The Los Angeles Dodgers have donated 25,000 tickets to the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Attendance Incentive Program, which will use the tickets as rewards for deserving students.

Dodger pitcher Ross Stripling and outfielder Alex Verdugo will join students at Compton Avenue Elementary School today and participate in playground games led by Playworks to kick off the partnership. Dodger Vice President of External Affairs and Community Relations Naomi Rodriguez, and LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner will provide opening remarks at a school assembly.

“We’re proud to support LAUSD’s Attendance Incentive Program and look forward to welcoming some of the area’s best and brightest students to Dodger Stadium,” Rodriguez said. “Our Dodger players know the dedication necessary to accomplish goals over a long season, and join us in recognizing the efforts of these great students who bring their A-game each day at school.”

The Dodgers have long supported school attendance through the Step Up to the Plate attendance program, which provides game tickets, giveaways, on-field recognition and a certificate of achievement to local students who have perfect attendance during the course of a semester.

“We are grateful to have the Los Angeles Dodgers as a partner in our efforts to improve student attendance across Los Angeles Unified,” Beutner said. “We know that if students attend school today and every day, they can achieve great things tomorrow. The tickets provided by the Los Angeles Dodgers will incentivize more students to come to class, ready to learn.”

Compton Avenue Elementary School was selected to host the program launch after the school experienced the most improved attendance in the district. Under the direction of Principal Lashon Sanford, the school leadership recognized that students with chronic absenteeism rates needed more support and created a school-led attendance campaign. As a result, Compton Avenue Elementary experienced an 11% increase in its student proficiency attendance rate.

For information, visit mlb.com/dodgers.