Volunteer Opportunity: Junior SCORES Game Day

As another successful Junior SCORES (Kindergarten through 2nd grade) winter season comes to a close, the highly anticipated and fiercely competitive game days are fast approaching. These pint size poet-athletes have been learning the rules of the beautiful game while developing their soccer fundamentals and creative writing skills since mid January. Focusing on teamwork, commitment and leadership the Junior SCORES coaches have been preparing their teams for this one, epic season finale – Game Day! Reserve your front-row seat and assist at a game day.

Chalmers vs. Gregory: Friday, March 2nd from 2:45pm - 4:00pm (hosted at the Chalmers gym)
Pilsen vs. Corkery: Monday, March 5th from 8:00-9:30am (hosted at Chitown Futbol)

The stage has been set for the next Chicharito to emerge. What school will form the next SCORES dynasty? Endless possibility and everything to play for as the fledglings look to take flight; many of the tots will be suiting up in their first America SCORES jersey – set to accompany them through elementary and middle school, bringing fond memories, experiences and grass stains with them. We know the jersey size will change with time, but are optimistic the early patterns of exercise, character development and excitement attached to reading and writing established through the tots programming will sustain. As we like to say: from strong roots, greatness grows.

Please contact our wonderful volunteer coordinator, Marissa Hirsh, at mbhirsh@americascores.org or call 312.666.0496 for more information on exciting Game Day volunteer opportunities.

Chicago Representatives Chosen for National Poetry Slam

Each spring, America SCORES celebrates the achievements of our students with a National Poetry SLAM! Two poets from each of the 15 city locations are selected from over 5,000 America SCORES students to travel to New York. In front of an audience of hundreds, America SCORES poets perform original poetry from the stage of Harlem’s World Famous Apollo Theater – an unforgettable milestone in our children’s lives. A monumental achievement, our students leave New York understanding the true power of their voice.

On the back of our hugely successful Red Carpet Poetry Slam, America SCORES Chicago has selected two poet-athletes to represent the Windy City in New York on April 16th.

Words

As sweet as hot chocolate

I will smell you

I will taste you

Words

Soft as a bunny helping me relax

like a day at the spa

Words

Hot as lava consuming my body in flames

Words

Light as a piece of paper floating and landing

Where they choose

Words

Tart like acid slicing through my emotions

Exposing sadness that’s hidden

Words of praise from my mom

You are bright as the sun

Words

You are the most magnificent thing in the world

Future academic and current 5th grade poet-athlete at Castellanos School, Andres’s favorite super hero is the Hulk and he enjoys playing soccer with his friends and practicing the guitar in his free time. He likes writing poetry because he gets to express himself.

Brainstorm

There is a storm in my brain

I hear thunder roaring and bursting

Words are falling like little rain drops

Wind is blowing

Words are flying all around me

A tornado of ideas spins,

destroying everything in its path

Lightning strikes electrifying madness!

It feels like the storm is never going to end

Is this a brainstorm?

Future artist and current 5th grade poet-athlete at Pilsen Academy, Tiana enjoys playing soccer in the sun and writing poetry to get her feelings out. She would like to thank Coach Stacy to helping develop her confidence.

Both Tiana and Andres embody our core values of commitment, leadership and teamwork and of course, have an abundance of talent. Now, they will have the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of a national audience in the same theater that launched the careers of artists such as Billie Holiday, Marvin Gaye, James Brown and The Jackson 5.

America SCORES 6th Annual National Poetry SLAM! will be held at Harlem’s World Famous Apollo Theater in New York City on April 16, 2012 – hope to see you there!

Fall Season Wrap-Up

Greetings, fans!

America SCORES Chicago closed its fall season with the annual Community POETRY SLAM! This year over 300 students performed as a team or as an individual, however, this was the first year our middle school students did not perform. Instead, the 6^th-8^th grade teams debuted original music videos featuring a song they wrote as a team, and recorded with the help of their coaches and America SCORES staff.

You can watch all the videos on our YouTube channel. If you don't have access to YouTube, you can watch them here.

Lights On Afterschool

On October 21, 2011 America SCORES Chicago was one of five afterschool programs nationwide awarded the MetLife Foundation Afterschool Innovator Award. This award recognizes SCORES’ success at providing multiple benefits for middle school students, particularly in the area of supporting literacy.

In conjunction with receiving the grant, America SCORES Chicago coordinated the annualLights On Afterschool event, celebrating the afterschool programs that keep our kids safe, inspire them to learn and help working families. Poet-athletes, their coaches and families participated in fun activities facilitated by some of America SCORES Chicago's longtime partners: Common Threads, Changing Worlds, The Chicago Fire, and Girls in the Game.

“Our students are already proving themselves to be leaders,” said Amy Vondra Stark, the executive director of America SCORES Chicago, “and it’s fantastic to see that reflected in this recognition by the MetLife Foundation and the Afterschool Alliance. The Afterschool Innovator Award will help us continue to help at-risk students make choices that contribute to their success.”

Inspired Art

Inspired Art is back! Please join us on September 8, 2011 between 5:30PM and 9:00PM for Opening Night at the South Halsted Gallery, 1825 South Halsted. Artists will be present for a meet and greet opportunity at this special preview evening event. There is a $10 suggested donation, with all proceeds directly benefiting SCORES programming.

Jamboree

After a disappointing rained-out Jamboree last year, everyone was eagerly anticipating this year's event! The weather held for the entire afternoon and all the schools celebrated their hard work over the past few months. It was a great way for teams to share the service projects they had completed in their communities. Congratulations to Castellanos for winning the Golden Ball!

The Time Has Come Again!

SCORES Cup is returning on July 16th, 2011 at the Chicago Fire’s TOYOTA PARK complex. The event brings together Chicago area corporations, all competing to become SCORES Cup Champions! For all participants, SCORES Cup includes a day of competition along with an afternoon of tailgating and tickets to a Chicago Fire game. For the company, SCORES Cup offers teambuilding, name recognition on the Chicago Fire Jumbotron, and the option to host a fan-outreach tent to engage nearly 15,000 fans at a Chicago Fire game.

Past Participants Include:

Ariel Capital
Bain & Co.
Baker & McKenzie LLP
CDW
Ernst & Young
Deloitte
Hewitt Associates
Kraft
JPMorgan
Madison Dearborn Partners
McKinsey
Quaker
U.S. Soccer Federation
William Blair

Visit http://www.chicagoscoresevents.org/sign-up-for-the-cup.html for more information!