Fall SCORES: 25 years of soccer and poetry

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Once the school bell rings this afternoon signifying the end of the school day, thousands of kids in the District will get ready for the start of another Fall SCORES season.

This season, in particular, is significant because it is the 25th iteration of a season that combines soccer and poetry. Since 1994, DC SCORES has been providing a safe and fun environment where kids have the opportunity to enjoy being part of a team.

For the next 12 weeks, 3,000 elementary and middle school poet-athletes at 69 sites will be participating in soccer and poetry/creative writing activities every day after school.

What’s new?

DC SCORES constantly looks for ways to improve programming to ensure that poet-athletes are part of a high-quality afterschool program.

  • New Curricula: DC SCORES is excited to introduce new writing curriculum for middle school poet-athletes that includes new ways to engage participants to creatively express themselves.

  • Middle School Soccer League: In an effort to increase soccer accessibility to more kids, DC SCORES has partnered with the Public Charter School Athletic Association to create a new Middle School Soccer League for both DC Public Schools and DC Public Charter Schools.

  • Junior SCORES Expansion: After introducing Junior SCORES in 2016 at Truesdell Education Campus, Junior SCORES is now at 15 sites! This program focuses on introducing kids to soccer and DC SCORES’ values of teamwork, leadership, and commitment. Junior SCORES participants have two soccer practices and one gameday each week.

  • New School Partnerships: Every new school year, DC SCORES makes an effort to take interested schools off the waitlist by creating new partnerships that will bring programming to more schools. This year DC SCORES is excited to be at Whittier Elementary School, Takoma Education Campus, Sela Public Charter School, and Ida B. Wells Middle School!

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Program Schedule

Elementary schools have programming five days a week. Two days a week are designated for soccer practices and two days are for expressing themselves through poetry and spoken word.

Gamedays are every Thursday afternoon starting at 4pm. Each team participates in a girls vs. girls and boys vs. boys game with another participating DC SCORES team.

  • Elementary school soccer games begin on Thursday, September 26th.

Middle schools have programming three days a week and have the same amount of program hours as elementary schools.

Middle schools have both soccer and writing two days a week and gamedays on Fridays starting at 4pm.

  • Middle school soccer games begin on Friday, September 20th.

Events

One of the best parts of the season is the many events for our poet-athletes and DC SCORES community. Mark your calendars for the following events:

  • Fall Frenzy: The largest event of the Fall SCORES season is an all-day soccer tournament and community festival happening on Saturday, October 19th.

  • Poetry Slam: The 22nd annual Poetry Slam will take place over three-nights during November 19-21. This three-night, spoken-word competition features DC SCORES poet-athletes performing their original poetry on stage in front of a live audience.

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Get involved!

Check out our website for more updates throughout the season and find out the various ways to become a volunteer.

Also, make sure to stay up to date by following DC SCORES on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

After a fun summer break, it is incredibly exciting to be back for the 25th year of Fall SCORES!

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