Students Get Emotional After LeBron James Makes A Surprise Visit To I Promise School

James made a surprise visit at the school he founded in 2018 in an episode of the 'I Promise' documentary series.

In a recent episode of the 'I Promise' documentary series, LeBron James made a surprise visit to his school, leaving many of the students emotional. 

James went to the school in November of 2018, not long after he attended the opening of the public school he founded in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. It was 28 degrees that day but he made the trip and he chatted with all of the school’s students in one room.

Some students were speechless and shocked. Vince, a third grader, was smiling from ear to ear. James hugged and kissed him.  One girl was crying. James picked her up and hugged her. 

Lamont, a fourth-grader, said: “I want him to be proud of me, and I’ll be proud of him.”

It was the day before Thanksgiving, so James told students he was thankful for them. 

“Ya’all want to know what I’m thankful for?” James asked. “I’m thankful for every last one of y’all. You all inspire me to get up every day, be the best role model, the best leader I can be, father, husband, friend.” 

Some students were so overcome with emotion that they reacted negatively when they returned to their classrooms. Five of the 240 students were suspended that day. One of those students, Nate, a third-grader, tried to choke another student. 

The school has some of the most at-risk youth in Akron, and many of them have behavioral issues. The episode following James’ visit was a fascinating look at how the teachers and administrators handled and learned from what ended up being a highly reactive situation for some students. 

Nate served a suspension in which he stayed home from school. He was shown playing with his siblings and saying he was bored. 

“During Nate’s suspension, we realized out-of-school suspension was not the way to correct this behavior,” said Brandi Davis, the principal. “We needed to try something different.”

Students now stay in school during suspensions, just not in their regular classrooms. It’s called training camp, where students work with an intervention specialist who helps them learn skills to go back to their classroom and be successful students. 

“I don’t want to call it an in-school suspension,” Davis said. “It’s a place where students reflect on behavior that causes them to go to that room.”