Happy Holidays from America SCORES!!

YOU help make our programs possible. Click on the picture below to hear New York poet-athlete D'Keyah describe, in her own words, how America SCORES helped her find her voice and discover a passion for soccer. D'Keyah was a winner of the America SCORES New York Poetry SLAM!

In January, be on the lookout for our New Year’s campaign, “A New Year for Kids!”

From our family to yours: the poet-athletes, coaches, volunteers, and staff of America SCORES all wish you a safe, happy and healthy New Year!

See you in 2010!

Poem of the week!

Tournament Day, Wow!

Having fun, that's what it's about,
Kicking, running, jumping, getting goals,
Making friends, and trying your best.
It doesn't matter if you lose,
It's about having the greatest day of your life.
Tournament day, wow!

Zevari N., Age 8

Poem of the week!

My Hero

My hero is a she!
Her name is Coach Karen.
But they named her Coacher.
Her power is everything.
She could save people's lives.
If a team is short,
she will help that team.
She is good at forward.
She once saved a plane from falling.
She has magic.
Once a kid forgot to bring his soccer shoes for a soccer game
and she came with his shoes on her hand.
She could do anything.
She is friendly to everybody.

Jose P., age 9

Holiday themed poem of the week!

Giving Thanks

A time for laughs,
A time for living,
A time for love,
And a time for giving.

Laughing brings joy,
Living brings peace,
Love brings families together,
And giving brings the world together.

Giving thanks shows you are grateful and care.

Victoria L., Age 10

Thanks to our staff and supporters!

Here at the National Office, we'd like to thank our staff for their hard work this year! They've all been incredibly busy with everything from leading soccer and poetry programming for our kids, coordinating and training volunteers for game days and community events, securing funding, keeping in close communication with donors, and regularly posting news and updates. Many thanks to all of them for being such an important part of the America SCORES family!

It's no small feat to keep the sites running smoothly, and we appreciate the time and effort they put into changing our kids' lives for the better every day.

Thanks to all of you, our students have blossomed into poet-athletes, displaying creativity, enthusiasm, and team spirit on the field, in the classroom, and on the Poetry Slam stage.

Congratulations on a successful season, and keep up the good work!

Spreading the word: ASCAP @ America SCORES!

For the third year in a row, the ASCAP foundation has provided artists for the ASCAP Songwriter Residency @ America SCORES. This year, the artists came to St. Louis, LA, and Atlanta. For three days, the artists came into classrooms and while collaborating on songs and film scores, taught SCORES students about songwriting and filmmaking (in LA).

At the end of the residency, recorded their co-written pieces together. This year's artists were songwriter SCORES students and ASCAP artists Alonzo Lee in St. Louis, songwriter Johntá Austin in Atlanta, and Composer Shawn K. Clement and animation filmmaker Roger Blonder in LA.

To view the complete press release about this year's program, click here.

With help from Sue Devine from ASCAP and the ASCAP artists, we have created a facebook fan page for the program, to display photos and videos from the current and past programs. We have also created a MySpace page where visitors can listen to our music, and a youtube channel to display our music videos.

Please spread the word about this great program. Thanks to ASCAP for their generous support!

Poem of the week!

Sounds of Soccer

The ball is rolling in plain sight
Swish! Zoom! Everybody is coming at the ball like termites.
Crash! A few people fell running to the ball
Hurry! Hurry! Everybody is coming!
Bump! More players had a great fall!
I made it. I thought
Whew! The ball hit the pole.
I almost scored in the wrong goal!
Everybody screams Noooooo!
When we were shaking hands
It started to rain
Drip! Drip! Is all that you can hear.
Thump! is the sound of the rain in my ear.
Wow! That was fun
Guess what?
We won!

Faizon, F. Age 9

Study says art education has measurable impact on youth!

A recent report by the Center for Arts Education takes a look at the relationship between arts education and New York City public high school graduation rates. In this and several past studies, students at risk of dropping out cite participation in the arts as their reason for staying in school.

Research by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention has also shown that education in the arts has had a measurable impact on youth in deterring delinquent behavior and truancy problems while also increasing overall academic performance.

"The arts can help students become tenacious, team-oriented problem-solvers who are confident and able to think creatively. These qualities can be especially important in improving learning among students from economically disadvantaged circumstances."
- Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education

For the complete report, click here.

New photos from Affiliates!

Cleveland posted new photos of poetry and game days on their Flickr photostream.

Denver has new photos of their most recent game day and Fall Frenzy! on their Picasa Web Album.

Seattle posted adorable soccer and poetry photos on their Facebook page.

Poem of the week!

The Sky is the Limit

The sky is the limit as to what I can do
with faith in God and self-confidence too,
I can be a female boxer like Laila Ali
or inspire others with my words
just wait and see!

Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, or Martin Luther King, Jr.
are just a few that stood up for their rights even though others didn't want them to!

I'm sure if they were here they would tell you they did what they had to do!
They had to make a change.... a difference too!
Trailblazing and paving the way for me and for you!

So I stand before you today full of hope
and a heart full of joy
because I know the sky is the limit as to what I can do!

In case you haven't heard, or perhaps you didn't see
Barack Hussein Obama
the first black president has made HISTORY
This proves that the SKY is truly limitless when it comes to me!!!!

By A'Dora W., Age 11.

October's Affiliate Digest!

Be on the lookout for monthly updates highlighting various activities at SCORES sites. If your site has a certain event you would like to be included in next month's digest, please contact Katie.

Cleveland:
October 19- Need some inspiration? Cleveland posted this adorable video of their game day. Check out the awesome goal at the one-minute mark!

DC:
October 19 - Destiny, Aisha and James, DC fifth- and sixth-graders performed an original work as part of a poetry session leading up to one of the Kicking & Screening film festival's showings. Performing alongside Briana Scurry, Grant Wahl, Josh Wicks, and celebrated poets, the SCORES poet-athletes received the loudest ovation! For more details about the event, visit their blog.

Denver:
October 15 - Denver announced the debut of their new SCORES t-shirt, with their logo on the front and a choice of "futbol + poesia = alegria" or "soccer + poetry = happiness" for the backs. They plan to sell the t-shirts at their last game day, during the upcoming Poetry Slam, and online. To view the t-shirt design, visit their blog.

New England:
October 8 - New England announced its selection as an official charity for the 114th Boston Marathon® to be held on April 19, 2010. They are looking for 15 enthusiastic and dedicated runners to join their SCORES Boston Marathon Team. For more information or to apply to be a team member, click here. Applications due November 1.

Seattle:
October 14 - The SCORES-Sounders Pub Event was a resounding success! Not only did the attendees watch a great game, they heard a heartfelt tribute to Charlie Davies, and participated in a great discussion with Sounders Coach Sigi and Technical Director Chris Henderson.The event raised over $1,000! For more information, visit their blog.

After-School studies and statistics

The Afterschool Alliance just posted the results of their in-depth study, "America After 3PM," which examines the availability of after-school programs and the current need for them. Their research indicates that 15 million children are unsupervised after school, and that the parents of 18 million recognize the importance of after-school programs and would enroll their kids if programs were available.

To view their key findings, click here. An interactive map and statistics for each state will be available at their website on October 15th.

The Campaign for Educational Equity recently produced a report entitled "Can After-School Programs Help Level the Academic Playing Field for Disadvantaged Youth?"

As this review suggests, rates of participation in after-school programs remain relatively low among disadvantaged and minority youth - the very youth who may be most in need of academic assistance. The report also examines the current state of after-school programs, and attempts to answer their title question.

To view a PDF of the full report, click here.

Poem of the week!

From now on, we'll be posting a poem each week from our poet-athletes across the country! Enjoy this week's poem!


Facing my Fears

It is hard for me to face my fears,
I try to be my true self,
I want to be like other kids.
People expect me to be smart,
Nice and not get in trouble.
If I do get in trouble,
They will tease me a bit.
People say I'm very quiet and shy.
Very soon, I will show my true self.
I will be more talkative and active,
But still be the person I am now!

Alyza G., age 9.

Is There a Link Between Poverty and Obesity?

A study produced in a joint effort by the Center on Hunger and Poverty and the Food Research & Action Center examines answers to this question.

Their research suggests that food insecurity and poverty may lead to obesity.

To view a PDF of the complete study,"The Paradox of Hunger and Obesity in America," click here.

For an article that summarizes this research and other similar studies, click here.

Inspiring Results from Chicago's Art Show

On Thursday, October 1, America SCORES Chicago displayed and auctioned the works of art created in their Inspired Art Project. At the event, 40 artists displayed 43 works of art. Thanks to the artists, poet-athletes, and the 85 attendees, the event made nearly $7,000.

For more information about the event, go to the Inspired Art blog. Congratulations to AS Chicago, and we hope that AS Milwaukee's Inspired Art event in November is just as successful!

adidas honors America SCORES poet-athletes at MLS games

On Saturday, September 12, the children of PS 153 in Harlem, NY went to the MLS Red Bulls game to be recognized for their achievement in the adidas "Make the World a Better Place" challenge. For their project, the students organized a soccer tournament for kids at a nearby homeless shelter. The students stood on the field as the Red Bulls warmed up, and their video was played on the Jumbotron before the game.

To view the video that played at the game on Saturday, click here.

To view a video of the NY students at the game, click here.

The poet-athletes of AS Dallas were also invited onto the field at the MLS FC Dallas game on Saturday, September 26. Bringing a crowd of 49 kids, coaches, and parents, the students were recognized for their hard work in the adidas "Make the World a Better Place" challenge, and their video was played on the Jumbotron at the game.

For their service project, the student-athletes revitalized a community field for kids in the area to have a safe playing environment. Now, they are also able to host SCORES game days at the improved field. To view the video that played at the game, click here.

Seattle Benefit Bike Ride a Success!

On Sunday, October 4, AS Seattle held their first SCORES Century Benefit Bike ride. Though they only had 7 riders who participated in the contest, those 7 were able to raise between $4,000 and 5,000 dollars!

A whopping 100 miles, the ride wrapped twice around Lake Washington, combining exercise, fun, and fundraising. Congrats to America SCORES Seattle!

Fit kids do better in school.

A study from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that increasing physical education time at the expense of classroom time was well worth the sacrifice.

The study found that even though they spent less time in the classroom, kids who are physically active and fit are likely to have stronger academic performance.

For the complete article, click here.

After-school programs matter for at-risk kids.

An article by the Educational Resource Information Center examines the effects of after-school programs on academic success and social skills.

The research indicates that children from high-risk backgrounds have both the most to gain from after-school programs in terms of educational opportunity and the least access to them.

To read the full article, click here.

September Affiliate News Digest!

Thanks to our friends and supporters across the country, we're able to help kids in need in 14 different urban areas . Here's an update from our sites with the latest news.

Chicago:
October 1 - Inspired Art Auction and Art Show at South Halsted Gallery. More information on their Inspired Art blog.

Cleveland:
August 29 - The Lady Trend Setters hosted a back-to-school event giving away free school supplies to ASC poet-athletes and classmates. The Lady Trend Setters also announced their poetry contest winners where two grand prize winners went home with laptop computers. Click here for photos.

DC:
October 17 - Fall Frenzy for 700 DC SCORES students includes soccer games, relays, arts and crafts. More info on the website.

Denver:
October 3 - a hopefully not too snowy Fall Frenzy Round Robin Tournament at the Regis University field, and the history of the term "round robin" on their blog.

Seattle:
October 4 - SCORES Century Benefit Bike Ride, starting and ending on Mercer Island. A 100 mile tour of Lake Washington and beyond. More information on their blog.



St.Louis:
October 2 - Fall Frenzy held at St. Louis University's Compton Rec. Fields. Activities for parents provided by the St. Louis Sports Commission. More information on the website or this flyer.

Media updates:
Bay Area:
New photos of cute kids and friends posted on their Facebook page.

LA:
New photos posted from the first week of programming at Charnock Rd. Elementary.

New York:
Photos of Fall Coach Training on the NY Flickr page.

Be on the lookout for more monthly updates highlighting various activities at our sites!