If anyone has ever wondered why the combination of soccer, poetry and service-learning is possible for DC SCORES – the answer is our coaches.

The special sauce is the teacher-coach model that makes poet-athletes feel safe and offers teachers another outlet to build relationships with their students. A perfect example of this model in action is visible at Aiton Elementary School.

At DC SCORES we teach poet-athletes resilience and how to adapt to change. This spring, those lessons took on special meaning, as DC SCORES took on the challenge presented by COVID-19.

Although the Spring SCORES season officially kicked off in early March as usual, by mid-March our team was working remotely, schools began to close, and it was clear that this would be a season unlike any other. Determined to make sure that poet-athletes felt safe, secure, hopeful and connected to their teams despite schools being physically closed, we quickly adapted both programming and work into fully virtual experiences.

Today (May 5th) is Giving Tuesday Now, a new global day of giving in response to COVID-19.

DC SCORES needs your help. We’re a team and together we will get through these difficult times. We want to make sure that as soon as it is safe, we’re ready to keep providing every poet-athlete with a safe space so they can succeed on the playing field, in the classroom, and in life.

National Women’s Soccer League club the Washington Spirit, and non-profit DC SCORES, today announced a multi-year deal making DC SCORES an official community partner of the Washington Spirit.

So here’s a challenge for your mind: write and record your own “My Community” poem.

Here’s how it works:

1. Download the poem
2. Write the poem using the prompts
3. Film yourself reading it and challenge two friends to do the same
4. Post it to your social media, tagging the two friends you challenge, tagging us (@DCSCORES) and using the hashtag #AtHomePoetryChallenge

DC SCORES staff and Board of Directors are continually monitoring the developments surrounding COVID-19, as well as the most up-to-date procedures, practices, and guidance put forth by local, national, and international authorities. With that information top of mind, we are confidently moving forward with DC SCORES Spring Program Season. Should circumstances change or new information become available, we will adapt spring programming as appropriate to protect the health and safety of the entire SCORES family and our extended community. In the meantime, per the advice of health experts, we are encouraging all coaches and poet-athletes to take part in the day-in and day-out practicalities of staying healthy, including regular hand washing, covering coughs and sneezes, and staying home if they are ill.

Today marks the start of another Spring SCORES season for our elementary school poet-athletes! For the next 12 weeks, thousands of kids in DC will retake the soccer field for practices and gamedays, while also spending time in the classroom to design and execute service-learning projects.

Savannah from KIPP DC KEY Academy – Photo by Cody Cervenka

2020 Our Words Our City Photo Album

Studio Theatre once again opened its doors for another edition of Our Words Our City on Thursday, February 6, 2020. The sixth edition of this black box theater poetry showcase had a special aura to it as DC SCORES continues celebrating its 25th anniversary.

Regional competitions in San Francisco, Chicago, and New York will determine finalists for National Poetry Slam Championship; Four D.C. students are among the regional finalsists.

Today marks the start of a nutritious adventure as the Winter SCORES season begins! Four DC SCORES sites will begin their five-week-long journey of soccer and nutrition to learn the many benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

2019 was an exciting year for DC SCORES, filled with an abundance of amazing moments and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for our poet-athletes.

For over 3,000 kids at 70 sites throughout the District, 2019 was jam-packed with special moments on the field, in classrooms, and throughout the city as well. As we get ready to celebrate the new year, we thought it was necessary to look back on some of the most memorable moments of 2019 and recognize those that helped us get to this point in celebrating 25 years of DC SCORES.

Photo by Cody Cervenka

One of the highlights of the Fall SCORES season is Capital Cup, the culminating championship games of the DC SCORES Middle School soccer leagues. This season, DC SCORES partnered with the Public Charter School Athletic Association (PCSAA) to expand the middle school soccer leagues to 42 participating teams from 28 DC Public and Public Charter schools.

The Fall SCORES season is filled with events ranging from Fall Frenzy, Capital Cup, and weekly soccer games, but no event can compare to the annual DC SCORES Poetry Slam.