Bonding with the Bears, Part VI: Finishing up the season after Poetry Slam!

Every week this fall we will be visiting the Barnard Bears during poetry sessions and soccer games to document the progress of the Bears. Follow along to see how students develop their writing and soccer skills and how the team comes together. We will bring you individual poet-athletes' stories in addition to stories about the team as a whole. Follow along our journey with the Bears on Twitter @DCSCORESInterns & Instagram @DC_SCORES. 

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Written by Elaine Lu 
Communications Intern

Though some of the students' spirits were down after they didn't place in the Poetry Slam!, they bounced right back. The students still have a strong love for poetry and finished up the season strong feeling great!

"They did an amazing job at Poetry Slam!," poetry coach Hannah Ehlers said. "I was so proud of their performance and could see that they were too!"

"It gives me hope to know that the Barnard Bears are the next generation and will change history!"

Added poet-athlete Lison: "We were preparing a lot because we wanted to be not perfect, but we wanted to be great. It's not about if we win or not, it's about having fun. I wasn't upset, I was actually happy because we got to have fun and it's not all about winning, it's about having fun."

It is attitudes like hers that make this team so incredible. The Barnard Bears are a great group of kids that have touched the hearts of everyone, like myself, who have worked with them.

"I loved coaching poetry with the Barnard Bears this season and can't wait for the winter season on nutrition," Ehlers said. "I loved getting to know the poet-athletes and watching them grow and learn."

From looking at the impact that the Bears have made on their coaches, it is evident that these kids are remarkable.

For Lindsey Sharp, one of the soccer coaches, "working with the Barnard Bears this season has been filled with many lessons for both the kids and [my]self."

Each kid on the Barnard Bears stood out and brought a different perspective to the team, a dynamic that Sharp said made the experience all the more rewarding.

"Our team was very well-rounded in terms of skill level as well as cultural diversity, which allowed all of the kids to come together seamlessly," Sharp said. "I was constantly impressed by the kids' ability to work together as a team and help each other improve their technique throughout the season.

"The Barnard bond has been exceptional season-long and I am excited to coach such wonderful kids again next season!"

Over the last 10 weeks, I've seen these students grow into incredibly talented poet-athletes. With every poetry session, every practice, and every game, I've watched each child grow more into the wonderful future leader that s/he will be. I can't wait to see what the upcoming seasons will bring for the Barnard Bears!

The Barnard Bears will DEFINITELY change history! Thank you for adding to my wonderful experience working at DC SCORES!

Previous Posts
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Part V

Bonding with the Bears, Part V: Poetry Slam! final preparations

Every week this fall we will be visiting the Barnard Bears during poetry sessions and soccer games to document the progress of the Bears. Follow along to see how students develop their writing and soccer skills and how the team comes together. We will bring you individual poet-athletes' stories in addition to stories about the team as a whole. Follow along our journey with the Bears on Twitter @DCSCORESInterns & Instagram @DC_SCORES. 

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 Written by Elaine Lu
 Communications Intern

Last week with the Poetry Slam! just days away, the Barnard Bears worked harder than ever to make sure that their poems were the best that they can be.

When I asked the kids how they're feeling leading up to the Slam!, I got mixed reactions. Some said, "I can't wait! I'm so excited to perform in front of so many people!," while others shied away and responded, "I'm really nervous. What happens if I mess up?"

Most of these students have never preformed for such a large audience, so their nerves are completely understandable. Regardless of how the kids were feeling last week, I know that when it is the night of Poetry Slam! each student will have a blast.

Barnard's poem is about the students' ideal world. If you could change one thing in this world, what would you change?

While some students thought of sweet and simpler things, like candy or presents, others thought of larger global problems that other kids their ages face today.

Topics such as poverty, disease, and racism are mentioned in this incredibly profound poem. 

Dairelynn H., a fourth-grader, speaks about childhood cancer in her portion of the poem. "If I were in charge of the world, I would save kids with cancer."

"I came up with the line of my poem because when I saw the news, I heard about kids that were starting to die," she said. "I needed to say in the poem what is happening to them." 

Dairelynn as well as many of the other Barnard Bears are working hard to make their group poem meaningful to the audience to pass along a message. 

Aside from this poem, there will be a performance by four students -- Chinaedum, Lisben, Arilenny and Jeffry -- about perseverance. Additionally, another student, Emerson, will touch on helping others and working hard in his individual poem. 

With this level of inspiration and motivation, the Barnard Bears will definitely change history. I can't wait to see all of the Bears' hard work pay off this Wednesday! Join me by RSVPing for the free Poetry Slam!, which is 5-8pm at Columbia Heights Education Campus.

Bonding with the Bears, Part IV: Game Day with the Players of the Week

Every week this fall we will be visiting the Barnard Bears during poetry sessions and soccer games to document the progress of the Bears. Follow along to see how students develop their writing and soccer skills, and how the team comes together. We will bring you individual poet-athletes' stories in addition to stories about the team as a whole. Follow along our journey with the Bears on Twitter @DCSCORESInterns & Instagram @DC_SCORES. 

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Written by Elaine Lu
Communications Intern

We started game day off by patiently waiting for each student to get ready. While standing in the busy atrium, I had the opportunity to speak with a couple students about how excited they were for game day!

"Look at my new cleats!," exclaimed Angel, the week's featured player. "I got them because I won player of the week!" He explained to me that he was so well-behaved that he got a reward.

A minute later Dynasty, the previous player of the week, came up to me and said, "I got new ones too!!"

Both were overjoyed. I could see the sense of accomplishment in each student's eyes, as well as a little boost in confidence. They were so excited to wear them for the first time on game day.


"Angel is a leader among his peers and he always shows great sportsmanship," said soccer coach Lindsey Sharp. "Angel also supports his teammates on good and bad days, which is a really great quality to have."

Lindsey added: "Dynasty has shown tremendous improvement since the beginning of the season. She is really a team player and has shown great attitude recently both on and off the soccer field."

As soon as each student was ready to go, we rushed outside to the bus to make it over to Raymond Education Campus for game day.

While Lindsey coached the girls, I sat on the sideline with the boys and soon noticed that a few of the students seemed upset. When I asked them what the problem was, they explained to me that there was a group of older students that were bothering them, saying that they were going to lose and that their own school was better. I explained to them that it was important to be the bigger person and still show great sportsmanship.  I was so impressed with how maturely these 8-, 9-, and 10-year-olds were able to handle this conflict. They found a way to easily look past the trouble and focus on their game, cheering the girls on their team on with all of their hearts.


The Barnard Bears were incredible, as always, and now the Poetry Slam! is imminent. I can't wait to see them perform on stage.

Bonding With the Bears, Part III: Fall Frenzy!

Every week this fall we will be visiting the Barnard Bears during poetry sessions and soccer games to document the progress of the Bears. Follow along to see how students develop their writing and soccer skills, and how the team comes together. We will bring you individual poet-athletes' stories in addition to stories about the team as a whole. Follow along our journey with the Bears on Twitter @DCSCORESInterns & Instagram @DC_SCORES. 

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Written by Elaine Lu
Communications Intern

The excitement leading up to the Fall Frenzy was through the roof. Each student could not stop talking about what was going on. For the few programming sessions right before Fall Frenzy, kids worked harder than ever. At practice, they gave 110 percent to learning new skills. During poetry sessions, they were focused and on track. 

"My sister goes to Trinity University! She's going to volunteer and practice soccer with us!," said Alejandra F., looking forward to spending the Saturday event with her sister and showing her all that she's learned in DC SCORES. 

The day of Fall Frenzy, I had never seen the kids so happy. While I was working the event, kids would run up and hug me, screaming, "Coach Elaine! You're here! Are you going to watch us play?" They were so excited to show off all of their hard work. During their three games, team members cheered each other on at the top of their lungs.

At the booths, they got to express their own creativity. Each child came back with a "Messi" or "Ronaldo" painted across his or her forehead, channeling their favorite soccer star.

The kids especially enjoyed the D.C. United booths. The inflatable shooting goal drew the attention of every single player there. When actual DCU players showed up, the kids lost it. 

"When are we gonna get to meet them?! Can we take pictures? I want a selfie to put on Snapchat!!" were among phrases that I heard during the early afternoon mayhem. After meeting the professional players, Chris Korb and Charlie Horton, almost every single kid came back with at least one signed shoe, if not two. 

In the little bit of free time they had in between booths, kids loved rolling down the huge hills at Trinity University. Running through the crunchy leaves all over the grass to the top was one of the most entertaining things to do. 

As games and activities came to an end and the energy persistent for seven consecutive hours finally waned, the Barnard Bears walked toward their bus fully content. "That was awesome!," I heard so many kids shouting as they got on board. 

Fall Frenzy 2016 was definitely one for the books!

Now the focus turns to the Poetry Slam!. Stay tuned for more next week!

Bonding with the Bears, Part II: Meet the Coaches

Every week this fall we will be visiting the Barnard Bears during poetry sessions and soccer games to document the progress of the Bears. Follow along to see how students develop their writing and soccer skills, and how the team comes together. We will bring you individual poet-athletes' stories in addition to stories about the team as a whole. Follow along our journey with the Bears on Twitter @DCSCORESInterns & Instagram @DC_SCORES.

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Written by Elaine Lu
Communications Intern

Last week, we got to meet Ms. Jackson and Ms. Saffar, both teachers at Barnard Elementary. Today, we'll touch base with the other two coaches who work with the Bears.

Hannah Ehlers and Lindsey Sharp are both members of the small, tight-knit DC SCORES staff, which makes coaching even more meaningful to them. While Hannah and Lindsey spend their mornings in the office, they travel to Barnard in the afternoons.

During my time with both coaches, it's evident that this experience is meaningful to them not only because of the difference their making on kids' lives but also because of the impact the kids have on them.

"Coaching gives me an opportunity to share something that I'm personally passionate about with kids who may or may not have access to or knowledge of the sport," Lindsey said. "I also love seeing a player's growth of technique throughout the season and additional interest in not only a new hobby, but a physically active one."

Hannah comes to school on Mondays and Wednesdays for poetry programming, while Lindsey comes on Tuesdays and Fridays for soccer practice and Thursdays for their weekly game, which is almost every student's favorite day of the week.

I was fortunate enough to get to ride on the DC SCORES-provided bus to Barnard's first game, and the energy was through the roof. Keeping the kids in their seats was a struggle because everyone was jumping up and down with excitement. Coach Lindsey taught them a cheer in Spanish that they recited over and over again during the ride: "Vamos los Osos!," each child screamed at the top of his or her lungs.

I could see the light in their eyes. This cheer resonated especially with a few children, who had difficulty speaking or understanding English. For some, this was the first time I had seen them completely in their comfort zone.

Lindsey has a great deal of experience coaching soccer, and she's has found that her favorite thing is "seeing the kids make improvements throughout the season and their excitement when they finally master a specific soccer skill."

Hannah has done an incredible job helping the Bears grow. Each week, I see each poet-athlete become more comfortable writing. Some kids who wouldn't speak a word a couple weeks ago are now the most talkative ones in the classroom. Others, who would hide behind their friends, now are the most eager ones to share what they have created in programming.

"I love coaching poetry because it gives students a creative outlet that they don't always have otherwise," Hannah said. "It gives students the freedom to express themselves -- we talk about how they are feeling and what they love and then they get to write about it in unique ways. I love seeing the work that students create and the progress they make. Their curiosity and creativity never cease to amaze me. "

Coaches Lindsey, Hannah, and Ms. Saffar have all done amazing jobs thus far with the kids. The Barnard Bears couldn't be luckier!

Stay tuned for more to come from the Bears!

Bonding with the Bears, Part I: Barnard Elementary School's Story

Every week this fall we will be visiting the Barnard Bears during poetry sessions and soccer games to document the progress of the Bears. Follow along to see how students develop their writing and soccer skills, and how the team comes together. We will bring you individual poet-athletes' stories in addition to stories about the team as a whole. Follow along our journey with the Bears on Twitter @DCSCORESInterns Instagram @DC_SCORES. 

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Written by Elaine Lu
Communications Intern

When you enter Barnard Elementary School — located in Washington, DC's Petworth neighborhood — you immediately get a sense of how busy the school & its staff are and the energy present throughout the school's halls.

The DC SCORES coaches gather their materials and chat with Whitney Jackson, the after-school programs coordinator, while the kids scramble, excited, to get to DC SCORES and continue their day at school.

It's evident, even just a couple weeks into the fall DC SCORES season, that each kid has made good friends in the program. This has already translated to kids becoming very comfortable expressing themselves and working together in smaller groups.

“I really like DC SCORES. I like poetry because I like to rhyme and write poems at my house and at school,” said 5th grader Ashley R., who always comes to programming with the sweetest smile on her face and best attitude around.

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Each time I visit the school, I ask students, “What are you going to do when you get home today?” or “What are you up to this weekend?”

The responses are similar:

“Probably going to just stay home.”
“Nothing. It’s going to be boring.”

It’s not hard to see, just a few weeks into programming, that each student looks forward to DC SCORES and the activities that we plan for them. And after just a few soccer and poetry sessions, kids' responses about plans for their weekends and free time at home changed:

“I was practicing for our game next week!”
“I wrote a little bit of poetry, wanna read it?”

I was amazed. Change can happen so quickly. Give a kid a fun outlet for expressing themselves, and they'll run with it.

“There is a great connection between of course poetry, learning, reading, writing, and what we do with students in classrooms," said May Saffar, the poetry coach and a teacher of 12 years. "So I see a bigger picture than what these students see, and I would like to share this vision with my colleagues.

"I would like these students to know that yes, it does go into the reading, and the reading goes into
the writing, and it goes into the content area so there are just so many wonderful connections that I see between the program and academics.”

Stay tuned for much more from Barnard during the fall DC SCORES season.