It’s difficult to get a room full of high school students excited about anything at 8:30 AM on a Monday. But then again, most high schools don’t have Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star point guard Darius Garland visiting them.
Garland spent Monday morning in a packed gym at James Ford Rhodes High School in Cleveland with students who have improved their attendance so far this school year. It’s all a part of the Perfect 10 Attendance Program that the Darius Garland Foundation launched with the help of Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb.
“It means a lot just to have a figure of [Mayor Bibb’s] stature…just backing me and doing some of the things I want to do with the community,” Garland said. “It means a lot, it really does, because I consider Cleveland as home.”
“I’m just trying to show kids [that] school really means a lot,” Garland said. “It’s like the stepping stone, the building block of living your whole life basically. It’s the starting foundation that really means a lot to everybody. It’s really needed. I’m just trying to encourage kids to just come to school and learn a lot.”
The Perfect 10 Attendance Program is offering incentives to students who achieve perfect attendance throughout the school year, with special prizes like trips to upcoming Cavs games in January and April for those who don’t miss a day. Monday’s event was for announcing the program and encouraging students to participate.
“The most important thing is to be here and be present,” Garland said. “And then after that, just try to get them to be in the books a little more, read a little bit more, do their homework on time. We’re kind of strict with their program so that they can get better and better each year.”
Garland mentioned at his foundation’s event at Cent’s Pizza + Goods last month that he loves putting smiles on people’s faces. That was clear again here as he embraced everything that a high school pep rally is about. Garland danced with the mascot, took selfies with students, and seemed genuinely happy to be there.
“It’s crazy because I relate to them more than I do to some of my teammates,” Garland said with a laugh. “It’s super cool to actually put a smile on their faces and doing little dances and TikTok dances with them. Just interacting with them means a lot to me.”
High school is a formative time. What happens there can impact you for the rest of your life. But for it to do so in a positive way, you need to be present and give it your full attention. Even though every day won’t be as exciting as having an NBA player show up, going to school doesn’t have to be a drag.
“School is fun,” Garland said. “It might be super long at the time, but I mean, it’s fun to be around your friends. You’re around teachers, people that pour a lot inside you. So just to be in attendance and just be here with your friends, I think just takes it a long way. … So like I said, it’s super fun. It’s super cool to come to school.”