DC SCORES covers DC: KIPP AIM, Ward 8

 


As DC SCORES has grown over the past several years -- from 20 schools, to adding middle schools in 2006, to 27 schools, then 42, and now to 60 sites, including several recreation centers that make up the first-ever DC City Soccer League -- we've expanded our reach across Washington, DC. And now we serve 2,200 kids in neighborhoods throughout the entire city -- meaning all eight wards. This fall, we'll bring to you a highlight program in each ward.

At KIPP AIM Academy, extracurricular activities are a priority. The programming involves an incredibly enthusiastic and dedicated group of fifth- to eighth-graders.

Poetry coach and 5th grade literacy teacher Sara Gould shared a few key facts with us. Through our talk with her, we really got an insider's view of the program at KIPP AIM. Sara has an incredible relationship with the students as a DC SCORES coach because she teaches about half of the poet-athletes in her class throughout the day (common at many DC SCORES schools).

Gould said that "being someone that is in the classroom but then also teaching at SCORES is helpful to working with the students." She said that this adds a "mentor layer" and a "humanizing aspect" to the relationship, and not only does it benefit her students in DC SCORES; it benefits her students' peers as well.

"They see that our relationship is different, and they want that for themselves," Gould said. "KIPP is business in the classroom, but when you're in a less-structured, more down-to-earth environment, the kids see you as a whole person. It's an all-around relationship, not just student-teacher."

Though this is Gould's first year at KIPP AIM, she taught and coached at KIPP WILL for five years, giving her a total of six years involved with DC SCORES. She said that when she transferred schools, DC SCORES brought her comfort.

"It was nice to have something I connected with and was passionate about," Gould said.

This year's Poetry Slam! was a unique experience for KIPP AIM because this was the first Slam! that they had participated in since before any of the current students or teachers could remember. Gould described preparation for the Slam! as "stressful" because they were only able to meet for poetry once a week compared to other schools who met two or three times a week.

The students "really pulled it together in just three sessions," Gould said, adding that the incredible performance that we saw on the stage during the Eastside Slam! was really attributed to the students' hard work, both in the classroom and at home after school.

"A lot of it had to do with the excitement and investment," Gould said. She added that the first day after constructing a poem, there were a few students who had already memorized their lines.

"[It] really spoke volumes to [me] about the fact that they cared about it and really wanted to work toward it."

This season of Fall SCORES at KIPP AIM, Gould's poet-athletes worked incredibly hard to overcome challenges. To overcome obstacles during their first season of doing both soccer and poetry, the students practiced treating tiny victories as if they were major, going with a strong "I'm going to get better" mindset, and taking a lot of pride in the fact that they were the first students to start poetry back up at their school.

These students set the base for DC SCORES in the upcoming years at AIM, and future poet-athletes will have this incredible group to thank!



WARD 8 PROGRAMS
Barry Farm Recreation Center (2015)
Hart Middle School (2012)
KIPP AIM Academy (2013)
Leckie Elementary School (2013)
Leckie Middle School (2016)
Moten Elementary School (2011)
Orr Elementary School (2012)
Turner Elementary School (2016)
Washington School for Girls (2015) 


KIPP AIM Academy FUN FACTS
Year DC SCORES started: 2013
Ward: 8
Uniform color: Orange
Coaches: Soccer -- Sydney Thom, Sara Gould; Poetry -- Tre'Vonn Dennis, Sara Gould

COACHES' CORNER
"It's an all-around relationship, not just student-teacher." - Sara Gould on how coaching DC SCORES has strengthened her ties to the students

“[It] really spoke volumes to me about the fact that they cared about it and really wanted to work toward it.” - Gould on how hard the students worked toward their Poetry Slam! performance

FROM THE ARCHIVES

BLOG

11.27.2013 -- Teamwork, Leadership and Commitment on display during Capital Cup

VIDEO

12.2.2013 -- KIPP AIM performs at the Poetry Slam!

Teams come together, grow stronger at Fall Frenzy celebration

When the Garfield Elementary School bus pulled up to Kelly Miller Middle School last Saturday morning, its occupants weren’t exactly itching to get off it.

“They were more worried about how cold it was outside than the teams (they’d be playing),” said Garfield soccer coach Terrell Clifford. “They were like, ‘Do we have to go out here? It’s freezing!’”

It wasn’t exactly an auspicious start to the first Fall Frenzy for DC SCORES’ newest elementary school. However, some five hours later, Clifford could laugh about it. By then, his small, tight-knit group of poet-athletes was mostly smiles, as the kids thoroughly enjoyed the large program event.

“They’re pretty much in awe of what’s going on,” Clifford said as he watched Garfield play its last of four games, “but they’re enjoying every second of it.”

Over 800 poet-athletes participated in the 14th annual celebration of the fall season, which drew more than 1,000 people total to Kelly Miller in Ward 7, including parents; community members; a large number of volunteers, many of them program alumni; program partners; and others.

The Fall Frenzy was funded by DC Stoddert Soccer and the District’s Department of Parks and Recreation. In addition to cross-city soccer games played on nine adjacent fields, poet-athletes enjoyed facepainting; writing Haikus at the 826 DC table; running relay races with volunteers from Rotaract; creating arts and crafts at the Starbucks table; and testing their kicking accuracy and working on headers with Penya Barcelonista, DC’s official FC Barcelonia fan club. Kids also took advantage of free water bottles provided by Modell's Sporting Goods and danced -- sometimes while on the soccer field -- to the music played by DJ RBI.

At the beginning of the morning, DC SCORES Athletic Director Kenny Owens brought all the teams together to show off their school pride and kick off the day. Then, with the blaring of the mega horn, teams were dispersed, and within a minute, Kelly Miller’s athletic fields and parking lot were filled with 27 different colors.

The enormity of the event could be a little intimidating for first-time participants, especially with so many bigger kids on many of the elementary school teams. When Clifford’s group of mostly third-graders prepared to play Perry Street Prep -- which featured several fifth-graders -- the poet-athletes couldn’t believe the size of their opponents.

“Man, they’re bigger than us, I’m gonna run through their legs!” one third-grader said.

“They too big! They giants,” another poet-athlete lamented.

“Coach, tell us something!” said a third.

After a brief huddle, though, Garfield’s players relaxed with a chant of “1 … 2 … 3 .. Garfield!” and played a fearless game against the much bigger kids.

And that is all Clifford can ask of his poet-athletes at this point in the season. Starting a team at a school where most students have never touched a soccer ball or heard of a throw-in isn’t easy, Clifford knows, and he’s taking things one day at a time.

“It’s definitely a process and I think we’re getting there slowly but surely,” Clifford said. “I think the success for our team is just working together for a whole match or a half. If we’re fortunate enough to score a goal, that’s a big gain.

“A little icing on the cake.”

A few minutes later, Clifford was enjoying that icing and let out a “Yeahhhhh!!!” after his team put together a scoring play. For all its struggles against bigger, more experienced teams for most of the day, one goal more than made Garfield’s trip to Kelly Miller well worth it.

At Garfield’s first home game a few weeks back, the team received incredible support, as Clifford estimated that 70 to 80 people -- including the school band, parents and faculty members -- came out to cheer on the team. A smaller group of supporters was on hand Saturday, encouraging and giving courage to the team as it navigated uncharted territory.

And by the end of the day, no poet-athletes were complaining anymore. Except about the fact that the day, and the games, was over.

“Everyone has progressed in the same pattern,” Clifford said. “It’s a team effort for the most part.

“They’ve got some fire under them.”

Introducing Saturday SCORES soccer clinics in Wards 5, 6, 7 and 8

It’s finally Thursday again, which means the long week — and wait — is over. Kids from 20 elementary schools across the city will get the chance, once again, to compete in the only organized elementary school soccer games in the District.

Usually on Fridays — but not tomorrow because of DCPS professional development — kids at 17 middle schools get that same opportunity.

But despite our best efforts, we always hear, especially from kids, parents and coaches East of the River where DC SCORES is the only chance to get involved in soccer, “The season’s too short! Not enough games!”

Well, we’ve listened. And starting this Saturday, we have an answer.

Free weekend soccer clinics in Wards 5, 6, 7 and 8.

Saturday SCORES is the result of DC SCORES collaborating with DC Stoddert Soccer and the District’s Department of Parks and Recreation. For five consecutive Saturdays this fall, from 11:30am-1pm, soccer instructors will run clinics at sites in each of the aforementioned wards.

The clinics will focus on skill development, but won’t be overly competitive. Kids of all skill levels are invited to any of the clinics, including elementary, middle and high school students.

“The main thing is focusing more kids on the game, giving them more opportunities to play, bottom line, in those wards of the city,” said DC SCORES Athletic Director Kenny Owens, who will oversee one of the weekly clinics at Kelly Miller Middle School (Ward 7).

“The idea is to work on the kids’ technique. The main thing is having them play with the ball more — a lot of touches on the ball — and just work on their skills.”

At a recent DC SCORES game day, the idea was introduced to students from C.W. Harris Elementary School in Ward 7. It didn’t take long for them to buy in and commit to attending.

“When I talked to the C.W. Harris kids and asked, ‘What do you guys do on Saturdays?’ They said, ‘There’s nothing to do,’” Owens said.

“They’re excited about not only having something to do, but also having another opportunity to get out there and play.”

And that’s exactly why these clinics were formed — to provide an opportunity, like DC SCORES does, that otherwise isn’t available to the targeted population.

At each clinic, participants will receive a T-shirt and snack, and parents are encouraged to attend.

Below are the weekly Saturday SCORES sites, and more information can be found on this flyer.

Ward 5 — Lamond Riggs Recreation Center

Ward 6 — King Greenleaf Recreation Center

Ward 7 — Kelly Miller Middle School

Ward 8 — Barry Farms Recreation Center

When it rains, DC SCORES students exercise to Dance Dance Revolution

Written by Cory Chimka

Program Director

Charlotte Gerchick, now a 17-year-old senior at the Potomac School in Maclean, Virginia, was cleaning out her closet in October of 2009 when she came across her old Dance Dance Revolution video game system.

She waxed nostalgically about the many hours she and her friends spent jumping, twisting, turning on its mats, grooving to all the popular dance tunes built into the game. They’d spent many rainy days indoors, but still working up a sweat, and fostering healthy competition, during their “D.D.R. sessions.”

Now that they were sophomores in high school, Charlotte and her friends just didn’t have time for video games. When they weren’t in class, participating in extracurricular activities, or studying, they were starting to think about college.

Charlotte couldn’t bring herself to just throw away the once-treasured Dance Dance Revolution game, but it had to go. Then, she had a brilliant idea.

“I figured there must be lots of students at my school who had also outgrown their DDR games, which were just gathering dust somewhere. Because I had volunteered for DC SCORES, I knew about the kids and the schools, and that the kids in DC SCORES didn’t get exercise when it was raining or too cold. It just made sense to recycle the video games and provide an exercise opportunity at the same time.”

What if she could get these video game systems into DC SCORES classrooms, so those students could have fun exercising while developing some fancy footwork that might translate onto the soccer field?

Project Encore was born!

On an afternoon nearly two years later, Charlotte found herself in the Anacostia section of Southeast Washington, DC. Her first stop was Howard Road Academy Public Charter School. When Charlotte arrived, the HRA team was using the hallways and stairwells to have soccer practice, a clear reminder of Project Encore’s importance.

After some slight technical difficulties, the right TV was located and the students were choosing which tunes to groove to before jumping, hopping and spinning to the beat.

“It’s so hard because you have to wait for the arrows to come up,” said poet-athlete Lorenzo H., “but it’s great because it helps you to exercise and get to learn how to dance.”

Charlotte told the students not to get discouraged, with the object of the game to have fun and be active. She left the students taking turns trying to dance past level 1, then headed up the hill to Moten at Wilkinson Elementary. The Moten students were in the cafeteria anxiously awaiting Charlotte’s arrival, and their coach Mr. Henley had found an old projection television with a giant screen to use with the game.

The students at Moten were more familiar with the game. They’d seen it on television and some had even played at the arcade before. It didn’t take long for even some of the younger students to advance past level 1. Cedric M. was one of the first students to advance to level 2.

“The game keeps us kids focused,” Cedric said, “and it’s a lot of workout, but it takes you step by step, so it’s really fun!”

As I watched our DC SCORES students breathe new life into the old video games, the beauty and brilliance of the name “Project Encore” hit me hard.

“We liked the word ‘encore’ because it had a double meaning,” Charlotte explained. “It has the use in performances, when the audience shouts ‘Encore!’ applauding a good performance. It also means ‘again’ in French, which refers to the recycling aspect (of the project).

“The games were used by families like mine and then again by the students in the DC SCORES schools.”

There were some struggles along the way. “Collecting enough of each component was harder than I thought it would be,” Charlotte said. “There were plenty of mats. I guess the mats are easy to find — they are big and colorful. The DVDs hide somewhere. It was also hard to match up all the components because there are DDR games made for PlayStation 2 consoles and others for X-Boxes.”

But Charlotte never got discouraged and just kept on piecing together full game systems with the help of her parents, classmates, and the community service coordinators at her school, David Grant and Sharyn Stein. And for Charlotte, it’s worth all the effort when she delivers the games to DC SCORES schools.

“The best part has been giving the games to the kids and teaching them how to play,” she said. “It was great to see their reactions. I loved watching them get excited and seeing how happy they were when they found out they get to keep the games.”

“I can’t wait to give out more DDR games to more schools!”

If you’re a DC SCORES student, coach or parent who would like to see Charlotte bring Project Encore to your school, email me at cchimka@americascores.org, and if you are teenager who would like to know how you can be like Charlotte and get involved with and help DC SCORES, email volunteerdc@americascores.org

DC SCORES Expands After-School Programs in Ward 8

WASHINGTON, D.C.—With support from the American Beverage Association and the D.C.Beverage Association, DC SCORES today announced expansion of its after-school programming to more schools in Ward 8.

“Partners like the American Beverage Association and the D.C. Beverage Association help us expand in areas of the city that need physical fitness opportunities for youth,” said Amy Nakamoto, executive director of DC SCORES. “Providing opportunities for these children to play sports and engage in academic enrichment will help improve the overall health and wellness of their families and the community.”

DC SCORES uses the combination of soccer, poetry and service-learning to help students stay active and engaged in their education. DC SCORES currently works with 800 low-income youth at 27 schools. The partnership with the American Beverage Association and the D.C. Beverage Association will allow DC SCORES to expand these important programs in Ward 8.

“Being able to get more children in Ward 8 enrolled in these programs acutely captures the true goal of National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month and will have a lasting impact on this community,” said Susan Neely, president and CEO of the American Beverage Association. “We’re proud to be working with DC SCORES on this important program expansion.”

DC SCORES kicked off its first game of the season today with program participants, their families, D.C. Council members, members of the media and other supporters in attendance.

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To people who believe in a well-rounded childhood, DC SCORES is the quality, team-based approach providing youth with the arts, athletics, and academics that will engage, enrich, and improve their lives. DC SCORES builds teams through after school programs for more than 800 low-income D.C. youth at 27 schools by instilling self-expression, physical fitness, and a sense of community. DC SCORES accomplishes this with an innovative model combining poetry and spoken word, soccer, and service-learning year-round. We have worked with over 6,000 students since our founding in 1994 and we aim to serve EVERY child in the District deserving of a team who does not have one. To learn more, visit www.DCSCORES.org.

The American Beverage Association is the trade association representing the broad spectrum of companies that manufacture and distribute non-alcoholic beverages in the United States. For more information on ABA, please visit the association’s Web site at www.ameribev.org or call the ABA media relations team at (202) 463-6770.

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DC SCORES to announce Ward 8 Expansion Initiative During National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month

National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month wraps up this week and things are busy here at DC SCORES.

This past Friday, Congresswoman Marcia Fudge invited us to participate at the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference for a Fitness Break led by Donna Richardson-Joyner, a member of the President’s Council of Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. The Thomson DC SCORES team rose to the challenge and helped Richardson-Joyner lead the crowd through various exercise and dance steps to get them moving and energized.

The Fitness Break took place before a forum called “Is Black America Fit for Life” featuring a panel of experts including Audrey Rowe of the USDA, Dr. Ron Henderson of the National Education Association, and R&B songstress Monica, who is also a Hunger Advocate for Feeding America.

To start the forum, Congresswoman Fudge presented the shocking statistics we unfortunately know all too well. Across the U.S., African Americans have the most alarming obesity rates — as high as 35% in some states. Among children, African American girls have the highest obesity rats at nearly 30%.

Congressman Fudge stressed that schools can play a critical role in fighting childhood obesity — and that is where DC SCORES comes in.

On average, public schools provide about 45 minutes of PE per week. DC SCORES provides six times that amount after school.

Further, as Bill Turque pointed out on his Washington Post blog yesterday, many schools, particularly those outside of Ward 3, lack sports teams and other extracurricular activities that keep kids active and engaged.

We have seen the need for DC SCORES in the neighborhoods we serve. That is why we are proud to announce a new initiative to bring our unique program to more schools in DC.

In partnership with the American Beverage Association and the DC Beverage Association, DC SCORES will announce our Ward 8 Expansion Initiative this Thursday at Moten Elementary School.

Join us as we kick off the first game day of the season and celebrate the beginning of our expansion to more schools in Ward 8 and the District.

DC SCORES Ward 8 Expansion Initiative Announcement

Thursday, September 29

4:00 – 4:30 pm

Moten Elementary School

2330 Pomeroy Rd. SE