First Steps Forward for DC SCORES in 2025

Every year at DC SCORES brings new memories, but 2025 stood out for the milestones it produced. We published a 30th Anniversary Poetry Anthology, our first fellowship program launched, and record-breaking poetry slams filled Howard University’s historic Cramton Auditorium. Summer camp kicked off with USWNT stars, poet-athletes interviewed Washington Spirit players during the NWSL quarter-finals, and One Night One Goal raised over half a million dollars.

From the field to the page to Audi Field, these moments brought DC SCORES closer to building a Poet-Athlete City. Read on to learn more about DC SCORES’ best moments of the year!

DC SCORES Creates New Pathways with First-Ever Fellowship Program

In 2025, DC SCORES took an exciting step by creating its first fellowship program to support emerging leaders in youth development. This new initiative brought six community members, Jone, Akiri, Adriana, Ryan, Christy, and Aidan, into paid roles working directly with poet-athletes across the District. 

The fall season brought key staff transitions, and the Fellows helped keep the momentum strong. They supported events like Fall Frenzy, assisted poets preparing for slams, and helped with game-day operations at Capital Cup. For DC SCORES alumnus and Associate Manager of Programs Josselin Possian, watching the Fellows step into leadership roles felt especially meaningful. “This year, the Fellows program was a launchpad for new ideas and leadership,” he said. “Seeing community members step up showed what’s possible when we invest in the next generation.”

As DC SCORES continues toward its goal of reaching every Title I school in the District by 2030, creating pathways for community members to grow into coaching and leadership positions will be an important part of that work.

USWNT Stars Launch DC SCORES Summer Camp with Unforgettable Visit

DC SCORES summer camp kicked off in June with a special visit from members of the U.S. Women’s National Team, made possible by the Soccer Forward Foundation. On the first day of camp, Ally Sentnor, Izzy Rodriguez, Emma Sears, and Tara McKeown joined more than 100 elementary school poet-athletes at LaSalle-Backus Elementary for soccer drills, poetry performances, and snow cone treats. Poet-athletes welcomed their VIP guests with hand-drawn banners, and rising 5th-graders Princess from Whittier Elementary and Gigi from LaSalle-Backus performed their poems on stage.

But these weren’t the last USWNT stars to visit camp!  USWNT and Arsenal defender Emily Fox spent two days with poet-athletes, and even gave one future broadcast star her onscreen debut. “This was the perfect way to kick off camp and a powerful demonstration of how soccer can bring people together,” said DC SCORES Executive Director Katrina Owens. “With the World Cup coming to North America next year, organizations such as DC SCORES and Soccer Forward have a unique opportunity to leverage our sport for social good.” The visits offered poet-athletes an unforgettable start to their summer and a chance to learn from players they look up to.

30th Anniversary Poetry Anthology Debuts at Our Words Our City

This year, DC SCORES marked a major milestone with the launch of a 30th Anniversary Poetry Anthology, elevating poet-athletes’ voices beyond the stage and onto the page. The anthology, published by Shout Mouse Press, debuted at Our Words Our City (OWOC), DC SCORES’ premier poetry showcase, celebrating young writers from the Youth Word Project, an enhanced program for students passionate about poetry and performance. 

The evening featured poet-athletes performing original spoken-word pieces alongside world-renowned poet Rudy Francisco, a leading voice in contemporary spoken word. In a memorable full-circle moment, Rudy invited poet-athletes to sign his copy of the DC SCORES anthology, highlighting that their work belongs alongside established literary voices. For poet-athletes like Uel from LaSalle Elementary, the experience marked a milestone in their creative journey, moving from local slams to a professional stage in front of hundreds of guests and gaining recognition for their talent and dedication.

Coach Kickoff Launches New Season with Focus on Inclusive Coaching

DC SCORES launched the 2025-2026 season in September with Coach Kickoff, bringing coaches from across the District together to prepare for the year ahead. The annual training and networking event marked the first official program day of the new school year, setting the tone for fall programming and reinforcing a shared commitment to high-quality, youth-centered coaching.

A key highlight of this year’s Coach Kickoff was a workshop on inclusive coaching by DC SCORES Chief of Arts and Culture Charity Blackwell, supported by the Adidas Foundation’s United by Sport grant. The session focused on creating environments where poet-athletes of all identities feel seen, safe, and supported. Coaches also received updates on site management processes, curriculum implementation, and practical tools for soccer and poetry sessions. “I will implement today’s training by ensuring that all poet-athletes feel included, seen, and safe,” said Jenna Pel, a middle school coach at The Sojourner Truth School. “As DC SCORES coaches, we all hope to be safe adults that our poet-athletes remember as positive influences in their lives.”

Washington Spirit and Clark Foundation Team Up to Expand Middle School Girls’ Soccer

In February, DC SCORES announced a new initiative with the Washington Spirit and the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation to strengthen middle school soccer leagues across the District, with a particular focus on increasing girls’ participation. The announcement was made on National Girls and Women in Sports Day, underscoring a shared commitment to expanding access to sports for girls.

Through this investment, the Clark Foundation funded DC SCORES’ middle school girls’, boys’, and coed leagues, which are part of the organization’s free after-school program serving more than 3,500 young people at 68 schools. The Washington Spirit served as the presenting partner of the girls’ league, building on an official community partnership formed in 2020. The initiative supported weekly league game days, training opportunities for coaches, clinics led by Spirit staff, and opportunities for girls to attend Spirit matches at Audi Field — helping ensure more middle school girls across D.C. had the chance to play, compete, and grow through soccer.

“We at the Washington Spirit are excited to strengthen our partnership with DC SCORES, working together to provide more opportunities for girls in DC to play soccer, especially at a time when the participation gap between girls and boys in sports continues to widen,” said RaShauna Hamilton, Vice President of Fan Growth and Community with the Washington Spirit.

One Night One Goal Breaks $500k Mark Yet Again

DC SCORES’ annual One Night One Goal fundraiser returned to Audi Field this fall, raising more than $500,000 to support poet-athletes across the District. Over 300 guests gathered for DC SCORES’ largest annual fundraising event, including alumni, families, and community, corporate, government, and arts VIPs, along with professional players from the Washington Spirit and D.C. United.The live auction brought the energy, with bids climbing as high as $7,800 for exclusive experiences like a private Washington Spirit training session and an Ashley Hatch coaching clinic. Washington Spirit players cheered from the crowd as DC SCORES awarded two of each due to popular demand.

Co-hosted by Washington Spirit forward Ashley Hatch and Washington Wizards in-game host Britt Waters, the evening featured performances by America’s Got Talent semifinalist Malik DOPE and DC SCORES Chief of Arts and Culture Charity Blackwell. Throughout the night, poet-athlete poetry was displayed across the venue and slam performances played on Audi Field’s video board, keeping young people at the center of the celebration.

Leckie Poet-Athletes Design Custom Jerseys Celebrating School and Neighborhood Pride

This spring, middle school poet-athletes at Leckie Education Campus completed a service-learning project in partnership with Design FC, where they designed a custom soccer jersey that celebrated their school and neighborhood culture. The work was part of DC SCORES’ service-learning curriculum, combining creative thinking with teamwork and self-expression.

Throughout the season, students worked with Design FC staff in after-school sessions to build design skills and reflect on their experiences. In addition to creating their jersey, the team continued supporting Leckie’s Closet, a free clothing resource for local families. A handful of Leckie poet-athletes then had the opportunity to travel up to New York City to participate in Design FC’s Youth Design & Sport Summit.

Check out the Leckie Lions’ final kits here!

Hundreds of Poet-Athletes Come Together for Fall Frenzy at RFK

This fall, DC SCORES kicked off the season with Fall Frenzy and Junior Fall Frenzy at The Fields at RFK, bringing together 67 teams and hundreds of elementary and middle school poet-athletes for a day of soccer and community. 

A standout moment came when the Washington Spirit’s “Spirit Sphere” made its way to Fall Frenzy. The traveling fan-signed ball, which celebrates the club and its supporters across the DMV, was signed by poet-athletes from Excel Academy, an all-girls school where the Spirit and CareFirst BCBS support DC SCORES programming.

FOX Sports Returns to Marie Reed Elementary Where DC SCORES Began

In December, poet-athletes from three DC elementary schools shared original, World Cup–themed poems with FOX Sports broadcaster and U.S. Soccer legend Alexi Lalas. The visit took place at Marie Reed Elementary — the school where DC SCORES began.

Students recited poems centered on identity, teamwork, and the unifying power of soccer. One poem from Houston Elementary captured the spirit of the 2026 World Cup, imagining people gathering from across the globe — “different flags, different chants,” united by a shared love of the game. After the readings, poet-athletes joined Lalas and FOX Sports host Rob Stone on the field for drills with brand-new FIFA World Cup–branded soccer balls.

The moment also highlighted a deep connection to DC SCORES’ history. Lalas’ mother, poet Anne Harding Woodworth, helped teacher Julie Kennedy in the early days of DC SCORES at Marie Reed more than 30 years ago, and served as the organization’s founding board chair. Lalas shared that his mother remains “incredibly proud — not just of DC SCORES as a family, but of the individuals who make up that family.”

As the 2026 World Cup approaches and SCORES affiliates now serve poet-athletes in eight host cities across North America, moments like this reflect how far the program has come — and the voices that will carry it forward.

Poet-Athletes Take the Stage at Howard University, Sharing Stories of Community and Identity

This year, as always, DC SCORES poetry slams gave poet-athletes space to share what’s on their minds and in their hearts. Poet-Athletes from 42 elementary schools across the District came together to perform original poems about community, identity, and the world around them — including reflections on the challenges facing families and neighborhoods. Poet-athletes from John R. Francis Elementary captured the complexity of belonging in their poem “We Too Are America”: “America, I tried to love you, but you never loved me back. You promised freedom and equality, but you gave us fear instead.”

Yet even as students voiced these struggles, they also proclaimed their resilience and pride. Poet-athletes from Ketcham Elementary took the stage at Howard University’s Cramton Auditorium with a powerful HBCU-themed poem celebrating Black history and identity. “We are kind, we are proud, and we won’t back down,” they declared — a message that resonated throughout the historic venue. For many students, it was their first time performing on a college campus, and the setting amplified their words about identity, belonging, and strength.

A week earlier, DC SCORES also held its largest ever Middle School Poetry Slam at the University of the District of Columbia’s Theater of the Arts. Together, the two days of Slams were the largest in DC SCORES’ history, and among the largest youth poetry slams anywhere in the country!

Ida B. Wells Girls Capture Capital Cup Title at Audi Field, then Step Into Spotlight as NWSL Junior Reporters

Just days before Aubrey Kingsbury punched the Washington Spirit’s ticket to the NWSL semifinals with a heroic goalkeeping performance in penalties at Audi Field, the Ida B. Wells Middle School Girls’ goalkeeper was making her own penalty shootout statement on that same field with an MVP performance en route to the Capital Cup Middle School Championship. 

Two poet-athletes from Ida’s championship team then went on to serve as NWSL sideline reporters for both the Spirit’s quarterfinal and semifinal matches! They were well-prepared for the moment, not just with their experience performing under pressure at Audi Field, but because their spring service learning focused on broadcasting and content production, and they had the opportunity to work with pros like former Spirit player and current NWSL broadcaster Gaby Vincent!