Capital Cup championship games illustrate power of community, team

Written by Jake Lloyd
Communications Manger

The fall DC SCORES season came to a close Tuesday afternoon at Cardozo High School during a pair of Capital Cup championship games that demonstrated what the program means to kids, their schools, and their schools' greater communities.

As the Truesdell Education Campus girls team stood for the national anthem alongside their opponent DC International, a large contingent of Truesdell boys stood in the stands. Even as the afternoon light disappeared and the temperature plunged, the boys -- and dozens of parents and community members -- stayed to cheer on the Trojans.

What they saw was incredible. A game-tying goal in the last minute by Nereida M., age 13, which sent the Truesdell contingent into a frenzy. And then a penalty kicks shootout that wasn't decided until Trojans goalie Angela M., 13, saved DCI's sixth shot -- and the Truesdell players piled on top of each other to celebrate.

"Nereida's been a special player all year and if anyone was going to do it, it was going to be Nereida," Truesdell co-coach Adam Zimmermann said. "We talked about leadership at the beginning of the game, and we focused on it with her. She came through for her teammates."

---------

Under the light as spectators huddled closer to each other for warmth, the Raymond Education Campus boys team played like a well-oiled machine. Using one pass after another, the ball rarely sticking to one player's foot, the team in red moved possession up the field and capitalized on their opportunities for a 2-0 win over Capital City Public Charter School.

Raymond's boys have won back-to-back Capital Cup titles, and their girls won it the year before. The reason? They really like each other, according to coach David Petersen.

"This team has been amazing," Petersen said afterward, his players passing the trophy around behind him. "The way they've passed and shared the ball, no one is selfish, no one wants the credit, and they've come together.

"We have a lot of new kids -- some sixth-graders -- and they've all kind of blended. It's been fun to coach."

---------

DC SCORES is a huge part of both schools' communities. And not just the soccer. Zimmermann smiled while recounting what a whirlwind few years of SCORES it's been for Truesdell. Because of immense popularity, the education campus (K-8) added the middle school program in 2014. And now, kids from all grades participate in soccer, writing and service sessions. 

You'll never see a small team from Truesdell at a game day or on stage at the Poetry Slam!. Speaking of that event, the Trojans have won multiple trophies at the Slam! over the past few years including the middle school taking home the coveted Golden Mic award. 

"I think it caps off a really good run," Zimmermann said Tuesday. "Mr (Charles) Robinson has led this program for the last 15 years from barely getting enough players out to having a consistent program with almost two teams of each girls and boys in our middle school and our elementary school as well. 

"So I think that this is one of a series of accomplishments that we're very proud of and I'm most proud that the boys and girls have been able to come together each time to make something special out of each opportunity."

At Raymond, the kids are probably already thinking about the spring DC SCORES season. That's how eagerly they anticipate each session together. And not just the poet-athletes. 

Petersen keeps a text chain with a large group of parents, informing them about schedule changes and other chances to see their kids and support the Raymond community. He wasn't surprised by the dozens of families and friends who came out Tuesday in the chill. 

"When we play at Tubman (Elementary School), a normal game, it's usually the same," Petersen said. "They always come out. The parents have been amazing. They're always very supportive. 

"They give us a lot of love."

And on Tuesday, both Truesdell and Raymond gave those watching an incredible scene, too. 

First-time Capital Cup victors Capital City and Raymond relish the journey

(View the full Capital Cup album on Flickr)

Written by Jake Lloyd
Communications Manager

In recent weeks, even as the weather has gotten chillier, more and more students at Capital City Public Charter School have arrived earlier in the morning before school.

Braving the cold, members of the schools' soccer teams have taken to the new mini pitch built by the U.S. Soccer Foundation to practice — on their own, in addition to their usual after-school practices with DC SCORES.

About 2 miles south of CCPCS at Raymond Education Campus, members of the boys soccer team waited anxiously on practice days to hit the field together. Their leader David Petersen even said something you don't often hear from coaches.

"They practice so hard against each other," Petersen said. "I have to tell them to scale it back a little bit."

At both CCPCS and Raymond, soccer is an embedded strength of the school community. On Tuesday evening, both schools brought out large throngs of fans to watch the CCPCS girls and Raymond boys win their first Capital Cup middle school championships in thrilling fashion.

The CCPCS girls relied on the communication of their star forwards Precious and Tatiana to hold on for an exciting 2-1 victory over Lincoln Middle School. The Raymond boys outlasted Lincoln on penalty kicks to conclude a tremendous fall middle school season.

And across the city, Paul Public Charter School beat Kelly Miller Middle School in an equally competitive co-ed championship game.

---------------------

Precious and Tatiana, seventh-graders, have been playing together for several years. So it's no wonder that the pair of forwards communicates well on the field. What impresses one of their coaches, Claudia Rojas, the most is how they verbally also ensure their teammates are in the right positions on the field to be successful.

"They talk, they organize the rest of the team," said Rojas, now in her fourth season coaching. "They've been playing together, they've been working together since way before I met them."

Precious laced a beautiful shot from deep on the right right side into the upper left corner of the net for a 1-0 lead against Lincoln. After the Knights answered to tie up the score, that communication paid off when Precious found Tatiana on a deep ball down the right side for the game-winning goal.

After the final whistle blew, you couldn't remove the smiles from the faces of the CCPCS poet-athletes.

"They're just so proud of being a soccer player, being a school team," Rojas said. "Soccer is a big deal in Capital City."

-----------------

The boys game was, simply, great soccer. Petersen marveled at how well Lincoln — winners of three of the last four Capital Cup boys titles — passed the ball and spread the field, a testament to their longtime coach Popsie Lewis. 

The game is a neighborhood rivalry, with the schools less than a mile apart. Most of the kids know each other and play pick-up games outside of DC SCORES. A few weeks before the game, Raymond scored two late goals to forge a tie with Lincoln that helped them get into the playoffs.

And again, this one came down to the wire — a first-half Raymond goal equaled by Lincoln in the second half. Ultimately, penalty kicks decided a game that both teams deserved to win.

"We're really excited," Petersen said afterward. "The kids came a long way. We lost a lot of eighth-graders last year, so it was cool to see their progress all year. They got a lot better."

After the final kick, Raymond parents, teachers and others from the community rushed the field to celebrate with the kids — one last reminder of just how much soccer and DC SCORES mean to these communities. 

"We have great fans," Petersen said. "They come for the away games during the regular season, they bring signs, make posters. It's a fun atmosphere, big soccer atmosphere."

Thanks to all the middle school coaches, parents and communities for another great fall soccer season. We'll see you at the Poetry Slam! Dec. 2-3. 

Teams show tremendous growth at DC SCORES Capital Cup

(View Capital Cup photos HERE.)

As the final whistle blew, a large throng of fans stormed the field at Bell Multicultural High School.

A year and a half ago, Raymond Education Campus didn't even have a middle school soccer program. Now, on a fair-weather late November Tuesday, the community celebrated winning the girls Capital Cup Championship.

"It's super exciting," said volunteer coach Ariel Berroa after Raymond's 1-0 victory over Cardozo Education Campus. "It's a really nice achievement for the kids and me, too. Yeah, I feel really good."

Raymond's win demonstrated how quickly kids, when given a team and strong support structure, can thrive as one.

The same can be said of the Lincoln Middle School boys team, an annual fixture in the Capital Cup. After many of his leaders graduated last spring, coach Popsie Lewis wasn't sure what to expect from the team of mostly sixth- and seventh-graders that came to the first September practice.

"I only had two returning players and within the first week I lost one of them," Lewis said. "I definitely was searching for leaders. In the beginning of the season, that was the hardest part for these kids."

September and October practices weren't easy — and the team absorbed plenty of lumps — but gradually leaders emerged, kids Lewis knew he could lean on to set a positive example for teammates.

Dylan, Anthony, and Isaac — who, Lewis said, scored 15 of Lincoln's 16 regular-season goals — stepped up and filled the leadership void. And on Tuesday night, Lewis had nothing to worry about as the Knights played tremendous team soccer en route to a 6-2 victory over Cesar Chavez Prep in a rematch of last year's Capital Cup.

"Those guys really stepped up and took the challenge that I gave them becoming leaders," Lewis said. "I was looking for leaders, not so much followers. Those kids stepping up and doing that for me, it made a huge difference."

The reason DC SCORES added a middle school program at Raymond was demand. So many kids who were in the program during elementary school would become too old for the team and be left without a team. On Tuesday, the Raymond girls demonstrated how the Tigers have taken advantage of the opportunity to be on a team — from third through eighth grade.

Berroa said the Capital Cup wasn't so much a goal of the team as it was a result of the girls gaining confidence throughout DC SCORES' fall season. When the Tigers came back from a 2-0 halftime deficit to tie Chavez Prep and win on penalty kicks, Berroa and his fellow coaches knew what they were capable of.

"That gave them the confidence to reach here and win the Cup."

And as evidenced by the large mass of people rushing the field, the Raymond community has embraced its DC SCORES teams and loves celebrating the Tigers' successes.

Service-learning 2014: Committees lead the way for Raymond Education Campus' success

Written by Kara Dunford
Communications Intern

When tasked with planning and implementing a service-learning project this spring, the Raymond Tigers quickly decided to focus on promoting a healthy and active lifestyle, one of the lessons gained from their involvement with DC SCORES. To add an element of fun, the students wanted to host a carnival featuring booths centered around different components of healthy living, such as nutrition and exercise.

The workload — brainstorming ideas, planning the activities, hosting the carnival — seemed like a daunting task.

The Tigers, however, were not discouraged. Instead, they decided to manage the work by dividing into committees. Groups of two or three students were responsible for their own booth, from the initial idea to the day of the carnival.

On the afternoon I visited Raymond, the classroom buzzed with activity. Students met in their committees to work through the logistics of their booths, thinking about how each activity would work, estimating costs, and determining roles for each committee member.

Fifth grader Kalkidan A. was excited for her booth, which would feature activities to build and test the strength of the carnival attendees, including tug of war and a baseball toss.

"I'm most looking forward to running my booth," she said. "Actually putting my ideas into action."

The students were challenged by their coaches to think about what each attendee would take away from visiting the various booths. With her fellow committee members, Kalkidan discussed the goals of the games and how they would fit into the larger goal of the carnival.

Kalkidan explained that they wanted to make sure each participant exercised as a result of visiting the booth.

"It's about living in a healthy way," she said.

Overall, the committee structure allowed the Tigers to learn about what it meant to be a member of a team with specific responsibilities and deadlines. The teams learned how to make the most of each member's strengths when assigning roles.

In addition to the lessons on teamwork, fifth-grader D'Edrick P. learned that service can take on many different forms.

"It can help people in any community," he said. "For example, it can help the elderly. Sometimes they need help walking across the street. Or sometimes there is trash in the park. If a group of kids come to pick it up, it will help make the earth better."

D'Edrick looked forward to putting his newfound appreciation for service into action at the carnival, anticipating positive feelings after the event took place.

"I'll feel happy for myself, doing something for the other people who came,"he said.

The Tigers' healthy living carnival is just one example of the amazing service-learning projects that took place during DC SCORES programming this spring. To see about how students at 47 schools learned how to be agents of change in their communities, check out our Flickr album.

Watch the video above (and here) to hear more from the Tigers.

Poetry Slam! performance of the week: Raymond Education Campus (elementary)

Each Wednesday during the year, we will highlight one of the 41 performances from the 16th Annual DC SCORES Poetry Slam! that took place Dec. 4-5, 2013. The event is the largest youth poetry slam in the District and highlights the original poems of our 1,500 youth. To view any performance from the Poetry Slam!, visit our YouTube channel. You can also read recaps of the event on our blog: Westside; Eastside. 

Today we highlight Raymond Education Campus' elementary school team. The students took the stage at Cardozo Education Campus during the first night of the Slam! and begin their performance with an acrostic poem. With one girl taking the leadership role -- "R stands for.." etc. -- her teammates followed her cues in describing what R-a-y-m-o-n-d stands for.

A boy then took the microphone and performed the team's solo poem -- each DC SCORES team is tasked with doing two group poems and one individual -- about what he would do if president.

Click on the embedded video player above to watch Raymond's performance!

Poetry Slam! 2012 video of the week: Raymond Education Campus

 

NOTE: Each week, we are featuring a school's performance from the 15th Annual DC SCORES Poetry Slam!, the largest youth slam in the District! During the two-night culminating event of the fall season -- held Nov. 28 at Columbia Heights Education Campus and Nov. 29 at H.D. Woodson High School -- 35 schools had the opportunity to perform original group and solo poems and songs in front of their peers, families and community members. At the end of each night, teams were called back up on stage to receive trophies.

We hope you enjoy this glimpse into the self-expression DC SCORES instills in youth. 

On the first night of the Poetry Slam! at Columbia Heights Education Campus, Raymond Education Campus performed three poems describing the students' diverse backgrounds and the communities they live in. 

The most powerful line -- "Even though we're from different countries, we stand united" -- encapsulated a performance that demonstrated the teamwork that is built during the DC SCORES season. 

To view any performance from the Poetry Slam!, visit the DC SCORES YouTube page.

Highlighting our youth poets: Raymond Education Campus

NOTE: Each week, we are featuring a school's performance from the 14th Annual Poetry Slam!. During the two-night culminating event of the fall season, each of the 27 schools DC SCORES serves had the opportunity to perform original poems and songs in front of their peers, families and community members.

The defending champion Raymond poet-athletes echoed a theme of the Slam!, performing a poem about civil rights. "When people march, they do it to be free," the poet-athletes said in unison on stage. That was just a highlight of their performance that capped off the first night of the event.

To view any performance from the Poetry Slam!, visit the DC SCORES YouTube page.

Highlighting our Inspired Art Gala student performers: Anthony M., Raymond 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.

Anthony M. of Raymond Education Campus let the audience know why he loves the color green so much with his performance.

Check out Anthony center stage!

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