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LeBron James opens I PROMISE school in hometown of Akron, Ohio

LeBron James opens school in hometown of Akron
LeBron James opens school in hometown of Akron
LeBron James opens school in hometown of Akron
LeBron James opens school in hometown of Akron
Posted at 8:16 AM, Jul 30, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-30 10:50:59-04

LeBron James will open his I PROMISE School in Akron on Monday to students— a moment he calls "one of the greatest moments of his life."

The school will host 240 third and fourth-graders during the 2018-19 school year.

The school is a partnership between the LeBron James Family Foundation and Akron Public Schools. It is the culmination of LeBron's I PROMISE Program, which encourages kids to finish school.

By 2022, the building will house nearly 1,000 students from first through eighth grades.

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Students and parents started arriving ahead of a 9 a.m. start time.

Inside the school, motivating messages cover the walls. Backpacks and supplies were set out on classroom tables ahead of students' arrival.

James was born and raised in the Akron area and played 11 seasons in two stints for the nearby Cleveland Cavaliers. He recently announced he was leaving the Cavaliers to join the Los Angeles Lakers.