of the Arts), Shannon Henley (Bard High School Early College) and Leeajah Lewis (Whitney M. Young) – and three current CSA students – junior Ololade Robinson and seniors Damon Johnson and Matthew Margerum.
The Browns also will use the game to call attention to the Cleveland Browns’ Foundation’s “Stay in the Game! Keep Learning, Every Day” initiative.
"Stay in the Game" provides resources that help schools deal with barriers to student success such as chronic absenteeism and lack of digital connectivity. The initiative grew out of the Browns’ work with CMSD on “Get 2 School, You Can Make It!,” a campaign to reduce chronic absenteeism.