On the second floor of the I Promise School, a group of 16 fourth-graders sits in a circle and listens to a recording of Sara Bareilles singing about being brave. Snow falls on the trees outside the window, collecting on bare branches and dusting evergreens with white powder.
The students listen quietly to the song. A few wear school polo shirts and others wear T-shirts that say, “We Are Family” on the front in assorted colors. That’s the motto of the LeBron James Family Foundation’s I Promise program.
The song ends and their teacher, Bridget Casenhiser, jumps up from her stool at the head of the class.