Healthy & Happy at Marie Reed, Part III: Lessons learned from Winter SCORES

As a part of the winter season with DC SCORES, intern Kristen Miano is spending some time with the Marie Reed Panthers as they learn about healthy eating and healthy living. Kristen is writing about her experience being in the classroom with the students as they grow in their understanding of how to live healthier and happier lives through better nutrition and active lifestyles. You can follow Kristen and her observations on Twitter, Instagram and Flickr.

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Written by Kristen Miano
Digital Media Intern

The last nutrition class for the Marie Reed Panthers took an overarching look at the entire season by asking the students a very basic question: Where does our food come from?

Starting off simply, nutrition teacher Carolyn Brandt asked the class where meat comes from.

“Animals!” was the resounding answer.

But there was more to the answer, though. We can eat two different kinds of animal products: meat and other items that come from animals.

“What comes from animals that we don’t need to kill the animals for?” asked Ms. Brandt.

“Tofu!” was one, emphatic answer.

Other correct answers included milk, eggs, cheese and the spectrum of dairy products.

The discussion then moved on to plant-based foods, like all the fruits and vegetables the class had learned about during the six-week season. Though most whole fruits and vegetables are easily identified as plants, it was important to note that most are different parts of the plant. For example, a potato is a plant root, but celery is a plant stem. Broccoli is a flower, while spinach is a leaf.

Next, the students divided into two teams -- boys versus girls -- to test their knowledge. Whenever the teacher held up a picture of a food, the teams were told to act out where the food came from to score points. For example, if the food came from an animal, the entire team needed to flap their arms like a chicken. If the food came from a plant, the team had to wave their hands like leaves on a tree. Though each team did extremely well, the girls’ team won the game by a single point.

Snack during the final week was a little different than usual. The “tasting” snack was designed to reinforce one of the main themes of the entire season: Trying new foods can be fun. Each student got to try a sample of a new, healthy food from a variety of options, including rice cakes, hummus, blueberries, yogurt raisins, sunflower seeds and baby carrots.

Despite initial protests that the hummus “looked gross” and that the rice cakes “aren’t rice krispie treats,” many of the students enjoyed the snack so much, they came back for seconds.

As the Winter SCORES season wrapped up its final nutrition class, the students took a moment to reflect on what they learned.

“I learned that we need good nutrition and that there are different kinds of food groups,” said Mamadou D., age 10, “We should eat healthy foods and be careful of what we eat.”

Jacqueline W., age 9, said she learned it was important to read nutrition labels, especially when it comes to checking a food’s fat content.

“I can eat healthy by eating lots of vegetables,” she added. “Also, fruits and dairy are healthy too.”

Overall, the Marie Reed Panthers are walking away from Winter SCORES with a better understanding of how to lead happier and healthier lives by picking the right foods to eat. The lessons they’ve learned are important for health now, will help them be better soccer players this spring season, and most importantly will continue to benefit them as they grow and learn beyond this season.

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Previous series blogs
Part I
Part II

Healthy & Happy at Marie Reed, Part II: Nutritious fast food

As a part of the winter season with DC SCORES, intern Kristen Miano is spending some time with the Marie Reed Panthers as they learn about healthy eating and healthy living. Kristen is writing about her experience being in the classroom with the students as they grow in their understanding of how to live healthier and happier lives through better nutrition and active lifestyles. You can follow Kristen and her observations on Twitter, Instagram and Flickr.

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Written by Kristen Miano
Digital Media Intern

Fast food is often cheap, easy and, for the most part, very unhealthy. But does it always have to be? Last Tuesday, the Marie Reed Panthers met up to find out.

The students were presented with nutrition fact labels for the ingredients in a small hamburger from a standard fast food restaurant and were tasked with adding up all the fat and calories of each item to figure out the totals for the entire sandwich. This hamburger may be a normal lunch for some, but the 790 calories and 36 grams of fat were shocking for everyone.

“There aren’t even a lot of nutrients in the burger for all the calories and fat you’re getting,” said nutrition teacher Carolyn Brandt. “Except for maybe the tomato and the lettuce, there’s hardly any vitamins or minerals in the burger.”

When asked what else they could order at a restaurant that may be healthier, the students were quick to respond with answers like salads and sandwiches. One student suggested going to Subway over places like McDonalds or Burger King because the sub shop tends to have more healthy choices to pick from.

The students also recalled what they learned in class the previous week when asked what they could order to drink.

“Water!” was the loud, unanimous answer.

One common problem the students also discussed was the prevalence of fast food advertising over commercials for healthy options. In an effort to combat this, the Panthers closed out their lesson by drawing their own ideas for commercials to promote healthy food.

One group decided to make an advertisement that featured the famous soccer star, Lionel Messi, ordering a salad at a fast food joint.

“If people see Messi ordering healthy food,” said Emelisa U., age 10, “they will want to order it too.”

When asked what he learned, Titus R., age 8, nicely summed up the lesson when he said that fast food restaurants aren’t really good for you, but have some okay options.

“I learned that fast food restaurants aren’t healthy,” Titus said. “(But) you can order a salad. That would be healthy.”

Healthy & happy at Marie Reed, Part I: Soda vs. water

As a part of the winter season with DC SCORES, intern Kristen Miano is spending some time with the Marie Reed Panthers as they learn about healthy eating and healthy living. Kristen is writing about her experience being in the classroom with the students as they grow in their understanding of how to live healthier and happier lives through better nutrition and active lifestyles. You can follow Kristen and her observations on Twitter, Instagram and Flickr.

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Written by Kristen Miano
Digital Media Intern

Equipped with teaspoons and measuring cups, the students in the nutrition class at Marie Reed Elementary School clustered around tables, carefully measuring out sugar and food coloring and dumping them into cups of water.

“It’s an experiment,” explained fourth-grader Nick P. “We’re making soda.”

The Marie Reed Panthers were tasked with mixing up their own sugary beverages as a part of a lesson about hydration. More specifically, the students were learning about the difference between soda and water and why the latter should be their drink of choice.

“We wanted to show the students why water is important to drink, especially for athletes,” said nutrition teacher Carolyn Brandt. “We also wanted to show them why consuming so much sugar and caffeine from soda isn’t as good for them.”

Prior to concocting their homemade sodas, the students listened to a presentation discussing how much water they should be drinking versus how much added sugar they should be getting per day.

The students were asked to guess how many teaspoons of added sugar they should have, at most, per day.

“Two!” came one answer. Too low.

“Twenty-one!” was another. Too high.

The answer ended up being 16 teaspoons, which some students felt was still a lot.

“But when you get 11 teaspoons from one soda,” the teacher explained, “How much more sugar can you have?”

The five teaspoons leftover certainly didn’t seem like all that much left for an entire day.

If you are thirsty, the Panthers learned that the best thing to drink was water, as it has no added sugar and no caffeine. The students also learned that water is important because it helps our bodies get rid of waste and helps us cool off when we sweat.

When it came to creating their sodas, many students were surprised by the amount of added dye and sugar they were asked to put into their water, illustrating just how unhealthy soda could be when consumed excessively.

“We’re not supposed to drink soda,” said fourth-grader Taryn H. “It’s a lesson so we can see what’s in soda and why it’s not healthy.”

This nutrition lesson will no doubt be helpful to the Panthers whenever they take the soccer field. Drinking eight or more glasses of water per day is an important lesson for everyone, after all, and is an area the Marie Reed students are now experts in.

Introducing winter SCORES: An emphasis on healthy living

It feels like just yesterday students were on stage at the Poetry Slam! finishing the fall DC SCORES season with one brilliant performance after another. Yes, the break was short. Today, programming is back!

Our scaled-down winter nutrition and soccer program begins at eight DC public schools this afternoon -- Bancroft, Thomson, Marie Reed and Seaton elementary schools; Brightwood Education Campus (elementary); and Johnson, Hart and Lincoln middle schools.

During the next six weeks, students will learn that what they put into their bodies affects their performance on the soccer field. They will directly go through this process by preparing healthy snacks for themselves and then seeing how much better they feel during multi-school soccer clinics.

The winter season leads up to the spring DC SCORES season at 40-plus schools, which kicks off March 16.

For an inside look at what happens during the winter, we caught up with Writing Coordinator Rachel Klepper, who has coached the winter 'Power of Choice' curriculum at Thomson Elementary School. You can also get a sense of the program from the video above.

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What are the main objectives of winter SCORES for the kids involved?

RK: The goal of winter SCORES is to get kids thinking about how they can make healthy choices in their everyday lives. We want to teach them the background and skills to understand the way that what they eat and drink affects their health. In winter SCORES they also have the chance to improve their soccer skills with regular soccer practices and clinics.

Nutrition is such a difficult topic to tackle with kids. How do you make it fun to eat healthy?

RK; It's really natural to talk about nutrition in DC SCORES, because everyone wants to become a better soccer player. One way we discuss nutrition is by showing how healthy eating helps them to play better. We also make nutrition fun by including lots of hands-on activities. The kids love getting to test out new recipes that include healthy ingredients such as whole wheat bread, fruits and vegetables.

Give us an example of a nutrition lesson you've found effective in past years?

RK: One lesson that's really effective is a lesson about soda. Students measure out the amount of sugar in a bottle of soda, and they are always amazed! When you see a bottle in front of you, it's hard to realize how much sugar is hiding in it. Most students leave the class excited to share what they saw with family and friends, and to cut down on the amount of soda they drink.

What's one of kids' favorite snacks to take home with them and tell their families about?

RK: Last year my class voted on their favorite snack, and the winner was turkey pocket sandwiches. They took whole wheat pita bread and stuffed it with turkey slices, lettuce, tomato, and low fat salad dressing.

The Power of Choice at Bancroft Elementary part IV: Changing lifestyles

This winter, DC SCORES intern Kara Dunford is spending her afternoons at Bancroft Elementary School as the Bengals take part in Winter SCORES. Each week, Kara is writing about her experience observing and interacting with the students as they learn about nutrition and healthy eating habits through the Power of Choice curriculum. You can also follow Kara’s observations on Twitter and Instagram by searching #WinterSCORES. View photos on Flickr. 

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Written by Kara Dunford 
Communications Intern

Coach Guzman stood at the front of the Bancroft Elementary School classroom, ready to address his DC SCORES team.

“I wanted to let you all know that this is our last nutrition class.” He paused briefly. “So I brought tissues in case you need them.”

Guzman held up a box of tissues and the students laughed.

Tissues weren’t needed as the Bengals wrapped up Winter SCORES by embracing their new tools for a healthy and active lifestyle.

On my last day with the Bengals, I had the opportunity to chat with a number of the students about their thoughts on the six-week winter program.

Although it was a short season, this winter was packed with nutrition lessons, covering everything from nutrition labels to solid fats. The Bancroft coaches chose a variety of lessons from the USDA’s Power of Choice curriculum.

In our conversations, it was clear that the Bengals had soaked up a great deal of the information and were excited to put it into practice in their own lives.

A number of students pledged to decrease their intake of junk food and soda, turning instead to fruits and vegetables.

The last day of nutrition programming was set up to help students take the lessons learned from theory to practice. The coaches provided a variety of healthy snack items, including various fruits, yogurt, and cheese, for students to try and determine which they liked best, with the goal of making these snacks part of their healthy routines.

It was fun to see students who were hesitant at first about trying new foods embrace the opportunity and discover new favorite snacks.

In my conversation with fifth-grader Tatiana B., I learned how she was planning to add healthy items -- including salads, carrots and apples -- into her eating routine. She said she was surprised by how much she learned this winter, noting that her favorite lesson taught her about healthy alternatives to soda.

It was the end of our conversation, though, that stuck with me the most.

I asked Tatiana why she thought it was important to implement the lessons of Winter SCORES into her own lifestyle. She paused for a moment, and then smiled.

“To make ourselves proud.”

By providing the students with the tools and information they need to live a healthy and active life, Winter SCORES also instilled a sense of self-confidence in the Bengals. It was incredible to see the progress Tatiana and her classmates made over the course of the season, initially participating begrudgingly but soon embracing each lesson enthusiastically.

After a jam-packed winter season, I’m excited to see what the spring brings.

Check out the video to hear the Bengals’ thoughts on Winter SCORES. Continue to follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as we gear up for the spring.

The Power of Choice at Bancroft Elementary Part III: Where's the fat?

This winter, DC SCORES intern Kara Dunford is spending her afternoons at Bancroft Elementary School as the Bengals take part in Winter SCORES. Each week, Kara is writing about her experience observing and interacting with the students as they learn about nutrition and healthy eating habits through the Power of Choice curriculum. You can also follow Kara’s observations on Twitter and Instagram by searching #WinterSCORES. View photos on Flickr. 

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Written by Kara Dunford 
Communications Intern

Coaches at Bancroft Elementary School distributed a variety of snack items to the students, who watched as carrot sticks, cookies, yogurt and more were placed in front of them.

“How many of you had a snack today?” one of the coaches asked. Nearly every hand in the room was soon raised, and students happily announced their choice of snacks.

Since snacking was deemed to be a popular activity, the coaches were ready to arm their students with the knowledge to choose healthy food items to munch on.

“Who remembers how to tell how much fat is in a snack?”

I was impressed as the students recalled information from previous weeks, remembering their lessons about nutrition labels and percent daily value figures.

The students knew to look for the numbers, but what does fat look like? We were about to find out.

Armed with a variety of snack items and paper towels, the students set to work to provide the group with a visual of the fat contained in some of their favorite foods. Rubbing the paper towel over the food caused some items to leave greasy marks, while others did not. Chips, cookies, chocolate, cheese, and peanut butter left the paper quite dirty, revealing their solid fat content in the process.

The students learned that foods with high levels of solid fat provide few other nutrients that are necessary for a healthy lifestyle. Snacking on items low in fat, like fruits and vegetables, can help provide the body with its required food energy and nutrients.

The Bengals will probably not go around rubbing paper towel over each of their food choices. When combined with the knowledge about nutrient labels, however, the visual of solid fat can help steer the students toward healthy snacks.

While the students were preparing the day’s healthy snack -- fruit and vegetable roll-ups -- I had the chance to chat with Coach Guzman about his team’s winter SCORES experience.

Coach Guzman echoed a sentiment I had about the students: while hesitant to embrace the nutrition curriculum at first, the Bengals soon looked forward to the lessons in healthy lifestyles and seemed eager to implement the lessons in their own lives.

“I like that the curriculum provides both access to nutrition and the opportunity to play soccer after school,” Guzman said. “It highlights both components to living a healthy life.”

Guzman said he hopes his students continue to remember the lessons learned in the classroom as we look toward the spring season. If last week’s discussion of the previous lessons on nutrition labels are any indication, the Bengals are on the right track.

Check out the third video installment to hear from one of Bancroft’s coaches. Be sure to follow along during the last week of winter programming on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #winterSCORES.

The Power of Choice at Bancroft Elementary Part II: No more sugary soda

This winter, DC SCORES intern Kara Dunford is spending her afternoons at Bancroft Elementary School as the Bengals take part in Winter SCORES. Each week, Kara is writing about her experience observing and interacting with the students as they learn about nutrition and healthy eating habits through the Power of Choice curriculum. You can also follow Kara’s observations on Twitter and Instagram by searching #WinterSCORES. View photos on Flickr. 

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Written by Kara Dunford 
Communications Intern

“Why do we sweat?”

The coaches at Bancroft Elementary School posed the question to the group of eager students, who moments before had seen containers of frozen yogurt brought into the classroom. Eyes wide, hands began to shoot up around the room.

It is a question I don’t think too much about as I go about my day to day activities. I paused for a moment and tried to remember my own elementary and middle school science classes, during which the question was undoubtedly answered.

Creative responses were not hard to come by, as the Bengals each posed their own theory as to why they sweat while running on the soccer field.

After a few minutes, the coaches revealed the answer. Sweating is the body’s natural way to cool down, especially after physical activity. When you sweat, you must replace the fluids lost to avoid overheating, dehydration, and fatigue.

“But do we get to eat the ice cream?”

Laughter ensued as one student admitted what he was thinking.

What does all this talk about sweat have to do with nutrition? The Bengals were about to learn how smart beverage choices play a role in a healthy and active lifestyle.

The Bengals split up into four groups and each prepared an orange-flavored drink. One group made orange soda, another low calorie orange soda, the third orange juice with only 10 percent juice, and the last 100 percent orange juice.

I joined the students in their surprise about the amount of sugar in the orange soda choices. As the Bengals poured teaspoon after teaspoon of sugar into the drink mixture, the appeal of the beverage dropped among the group.

The lesson? Paying attention to nutrient labels can help us make beverage choices that will supply vitamin C and calcium rather than calories from added sugars.

Each student shared a strategy to improve his or her drinking habits. One suggested he would cut down on soda and drink more water. Another said she would choose juice from the vending machine instead of Coke.

To arm the students with another alternative to soda, the coaches announced the group would be making juice floats. Prepared with frozen yogurt and fruit juice, the juice floats pack more nutrients and less calories into a delicious drink than popular sodas.

Refreshed by the floats, the Bengals were ready to take another step toward a healthy lifestyle, this time by remembering to choose wisely when thirsty.

Check out the second video installment to learn more about this week’s lesson in healthy hydration. Be sure to follow along on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #winterSCORES.

The Power of Choice at Bancroft Elementary part I: Reading nutrition labels

This winter, DC SCORES intern Kara Dunford is spending her afternoons at Bancroft Elementary School as the Bengals take part in Winter SCORES. Each week, Kara is writing about her experience observing and interacting with the students as they learn about nutrition and healthy eating habits through the Power of Choice curriculum. You can also follow Kara’s observations on Twitter and Instagram by searching #WinterSCORES. View photos on Flickr. 

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Written by Kara Dunford 
Communications Intern

Coaches at Bancroft Elementary School circled the classroom presenting a bowl of paper clips to DC SCORES students, who were encouraged to take as many as they pleased.

“Oh, I like the shiny gold ones,” one student eagerly exclaimed, as others grabbed handfuls from the bowl.

“There must be a trick,” another student said, questioning the activity’s purpose as he selected only one paper clip.

After the last student had made her selections, the coaches revealed the next step: each student would need to share facts about themselves to total the number of paper clips selected. Groans rang out throughout the room, as students counted 52 paper clips, 84, 100, and more.

The sharing complete, the coaches asked who would change the number of clips selected if they knew the activity’s purpose. I wasn’t surprised when hands shot up around the classroom.

“So if we know the consequences, we can avoid being tricked,” the coaches explained.

How can the students avoid being tricked by food? By learning how to read nutrition labels.

DC SCORES winter programming offers students a chance to combine soccer practices with an understanding of basic nutrition, learning how to lead a healthy and active lifestyle.

The first nutrition label students examined? A family size bag of Lay’s potato chips. As eyes grew wide at the sight of the popular snack food, the coaches guided students through the parts of a nutrition label, learning the amount of calories, sodium, total fat, and saturated fat inside the bag.

Then it was time to get active. The students showed off some pretty creative dance moves as music blared from the stereo.

To link the two activities together, the coaches asked how long an individual would need to dance to burn off the entire bag of chips.

Students called out their answers. Some were much too low. Thurday minutes. Some were much too high. A year.

But when the final answer was revealed, all in the room, myself included, were surprised by the result.

Twenty-six hours. It would take over a day of dancing non-stop at a moderately fast pace to burn off the calories contained in the bag of chips.

Choices have consequences, as the Bancroft Bengals learned this week.

Empowering students to learn the contents of their food choices is just one of the lessons of winter programming. As the weeks go on, I will be spending time at Bancroft Elementary School, engaging with the students and learning alongside them. I’ll share my adventures on this blog, as well as in a weekly video series. On social media, search the hashtag #winterSCORES to follow along.

Check out the first video installment (embedded above) for an introduction to winter programming and a peek at some of the Bengals’ awesome dance moves.

Winter season focuses on teaching nutrition to students at seven schools

Last week, a dozen or so DC SCORES coaches sat around a table in our office eating potato chips.

Wait. What?

Let us explain. The coaches were participating in an exercise that is included in DC SCORES' Power of Choice winter nutrition program, which begins after school today at seven schools throughout Washington, DC. For the next six weeks, students will spend two days a week learning about nutrition and healthy living and two days practicing soccer indoors as part of the scaled-down winter season.

During nutrition lessons, students will be guided through a series of exercises that help them learn about things such as calories, good fats versus bad fats, portion control and more. They'll also gets hands-on experience learning how to prepare healthy snacks and meals.

But back to the potato chips. Coaches learned from the exercise that eating just 15 Lays potato chips equals 150 calories consumed. And even after we had all danced for 5 minutes before the bag of chips was passed around, it would have taken half an hour of dancing -- we learned -- to burn off the 150 calories.

Wow.

The lesson? Eat in moderation, but also know that consuming healthy foods is only half of being healthy. You must exercise, too.

And that, in a nutshell, is what the winter program is all about -- combining healthy eating with physical activity through soccer.

"My hope is we're giving them the knowledge of what it means to live a healthy and active lifestyle," Program Director Cory Chimka said. "We're giving them the skills and tools and that hands-on experience that they can take to their families and say, 'This a healthy snack I can make for us with things that are accessible to me from the corner store on the end of the block.'"

Watch the embedded video for a more in-depth overview of the DC SCORES winter program, and follow the activities throughout the next six weeks on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching the hashtag #DCSCORESWinter.

DC SCORES winter program schools
Bancroft Elementary School
Burrville Elementary School
Jefferson Middle School
Lincoln Middle School
Marie Reed Elementary School
Thomson Elementary School
Wheatley Education Campus

Partners DC Central Kitchen and Brainfood teach youth what's healthy and how to make it

Written by Anna Cohen-Price
Elementary School Program Coordinator

The Thomson Tigers were one lucky team last week, as they had the unique privilege of collaborating with two non-profits that do great work in the DC area.

As a part of our winter curriculum, the DC SCORES team at Thomson Elementary School is learning all about healthy eating, nutrition and how to stay active in their busy lives. Last week, an educator from DC Central Kitchen paid a visit to Thomson and facilitated an interactive workshop during which students learned to identify the differences between healthy and unhealthy meals using the “My Plate” model and guessed the varying amounts of sugar in different juices and sodas.

The students were eager to apply their knowledge about nutrition to these new activities, and asked lots of great questions. Kidus, a fifth grader, even offered up some great advice —
“Don’t mix bleach with food!” — which we all found extremely helpful.

The following Thursday, we took a walking field trip to be guests at Brainfood’s MVP program. Brainfood is a non-profit after school program that works with high school students, using food as a tool to build life skills and promote healthy lifestyles. Their Community MVP program allows graduates of the program to lead community members in healthy cooking activities.

The Thomson Tigers had been waiting weeks for this day to come, and the anticipation built as we ventured on a short trek to one of Brainfood’s locations in Mt. Vernon Square (with a fun-filled stop at the DC SCORES office, where the kids got to meet the office staff, included on the way).

After a short walk filled with jokes and countless “are we there yet?” questions, we were greeted at Brainfood by 15 high school students and their supervisor. Once everyone was settled, the MVP’s asked the Thomson students a few questions about their nutrition knowledge.

When asked how we could make cookies healthier, Mikyas shouted: “Because you can take out the sugar and high-fructose corn syrup!!”

Indeed, he was correct.

One MVP told us we would be making oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that afternoon. BUT —
in order to make the cookies a healthy snack, we would be using flaxseed (good for your brain), agave and honey in place of sugar, and avocado in place of butter.

The kids were a little wary at first (admittedly, so was I), especially of the avocado. But once we got cooking, it was so much fun that no one seemed to care that the cookie batter was a little greener than usual.

Each kid got their own copy of the recipe and a fancy Brainfood apron. Students were divided into five small groups, each of which got to make their own batch of cookies with the help of two or three MVPs. Not only did they have the opportunity to learn about (and eat!) delicious healthy snacks, they also got practice in measuring, adding, and many other cooking skills.

With copies of the recipe in hand and bellies full of healthy, homemade snacks, the Thomson Tigers trekked back to their school happily. We are all incredibly thankful to DC Central Kitchen and Brainfood and the MVPs for hosting us and teaching lots of valuable things.

Now students — and I! — can’t wait to try such recipes at home with their families!

Follow DC Central Kitchen (@dcck) and Brainfood (@BrainfoodDC) on Twitter to learn more about the exciting, impactul work they do in our community.

AmeriCorps members use passion for youth development to run DC SCORES winter season

AmeriCorps members with DC SCORES staff.

This winter, we’ve introduced you to the DC SCORES ‘Power of Choice’ winter program. We’ve started to give you a behind-the-scenes look with our nascent series covering Thomson Elementary School. But we haven’t, until now, introduced you to the difference-makers behind the program, the coaches who make it happen every day at four schools throughout the District.

The winter program is run entirely by part-time AmeriCorps members who have picked up on the DC SCORES model quickly and strive to become a part of their respective school communities during the season. Here we let this diverse group of individuals passionate about youth development tell their own stories:

Marco Williams — Thomson Elementary School
I am 24 years old from Portland, Oregon, giving back to his community by mentoring youth. My dream goal is to run my own non-profit for children that come from a single home and have no positive influences in their lives. Within my nonprofit, I want every child to know and believe that they have a dream and their dream will come true. The question I always find myself answering is "Why DC SCORES?” The reason I have chosen DC SCORES is because I have a strong passion with children learning about how to operate in a team and expressing themselves through writing. I'm a strong believer in not only learning math and writing skills but also a strong believer in teaching children about life skills. My healthy eating habits this winter season are cutting back on my juice intake, drinking more water, and of course inspiring my group of students at Thomson Elementary.

LaTamara Edwards — Bancroft Elementary School
I am originally from Lexington, NC, but recently moved to the DMV to gain better opportunities. I recently received a B.S. in Criminal Justice and always wanted to work with youth in some way. I did a little research before I decided to move to the DMV area and stumbled upon AmeriCorps. I loved the program and all the things they do for the local communities in different states. That is what led me to DC SCORES, because not only would I get to give back to the community in a big way, but I get to interact with the youth whom are our future and it excites me to get to be able to get hands-on and teach them things that I learned growing up. I feel that this program is a great opportunity for someone to gain experience when it comes to working with youth but also helping change young people in some way.  Something that I will want my kids to know when it comes to making healthier choices in their lifestyles is to make sure that they drink plenty of water and exercise each day. It can be as simple as walking to go check the mailbox for their parents. That is a start.

Jessica Gilbert — C.W. Harris Elementary School
I have lived in southeast Washington, DC, my entire life. My parents always taught me to be a humble person and never forget where I came from. So after I returned home from college, I thought of what would be the best way to give back to my community. DC SCORES was a perfect fit for me because it has given me a chance to inspire and influence children in my own urban neighborhood. I believe that everybody deserves an equal opportunity to achieve their goals despite their socioeconomic circumstances. In DC SCORES, I hope to help the children gain the self-confidence they need to achieve those goals and overcome any challenges which might come their way.      

Sheldon Biggs --— MacFarland Middle School      
I was born on the island which is known as Jamaica. The reason I chose to do work with DC SCORES is the chance to work with children and the chance to learn and get better at the game which in America is called soccer. A healthy nutrition fact about me is that I don't eat fast food. I would rather eat foods that give me energy than food to get me full.

Tom Mason — C.W. Harris Elementary School
I am from the D.C./Maryland/Virginia metropolitan area; however, I graduated from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, with a degree in Liberal Arts with a minor in African Studies. I chose this major because it afforded me the freedom to pursue any career path I desired. During college, I aided international students in adjusting to the American Way as well as led the African Student Association. Props to my Sierra Leonean heritage! Social services has really lit my fire. Community and country development is my true passion. DC SCORES attracted due to the work it does with the youth. Poetry, which strengthens communication and expression, and soccer, which strengthens teamwork, are vital parts community development. Beyond DC SCORES, I will either become a foreign ambassador or a director of a community center owning my own non-profit. For a whole year, I only ate vegetables my friends and I grew on our own.

Tommy Burke — Bancroft Elementary School     
I am a student at UMD just outside of DC, studying English and History. After graduation, I plan on teaching high school history. I discovered DC SCORES while researching volunteer options in DC, and was excited to see it involved two of my passions, soccer and poetry. I am excited to have an opportunity to gain teaching practice while giving back to the community. My favorite health tip is to always start the day as healthy as possible, before things get too busy. I make sure to always eat fruits or vegetables at breakfast.

Interested in becoming an AmeriCorps member for DC SCORES? Learn about opportunities here.

Overweight and still starving: too often the case for DC youth

Written by Jacqui Kemp
Program Coordinator — Training & Logistics

The status of youth health in Washington, DC, is a stark dichotomy of abundance and scarcity — an abundance of calories and a scarcity of nutrition. Side by side. Confused? Well, let me explain.

Washington, DC’s poverty rate stands at about 19 percent and 22.1 percent of the population relies on food stamps, now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. DC has the highest food assistance rate in the country. For the DC SCORES community, however, that number skyrockets. Eighty percent of DC SCORES students receive free and reduced-price meals at school, meaning that their families live at or below 185% of the poverty line (for a household of four, an income of $23,050 is considered the poverty line).

So what do these statistics mean for our students’ diets?

Given that the average food assistance for a family of four is $496 per month, families must be as thrifty as possibly in their food choices. It’s no longer a secret that the cheapest food is packaged and processed. And so, fast food and cheap packaged items have become the less-desirable but obvious meal choices for low-income families.  

Even more, fresh fruits and vegetables just aren’t accessible. Period. Residents in Wards 7 or 8 often have to travel miles to find a grocery store. Appropriately, these areas are referred to as “food deserts.”

Of the 43 full-service grocery stores in DC, only four are located in Ward 7 and three in Ward 8 compared with 11 in Ward 3, the wealthiest area of the city. So we’re talking about seven large supermarkets serving more than 140,000 residents in the poorest area of DC.

Without grocery stores, where do people shop for food? They have no choice but to buy from convenience stores, gas stations, and corner markets, which means packaged, shelf-stable food and little to no fresh produce or protein.

High poverty rates and extremely limited access to fresh produce is a recipe for disaster. And so it’s no shock that 43 percent of school-aged children in Washington, DC, are overweight or obese. Families have no other option but to stock up on high-calorie, nutrient-poor meals.  

With children heavily exposed to ads for unhealthy foods, the problem is not just obesity nor is it hunger. In fact, most overweight or obese children in the District and the DC SCORES program are starving for nutrients. This is why DC SCORES’ Winter Health Program is absolutely essential for the population we serve.

DC SCORES’ winter programming teaches young people why it’s so important to eat healthy meals — such as nutrient-rich fruits, vegetables and whole grains — and how to make affordable choices.

Combined with soccer practice twice a week, students see first-hand what it means, and how it feels, to live a healthy lifestyle.

As winter season begins, the focus is on healthy eating

Today marks the beginning of DC SCORES’ winter season. At a handful of schools throughout the District, AmeriCorps members teach youth about healthy eating and how to navigate the aisles of a grocery store using the USDA’s Power of Choice curriculum. The program is being led by Poetry & Service-Learning Program Coordinator Shakeria Reed, who took time out of her preparations last week to sit down and discuss what to expect during this winter’s activities

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Describe briefly the basics of the winter DC SCORES program and what you’re trying to accomplish?

“There’s a full fall season and a spring season for DC SCORES, and there’s this two- to three-month break in between both seasons. The winter season works as a nutrition workshop season and also gives schools a head start on practicing soccer before the spring season.

“We combine nutrition, healthy eating workshops where the kids are learning what to eat and how to exercise and be healthy in preparation for the spring, and also indoor soccer clinics going over the soccer curriculum and having a good time while also preparing for a great season.”

How many days a week is the program?

“The program for elementary schools is Monday through Friday with three nutrition days and two soccer days. And for middle schools it’s three days a week, with 90 minutes nutrition and 90 minutes soccer.”

What schools will the program be in this year?

“Winter programming will be at C.W. Harris in far Northeast. And Bancroft Elementary (Ward 1), Thomson Elementary (Ward 2) and MacFarland Middle School (Ward 4).”

Now last year you were a coach at Noyes Education Campus during the winter. Based off that experience, can you describe what a typical afternoon is like during the program?

“Programming usually starts at 3:30 p.m. We do a warmup to get the kids’ minds active for after-school programming. And after that we sit down and do activities provided by the USDA’s Power of Choice curriculum. That ranges from an activity such as reading the nutrition facts on the back of food packages or learning what fat is and what foods it’s in, what calories are, why eating a bagel over a donut is better for your health.

“Then Friday is the snack day, and the kids usually create a healthy snack from what they’ve learned over the previous couple of days.”

What were some of the main takeaways you took from the experience last year? What changes did you notice in the kids after six weeks of learning about healthy eating?

“I noticed that a lot of kids made it a point to tell me some of the healthy things that they ended up eating, like, ‘Ms. Shakeria, I went home and instead of having chips and cookies, I ate an apple.’ They made it a point to tell me what they had for lunch, some of the extra things that they added to their lunch to make it healthier.

“Also, the way the Power of Choice curriculum is set up, the kids learn why certain foods are better instead of me drilling into them, ‘Eat healthy, eat healthy!’ They actually learn why they need to eat healthy. They learn that having crackers instead of chocolate chip cookies is better and they take that home with them and tell me that they’ve asked their parents to buy these things for the house.”

Why is the winter program important to the youth it serves?

“I think it’s very important because it just goes well with the DC SCORES mission. You’re helping yourself, you’re learning how to help yourself, help your body stay healthy. And at the end of the day, it benefits you, it benefits your team. DC SCORES is all about teamwork. Everything just goes hand in hand.”

The program is run by DC SCORES AmeriCorps coaches, who are on their own for the first time at their respective schools. As a former AmeriCorps coach, how meaningful is the experience and what do the coaches get out of it?

“Usually during the regular seasons, fall and spring, they are a part of the ‘SCORES Corps’ coaching teams, so it’s them along with the teachers who already work at the schools. For the winter season, it’s basically them by themselves creating a bond and mentorship with these kids, being the people who these kids come to.

“It’s all of them all the time working with other AmeriCorps coaches to just have a great six weeks. And then when the spring season comes along, they know they had a chance to get these kids a head start in having a great soccer season.”

What kind of impact did leading the winter program at Noyes Education Campus last year have on you as a coach?

“I definitely gained a lot of confidence. When I had to do it all by myself, I learned things that worked for me that didn’t necessarily work during the fall season when I was part of a team of coaches at the school. And then when the spring season came, I was right on it, I had my own ideas, I was ready to do my own lesson plans, I had a different approach because I had my own bond that I formed with these kids.”

OK, time to put you on the spot: Have you eaten healthier since being a part of the day-to-day program last winter?

“I believe I have. Some of the facts I learned I definitely have applied to my life. I’m usually a healthy eater — I like salads, I like fruit, I like vegetables. I still have my ‘cheat’ days, but I’ve learned a lot and a big part of the winter season (last year) was showing the kids, being a role model to them with eating healthy.”

Last question: What’s your favorite healthy snack?

“One that we made last year was peanut butter and fruit wedges. It’s like making a peanut butter sandwich with fruit.”

OK, you passed the healthy test. Thanks, Shakeria!