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NILES -- There are 200,000 reasons why Friday night will be special for Niles City Schools -- not just for the high school marching band, but for the entire community, thanks to an NFL grant.
Superintendent Ann Marie Thigpen said Tuesday she was pleased to announce that the district was awarded one of 26 nationwide grants to replace the artificial turf at Bo Rein Stadium at Niles McKinley High School.
"We were just notified of that; our partner NFL team is the Cleveland Browns, and this Friday, Sept. 25, 100th anniversary of the band, homecoming, alumni," Thigpen said. "The Cleveland Browns representatives will be down at Bo Rein Memorial Stadium to present us with the $200,000 check."
Thigpen said school officials knew they would have to update the turf and replace it, giving credit to Joel Laughlin and Antoinette D'Urso, noting that D'Urso, in December of 2024 or January of 2025, said they would apply for the grant.
"The narrative that she wrote, the letters of support, working with Joel, truly is what took ours (application) to the finish line," Thigpen said.
D'Urso said they were grateful when they received the email from the Browns, adding that they were blessed to have the $200,000 and make the football field safer for the district's students.
"Throughout the process, I did learn a lot about Bo Rein and a lot about Niles's history -- I had not attended Niles, so I wasn't really familiar with it," D'Urso said. "Joel was out there getting bids and working with people to see how we could improve it."
D'Urso said school officials are excited to welcome the Browns representatives, adding that they have a lot of things planned for the evening.
Thigpen said Niles's matchup against Shaw, a Cleveland school, is the Browns' Game of the Week, and the winner of that game will receive a $3,000 health and wellness package for the football team.
"The coach becomes the Coach of the Week, and then goes on to like, get among other Coaches of the Week for the National Coach of the Week," Thigpen said.
Thigpen said the bonuses don't end with the turf, as the Browns will host a football camp for 200 students every summer.
"It's not just a one-time $200,000 -- it's truly an investment in the community," Thigpen said.