Inside the classroom: How Noyes Education Campus crafted an inspirational Poetry Slam! performance

Written by Shakeria Reed
Poetry & Service Learning Program Coordinator

“Ms. Shakeria, Ms. Shakeria, we have a list of themes for the poetry slam!”

Two of my poet-athletes were running up to me only three days after the DC SCORES season had officially begun. It was mid-September.

“That’s great, Roneisha and Ayanna,” I replied, “but, ummm, can our feet touch a soccer ball before we start thinking about the Poetry Slam!, which is months away?”

I admired the eagerness of my students, who did an amazing job at last year’s Eastside Poetry Slam! to win second place. They weren’t satisfied with that finish, though. After they watched Arts and Technology Academy piece together an incredible performance to win the school’s fourth consecutive Golden Mic trophy, they were ready — right then and there — to begin practicing so they could hold the gigantic first-place trophy in 2012.

When it was officially time for Poetry Slam! preparation, my Wolfpack brought ideas, choreography and costumes. They enjoyed the thought of creating a theme where all three poems related to one another, so the usual ideas included soccer, bullying and violence — all great ideas but we all knew we had to go BIGGER!  

One of my youth presented the idea of “Give Us A Reason,” and from there the students created a theme related to stereotypes and how they would defy them.

In order to extract gold from the minds of my Wolfpack, many open-ended discussions occurred. The first involved explaining what a stereotype was and the ones that they faced as African American and Hispanic kids growing up in Washington, D.C. Surprisingly, many did not know what a stereotype was; they had heard things, but never knew what they meant and how they related to them. So I made it a point to explain the stereotypes that African American females faced such as teen pregnancy, and Noyes’ other coach Russell Holmes explained to my young men how African American males were stereotyped as doing nothing but going to prison.  

More importantly, we explained what they had to do to not be another stereotype, another statistic. The students formulated great ideas of what they planned to do, and it made me proud.

The hard part was creating two group poems together. The kids understood the idea, but it took a lot of encouragement for them to dig deep and really think about the serious issue and how they could express it through poetry. An activity we had them do was to go around the room and say something somebody had said to them that made them really upset. One girl said someone called her ugly; another one said someone called her stupid; and then one of my gentlemen said, “Somebody told me I would be the next person in my family to go to jail.”

Breakthrough!! With this new information, the kids knew where we were headed.

We started by creating the “You Told Me” poem. The “you” was anyone who ever said anything bad about them, the doubters and the haters. This also stirred a discussion about Trayvon Martin. All of my kids had heard about the teenager who was killed in Florida while walking back from the store to get ice tea and Skittles. What they did not know was the message behind his death. The stereotype that a young African American male dressed in a black hoodie was perceived as dangerous.

After this discussion, the golden couplets rolled in and we knew we had an amazing poem on our hands.

When the night of the Poetry Slam! arrived Nov. 28, my Wollfpack was ready! The energy, confidence, choreography and message were strong. They got on stage — after waiting through 17 schools’ performances — and rocked it!

The last line was memorable:

“YOU said I would be a hot mess, but look at us now: WE are all a SUCCESS.”

The crowd roared as the kids shedded their hoodies (and, symbolically, the stereotypes) and revealed shirts that read “SUCCESS.”

Just minutes later, the look of excitement on the kids’ faces was overwhelming as Noyes Education Campus was announced by emcee KoM as the first-place Golden Mic champs!

That will definitely be a day I know they’ll never forget, but the preparation and lessons they learned to get to that victory will live on inside of them forever, too.

Check out the Noyes Wolfpack’s dynamic performance on the DC SCORES YouTube channel.

Student profile and performance: Ayanna V., Noyes Education Campus

NOTE: Beginning this week, we are featuring a DC SCORES student who was one of six special performers at the Inspired Art Gala, held May 19 at the Carnegie Institution of Washington!. The students represent schools throughout the District and demonstrate how hard work in DC SCORES' writing workshops can result in a stunning finished product. 

First, we highlight Ayanna V., now a sixth grader at Noyes Education Campus. 

Ayanna has been a star for DC SCORES ever since Noyes placed second at the Eastside Poetry Slam! at the end of last fall's season. She has performed on live NBC TV; she was one of two poets who got the opportunity to visit New York and perform on stage at the Apollo as part of the America SCORES Poetry SLAM!; and this summer, she helped celebrate the renovation of a local Starbucks store with another public appearance. 

Ayanna's hit poem is called "What Happened to the Dream?" 

Check out her performance from the Gala.

See more DC SCORES videos, including summer campers performing a Bachata dance, on our YouTube page.

For DC SCORES kids, the importance of a postgame handshake

Written by Shakeria Reed

DC SCORES AmeriCorps coach

After a sad 5-0 loss for my girls soccer team at Noyes Education Campus this season, the girls jogged off the field disappointed.

One girl ran smack into me, wrapped her arms around my waist, and started balling her eyes out. Her grip was tight and she wouldn't let go.

I asked what was wrong and she wouldn’t tell me. I asked if she was sad because Noyes lost. She said no. I asked if she got hurt. She said no. I asked if the other team said something to her. Same answer.

After about 5 minutes of the girl holding onto me as I did my best trying to console her, she finally told me why she was so distraught.

Some of the girls on the other team didn’t say ‘good game’ and snatched their hands away during the postgame handshake line.

I jokingly said “WHO CARES!. We’re Noyes and we know how hard we’ve worked, we know we had a good game.” She agreed. I said, “Anyways, don't my ‘good games’ and high fives mean more than theirs (putting on my pretend sad voice)?” She laughed and agreed.

Then I finally told her: “You were out there going against them giants. You’re one of our best defenders, taking hits like there’s no tomorrow.”

She laughed and nodded her head, gave me a squeeze, wiped away the last of her tears, said, “Thank you, coach Shakeria,” and rejoined the team.

Working with urban kids, we often forget that they are just that — kids! We see this hard shell displayed as a young child, and a 10-year-old becomes a 15-year--old in a matter of seconds.

Through emotions, language and the known responsibilities of these kids, we think they are fine with taking on the world’s burden. But when the simple swipe of the hand for a high five and an intentional overlooking of efforts is shown, tears are produced.

It was understood that they lost that game, but just that recognition that my kids still did a good job was wanted and needed. My poet-athlete could have brushed it off, rejoined the team and had an attitude the rest of game day, which I have often seen with many of my other kids. But she chose to bare it all to me and make it known that she was upset and hurt.

DCSCORES provides this outlet. DCSCORES provides this safe haven. Mind you, this was a just soccer day. Without the combination of poetry — which in itself is a whole other channel of outspoken emotion — and soccer, who knows where those feelings could have been misplaced.

So on every game day, my kids know that whether they win or lose, they will always be greeted with a smile, high fives all around and the cheesy line, “You guys are always winners in my book,” followed by some laughter. Some respond, “Whatever, coach Shakeria” and I even get an “OOO shsssh!!,” but I do know that the recognition gets through to some and translates into the kids being happy they came to DC SCORES that day.

National Poetry SLAM! journal Part I: New to New York

On April 16, two exceptional poet-athletes represented DC alongside 28 of their peers from SCORES affiliates across the country at the 6th Annual America SCORES National Poetry SLAM! The event was held at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem, where elementary school students performed their original pieces of poetry exhibiting community pride and emotional maturity beyond their years. Nikki Allinson, DC SCORES Community Outreach Coordinator, provides a sneak peek behind the scenes of the three-day trip to New York City -- funded by the Meltzer Group Employee Giving Fund -- with this two-part series:

Part 1: Getting comfortable in the Big Apple 

Saturday, April 14 

 I had the incredible opportunity to chaperone Ayanna V., 11, of Noyes Education Campus and DeAndre W., 10, of Perry Street Prep to New York City for a long weekend in preparation for the National Poetry SLAM!. The weekend kicked off in a rush, running to catch the Amtrak from Union Station. Ayanna had finally made it to the station after picking up some last-minute essentials for the trip. Ayanna exclaimed, “I couldn’t leave Muscles at my Grandma’s house!” as Muscles, her stuffed dog, bounced his head in agreement while we ran with our suitcases to the gate. 

 DeAndre was traveling with his mother, so to begin with, it was just us girls. Ayanna was noticeably nervous and excited, asking question after question. “Is New York in a different time zone?” “Have you been to New York a lot?” “Who else has been on stage at the Apollo?” “How tall are you?” “Did you bring a red suitcase so we could match on purpose?” 

Her questions eased into a long “woooooooaaaahhhh” as the New York skyline came into view. I let her enjoy the sights, pointing out the few buildings I can name. Minutes later, copying my arm raise, Ayanna successfully hailed her first cab and cheerfully hopped in to tell the driver the address of our hotel. 

As soon as we checked in, we found DeAndre at the hotel and set off on an adventure to Grand Central Terminal. In our meetings leading up to the trip, De Andre had mentioned his love for mythology, so I was excited to see his reaction to the ceiling inside the station. His jaw nearly dropped to the floor! 

Ayanna spun in circles looking at the lights, and DeAndre stood in place just gazing up. “This one has to be Zeus! Oh and that one is Pisces with the fish! Did I say that right?” 

Back at the hotel, it was time to meet the other poet-athletes from across the country. Ayanna and DeAndre sat on either side of me in a quiet circle where nervous, shy students played with their name tags. That’s when one of DeAndre’s strengths shone through as he crossed the circle, stuck out his hand and said to a peer, “What’s up? You can call me D! Where ya from?” 

Sunday, April 15 

We had an early morning wake up, much to room 9G’s discontent. I was in a hotel suite with another chaperone from Dallas and four girls in addition to Ayanna. There was a completely different feeling in the room compared to the previous night, as the five girls had become incredibly close surprisingly fast. 

During breakfast, the girls told me all about their slumber party from the night before. “We played tag and hopped on the beds and didn’t even watch any TV!” said Karina, the poet from Dallas. “Karina snores suuuuuper loud and hogs the sheets!” Ayanna said through a mouthful of cheerios. 

We then hopped on a bus and were off to Harlem’s P.S. 192 Elementary School for an intense morning of rehearsals. Russett, one of the girls in our room, goes to school there and excitedly pointed out parts of her neighborhood to the rest of the 9G girls. 

The students were split up into three performance groups and sat in separate classrooms listening to each other’s poems and giving constructive feedback. Ayanna and DeAndre had experience with this activity last season prepping for the DC SCORES Poetry Slam! during Starbucks readings. But this time they were working with new friends instead of their teammates who they were more comfortable with. 

Ayanna seemed nervous about performing her Martin Luther King Jr. poem, but as soon as she opened her mouth to begin, she was at home. The other students were impressed with her lines challenging the audience: “Do you believe? Can you achieve?” 

They gave her sound advice, impressing the chaperones in the room with their astute observations and mature responses. One student from Seattle said, “One thing that you can work on is maybe swaying less, like get in a soccer stance?” 

I switched classrooms to check in with DeAndre and his group’s practice and knew from the minute I walked in that he was getting nervous. The classroom setting for the practice rounds was a bit of a challenge for DeAndre to settle into, but he found his calm demeanor when it was his turn to practice. 

“It makes you fall to your knees, with great ease.” 

DeAndre had mastered the physical movements of his poem, but there was one glaring problem: he couldn’t hold the microphone in his hand like he was used to. 

It was incredible seeing these kids relate to each other in ways that seemed improbable only 12 hours earlier. They worked like a team, building off of each other and trusting each other in ways that impressed each adult in the room. 

Stay tuned for Part II tomorrow.

Students give back to the homeless on Global Youth Service Day

“Good afternoon, my name is Jason,” the student began.

And with that, Jason and another Bancroft Elementary School poet-athlete, standing on the doorstep of a Mount Pleasant home, read their script to the homeowner, introducing themselves, stating that “over 600,000 people in DC are at risk of or experiencing hunger, and over 50,000 kids,” and then making their ask: “Is your house willing to donate any canned or boxed food to help solve the hunger crisis?”

Jason’s knock was the first to elicit a response on Monday, but it was far from the last. During two-plus hours, in the rain, roughly 75 students from Bancroft, Tubman Elementary School and Noyes Education Campus canvassed the neighborhood around Bancroft as part of Global Youth Service Day -- the largest service event in the world, established in 1988, that mobilizes millions of youth to improve their communities. The effort in DC was led by Serve DC.

Monday's project -- pushed back from Sunday because of rain -- was called “DC SCORES Against Hunger!” and involved collecting as many cans, cereals, pastas, tacos and more (you name it!) to support the organization So Others Might Eat (SOME), which has served the homeless in the District for the past 40 years.

The event was led by the three schools’ coaches, many of whom are DC SCORES AmeriCorps members. Other AmeriCorps coaches also helped the effort, which netted approximately 300 pounds of food.

For the participants, the event was a chance to give back and gain the satisfaction that comes with making a tangible difference in the lives of others. It was a warm-up for their service-learning projects to better their respective school communities this spring.

As I followed a group of 11 Noyes poet-athletes down Newton Street, I observed an increasing enthusiasm as the doors they knocked on began to elicit responses with homeowners returning from work.

After receiving cans from a third consecutive house, one student exclaimed, “Now we’re making progress!”

Upon returning to school with their two bags packed with goods, giving a pair of students one heck of a shoulder workout, another student said, “We made a difference, a huge difference.”

But the work wasn’t quite done.

Once the food had been collected, students sat down in the Bancroft cafeteria to craft letters to the homeless families who will receive the food. One of the students wrote: “We’re giving you food because we’re sad and we want you to have it because we love you.”

When the work was done, the students completed an active afternoon by playing soccer games against each other on Bancroft’s small field and making smoothies with Brainfood DC volunteers.

In one of the coolest food-making stations you’ll ever see, Brainfood set up a stationary bike with a blender attached, somehow, to the back wheel so that as students took turns pedaling, a delicious smoothie was made.

Pedaling a smoothie, it truly was.

The homeless families served by SOME likely won’t receive such smoothies, but thanks to the efforts of students on Monday -- who ignored the rain and could be heard shouting “That’s it? We should go down that block!” -- they’ll receive a boatload of food and encouraging letters.

Coach profile: Eric Waldstein, Noyes Education Campus

Eric Waldstein,

Writing coach, Noyes Education Campus

How long have you been with DC SCORES?

This is my first season, I have been with DC SCORES for 8 months.

What’s your other job within or outside the school?

I am the literacy specialist at Noyes Education Campus.

How did you get into education or start working with youth?

I entered the profession by way of Teach For America. I taught first and second grade before I started working as a literacy specialist.

Why did you choose to work for DC SCORES, what attracted you to the program?

I’ve played soccer my whole life and love the game. I am also a big fan of poetry as an art form and outlet. I think both activities have a lot to offer anyone who invests some time in them and DC SCORES seemed like a great fit for me.

Now that you’ve been doing it for a while, what do you enjoy most about it?

I enjoy watching the students progress. They started the year off knowing little or nothing about both soccer and poetry. Now they are excited about both and are working hard to build the foundational concepts.

Why is DC SCORES important to the school and the students it serves?

DC SCORES gives the students an additional thing to rally behind and get excited about. It has definitely energized the after-school culture for the students who participate in it.

Was there an experience you had growing up that pushed you into education or toward doing a program like DC SCORES? Were you in a similar program?

Issues of social justice and human rights have always been a passion of mine. Education, in whatever form, is a productive means toward creating greater social justice. DC SCORES is doing a great job of offering additional education to these young people and I think it will truly be a difference-maker for some of them.

What’s your favorite DC SCORES event and why?

So far the Poetry Slam! has been my favorite DC SCORES event. It was pretty incredible to see students from all over the city get organized to produce and perform original poetry.

What’s your most memorable DC SCORES experience?

The fall Poetry Slam!.

Who is your favorite athlete?

Michael Jordan.

Who is your favorite singer or poet?

I like many, but one of my current favorites is Jimi Hendrix.

What is your favorite food?

Again, I have many, but one of my favorites is lobster.

Introducing our America SCORES National Poetry SLAM! participants

Deandre W., Perry Street Prep

Two weeks from today, the famous Apollo Theater will be introduced to two star poets from Washington, DC.

Ayanna V. of Noyes Education Campus and DeAndre W. of Perry Street Preparatory Public Charter School will take the stage in New York City.

The pair of poet-athletes is traveling to the Big Apple for a weekend as part of the America SCORES National Poetry SLAM!, which brings together standout poets from all 14 sites across the country to tour New York; get to know each other; and, finally, show off their poetic skills in front of each other and a large audience of SCORES supporters at the Apollo.

The bright lights should serve as no surprise to Ayanna and DeAndre. The pair has already performed in front of audiences of 400 people at the DC SCORES Poetry Slam! and read their poems on NBC’s midday show live.

Still, they’re ecstatic about the opportunity to travel to New York and represent their schools and DC SCORES. Here’s a brief introduction to both poet-athletes:

Ayanna V., 5th grade, Noyes Education Campus

Ayanna enjoys dancing, singing and playing soccer. In thinking back, her favorite memory is her ninth birthday when she went to Spoiled Rotten Kids Spa.

Ayanna is inspired by her grandmother, saying, "She helps me out and teaches me how to do things. She supports me.

Ayanna V., Noyes Education Campus

"My family loves and supports me. They make me laugh and smile when I am sad. They are unique because they tell the truth, no matter what."

Ayanna shares the values passed down from her grandmother.

"When (opponents) fall, I help them up. I look after my friends and family and ask them how they're doing. I listen."

Ayanna’s favorite athlete is Serena Williams, her go-to food is pizza, and her ideal spot for having fun and relaxing is the Chesapeake beach.

DeAndre W., 4th grade, Perry Street Preparatory Public Charter School

DeAndre not only led Perry Street Prep in taking home the coveted Golden Mic at this year’s Poetry Slam!, he also took home the Shine Award for best individual performance. DeAndre is not only a leader at school and in DC SCORES, but also at church where he is an usher, sings in the choir, and performs other leadership duties.

"I hope to be a preacher one day," DeAndre says.

His favorite author is Rick Riordan and on the soccer pitch he admires Lionel Messi. His favorite food is pizza.

Pair of poet-athletes win citywide The World & Me Poetry Contest

By Joe Brophy
Elementary School Program Coordinator

Around 1 p.m. last Friday, there were some very important phone calls being made at the DC SCORES office:

DC SCORES had just been informed that two of our poet-athletes, Ayanna V. (Noyes Education Campus) and Miguel M. (Oyster-Adams Bilingual School), had won first and third place, respectively, in the 12-and-under age group of The World & Me Poetry Contest, a citywide competition hosted by Split This Rock Poetry festival. Two excited phone calls later, their parents were happily informed about the successes of their children’s poetry and told about the next day’s award ceremony and open mic night.

Fast forward to Saturday afternoon, about 4:45 p.m. The crowd is filling up the Cullen room at the 5th and K, NW Busboys and Poets — every minute brings more people in, each searching for an open seat, with fewer and fewer available as the hour draws near. Kids, young adults and families squeeze into seats or stand in the back. Hip-hop music bumps from the speakers as a few teens of the DC Youth Slam Team dance around on stage.

Then the music softens and the lights dim as Jonathan Tucker takes the stage and begins calling up the winners for The World & Me to accept their awards and read their poems.

It’s not every day that a 10- or 11-year-old gets the honor of sharing the stage with a pivotal actor in the local poetry scene like Jonathan, a local artist and author like Lisa Pelgram, or — in the case of Miguel, as he prepared to read his poem — a poet, activist and NBA player like Etan Thomas.

Being recognized in front of so many accomplished poets and masters of self-expression of all ages and backgrounds gives DC SCORES poet-athletes a taste of the vibrant poetry scene in the District. And it lets them know that self-expression is not a skill they can only practice with DC SCORES — it is one they can carry with them beyond DC SCORES for the rest of their lives.

Here are the winning poems:

Yo Soy

Por Miguel M.

Yo soy de un lugar hermoso, colorido y sabroso, de coloridos valles, verdes montañas y rojos sus

cafetales.

Yo soy de un lugar que es de agua fina, fresca y deliciosa, amarillos sus mangos y azules sus playas.

Yo soy de El SALVADOR…

Tierra que me enorgullece

Tierra que me hace suspirar

País que me hace llorar.

Yo soy el niño de un gran corazón,

que gusta ayudar a

otras personas.

YO SOY…..

Yo soy de los del espíritu de mi cultura,

Soy un jugador con veloz no importa mi estatura.

yo soy el color que viene de la gancha,

de mi equipo soy un gladiador, yo soy……

DC SCORES.

What Happened to the Dream?

By Ayanna V.

Martin Luther King had a dream

To make peace in the world

But now it seems

No one care

Everyone is acting like wild bears.

Dr. King was very kind

And had a brilliant mind

But if Dr. King, were to see

This, terrible tragedy,

He would feel unappreciated

He would see…

People that FIGHT!

In the middle of the NIGHT!

Killing for no reason,

Destroying families for seasons

His words moved swiftly

Like the ocean waves

Listening to his speeches

For Days

He said we should all be free

But today, those thoughts are history

I can’t go back in time

But I know the future is mine

I believe in his dream

I’ll follow his dream

Do YOU believe?

Can YOU achieve?

If you can, lets come together and make peace

To make Dr. King’s dream REALITY

Winter program focused on nutrition and healthy living begins at four schools

Written by Zach Elkin

AmeriCorps Program Manager

It was a seemingly normal Tuesday afternoon at Noyes Education Campus in Northeast DC. At dismissal, many students journeyed home or to a friend’s house; others stayed behind to complete homework or head to the gym for basketball.

But returning and new DC SCORES poet-athletes soon began to gather in the hallway, anticipating the start of winter programming for the first time ever at their school. The DC SCORES program had been on break since the Poetry Slam! in December, and students were eager to get back into action.

However, this winter students would enjoy a new component in addition to soccer play: nutrition.

Coach Shakeria and Coach Terrell began the afternoon leading an activity called “Mirror Image.” This fun game challenged pairs of students to practice shadowing each other’s movements and was accompanied by a discussion on how it feels to be a leader and follower, what happens when someone makes decisions for you, and how one’s personal values shape his/her goals.

Students later played a twist on the popular charades game, where students took turns acting out a personal value for the group to guess. Later this week, Noyes students will make peanut butter and “fruit-wiches” as they discuss why the snack is a healthy choice, what can be added or subtracted to make it healthier, and how the snack can be altered at home.

For the first time in three years, four teams are participating in the Power of Choice (USDA created) program that teaches youth how to make healthy eating and fitness decisions. The interactive, six-week program, which commenced this week at Bancroft ES, Noyes EC, and MacFarland MS (and next week at Brightwood EC), teaches students how to read food labels and safely prepare food, examines the benefits of eating healthy food, and gives students weekly hands-on practice preparing nutritious snacks.

DC SCORES is fortunate to have this winter’s program run almost exclusively by our AmeriCorps coaches, who volunteer their time and effort to making sure students are learning and having fun after school. AmeriCorps coaches are teaming up in pairs to instruct students using the Power of Choice curriculum and incorporate their educational and professional expertise into the workshops.

It is critical for students to receive these lessons and experience first-hand the processes involved in making smart food choices. With the obesity rate among children on the rise and an unforgivable lack of healthy food options in underserved communities, showing students how they can be in control of their eating habits may be the best way to get the message across and see real change.

Aside from the knowledge and skills students gain during Power of Choice, they continue to form positive relationships with their peers and coaches, and stay active during the time of year when many youth resort to eating larger portions of unhealthier foods and spend their after school time at home on the couch.

In general, when parents, principals, community members, and countless supporters talk about “DC SCORES,” the conversation highlights an exciting youth soccer game, memorable Poetry Slam! performance, or school event that celebrated a team’s service to their neighborhood.

This winter, stop by a participating school and check out students learning to make smoothies, cereal sundaes and pocket pita sandwiches. Sooner than later, when DC SCORES is mentioned, admirers will be hard-pressed not to include a memory from the winter season.

Winter programming is taking place from January 17 through March 2, so feel free to contact us if you would like to visit a school!

On a rainy game day, signs of real progress on the soccer field

Last Thursday, at first glance, seemed like a dismal afternoon. At 4 p.m., as DC SCORES games were about to begin, the sky was gray, the temperature was in the mid-40s, and a rain that began as a drizzle started to steady itself.

Standing on the soggy grass outside Noyes Education Campus, I was alone with our volunteer referee Jackson. Noyes coach Russell Holmes had smartly decided to have his team wait inside the school until the Wolfpack’s opponent, C.W. Harris, arrived.

With darkness just around the corner, I hoped we could just get a game in.

Sure enough, there was only one game — a co-ed affair — but to my surprise, the poet-athletes on the field demonstrated, in 40 minutes of action, a season’s worth of progress, a season’s worth of coaching.

The rain didn’t affect them. The cold didn’t change the way they played. Even as nighttime arrived early, they weren’t rattled.

Don’t get me wrong — I wasn’t watching the most “Beautiful Game.” But what I saw spoke to the impact two months of proper soccer instruction can have on kids who have never put their foot to a ball before.

There was a handful — or should I say “headful” — of perfectly executed headers. There were series of passes that led to scoring chances. And there was a pair of perfectly placed goals scored by a Noyes boy from 20-30 yards out.

But what most impressed me was what I didn’t hear often — Jackson’s whistle.

Almost every fall season, we stress to referees that they should correct players every time they incorrectly do a throw-in. This occurs quite often, as it doesn’t exactly click in kids’ heads that they can’t lift even one foot off the ground.

What a silly rule!

Last Thursday, however, Jackson didn’t have to blow his whistle and make a single correction.

As I watched this unfold, I chatted up a Noyes poet-athlete on the sideline as we both tried to stay warm and dry. He told me how Coach Russell had stressed and had the team practice — over and over and over — correct technique.

It was, by the second to last game of the season, drilled into their heads. The same seemed to be the case for C.W. Harris.

As I mentioned, this wasn’t the prettiest game. There were some handballs that had the coaches shaking their heads. And C.W. Harris coach Curtis Yarbrough spent most of the game trying to remind his team not to get too bunched together on the field.

They never completely got the message, and he used the few minutes after the final whistle and before the bus arrived as a mini practice. In the dusk, Curtis instructed seven players to go to positions on the field. Then he demonstrated to them how they needed to move as one, maintaining that spacing regardless of where the ball went.

It was dark. It was raining. It was cold. And the learning wasn’t over.

No wonder these kids have made such progress in such a short time period.

I’m looking forward to the final week of games this Thursday.

Poet-athlete performs at Lights on Afterschool, chats with Mayor Gray and Councilmembers

Written by Cory Chimka
Program Director

Last week DC SCORES joined one million Americans and more than 7,500 communities in celebrating after-school programs with the 12th annual Lights On Afterschool.

Poet-athlete London H. of Noyes Education Campus recited his poem “Bullies” on the dais of DC’s city Hall, the John A. Wilson Building, as a part of the nationwide day of advocacy and action highlighting the importance of access to high quality enriching after-school programs for all children between the school dismissal bell and the dinner bell.

London’s performance was part of an agenda that included remarks from District Mayor Vincent Gray, City Council Chairman Kwame Brown, Deputy Mayor for Health & Human Services Beebe Oterro, and President and CEO of the Washington DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation Ellen London. The event was sponsored by the DC Alliance of Youth Advocates.

London impressed the mayor during a Q&A session by asking Gray about his April arrest during a DC statehood protest. Gray’s spirited answer included removing a $5 bill from his pocket and waving it as a metaphorical visual aid representing the city’s need for budget autonomy.

Not to be outdone by Gray, Council Chair Brown promised to pass along London’s personal greeting to President Barack Obama during their next meeting!

London also enjoyed a one-on-one chat with his Ward 7 representative Councilmember Yvette Alexander (left), who asked if she could count on London’s vote in eight years.

London shared the stage with students from Capital City Public Charter School, City Dance and Sasha Bruce House.

“London was so excited and couldn't stop talking about the event,” said London’s mom Ebony. “He really enjoys reciting his poem and will jump at any opportunity to do so.”

The event was just one of several poetry readings London is taking on this fall. Recently, he read his poem at the opening of a new Starbucks store (and has become a Starbucks regular and huge fan of its hot chocolate). And this afternoon, London is heading to The Shakespeare Theatre to rehearse for the Catalogue for Philanthropy’s Nov. 7 Inspiration to Action Kick-off.

Highlighting our Inspired Art Gala student performers: London H., Noyes Education Campus

NOTE: Each week, we are featuring a performance from the 2nd Annual Inspired Art Gala, held May 18 at the Corcoran Gallery of Art! During the Gala, seven individual poet-athletes and one team put on tremendous performances for the audience of DC SCORES supporters. Learn more about the annual Gala on our website.

London H. of Noyes Education Campus captured the audience with his thought-provoking poem "Bullies."

Check out London's performance!

See more DC SCORES videos, including summer campers step dancing and African drumming, on our YouTube page.