Soccer Becomes More Than a Game

In celebration of our last game of the season last Friday, as well as this incredibly snowy fall break for DPS schools, I thought it was appropriate to share an inspiring article for a little light reading.

In light of our last Fall season game, half way across the world the Palestine women's soccer team was celebrating their first ever international match played at home.  They were playing Jordan in front of a roaring croud of 10,000 people, three quarters women and a quarter men.  Women were bussed in from all over the West Bank, where the stadium was located, and hundreds more were watching from neighboring rooftops.  For a sport that has been reserved exclusively for male players, this was certainly a monumental event, one that turned into a "carnival of social liberation and national pride".  The youngest player on the team was just 14 years old, and the team started out the match as extreme under-dogs.  Palestine is ranked one of the lowest countries in the world, while Jordan is ranked 51st.  However, the game ended symbolically in a 2-2 draw.

If you would like to read more about this historic event, please visit NY Times, or this local newspaper of Palestine. 

I also encourage you to watch this inspiring video showcasing footage from the game.

My Soul and Other Poems

We have recieved another batch of very creative and fun poems.  A big thanks to Amanda Webb, girls soccer and writing coach at Eagleton Elementary, for sending these to us.

My Soul

My soul is a horse

racing on a track

through the woods.

My soul is a mean

as a shark

in the waters.

My soul is a gentle

as a flower

in the open.

My soul is as nice

as a rabbit

hopping in the grass.

My soul is as pretty

as a butterfly

flying in the sky.

My soul is as cold

as freezing cold waters.

My soul is a hard

as a garden

in winter.

-Miranda Torres

Why

Why am I so pretty?

Because my mom made me.

Why do I like hearts?

Because I am full of love.
-Hoshi Corona

Untitled

The world is as big as the universe.

The life was as a newborn baby is bright.

The light was as bright as my dreams.

The store was as big as a castle.

The baby was a big as a little bear.

The sun was a far as a star.

The Converse was a cool as the Jordan's.

-Ashley Espinoza

SCORES Kids vs. CSAP

It has been a couple of months since all Colorado students participated in the much anticipated CSAP evaluation test.  However, we have yet to report on how the students at our schools performed, and how SCORES kids compared to their peers.  Below is a breakdown of the overall results from our eight schools.

One of our dedicated coaches, Chris Webb, examined how SCORES kids from four schools compared to the rest of their classmates, and found that the test scores of SCORES students, as an average, were higher in all four schools than the test scores of the rest of the student population.  The SCORES students scored an average of 24 points higher on the reading exam, and 14 points higher on the writing exam.  Here are some statistics from Eagleton Elementary specifically:

EAGLETON ELEMENTARY READING:

- Not a single student in the (Eagleton) Denver SCORES program tested unsatisfactory. All of them were judged partially proficient, proficient, or advanced.
- 29 out of the 32 kids in (Eagleton) SCORES improved their reading scores.
- 8 of the 32 kids moved from unsatisfactory to partially proficient/proficient.
- Average reading test score for those involved in (Eagleton) SCORES was 18 out of a possible 31 points (58%)
- Average reading test score for the rest of the school was 12 out of a possible 31 points (38%)
- Students who were in (Eagleton) SCORES showed a 20% improvement in their reading test scores vs. the rest of the school.

EAGLETON ELEMENTARY WRITING:

- 31 out of 32 kids in (Eagleton) SCORES were tested partially proficient/proficient in their writing. Only 1 student tested unsatisfactory.
- 24 out of 32 kids in (Eagleton) SCORES improved their writing scores.
- 8 of the 32 kids moved from unsatisfactory to partially proficient/proficient.
- Average writing test score for those involved in (Eagleton) SCORES was 13 out of a possible 21 points (62%)
- Average writing test score for the rest of the school was 9 out of a possible 21 points (43%)
- Students who were in (Eagleton) SCORES showed a 19% improvement in their writing test scores vs. the rest of the school.

Congrats to all of our SCORES students for the great improvement, and keep up the hard work!

Bet you can't beat a time of....

I know it is not hump day Wednesday yet, but because of the cloudy weather today, I thought that we could all use a little break.  So, I have created a fantastic way for you to spend some time, and stimulate your mind while doing it.  Just click on the puzzle below to start the fun...and try to beat our office record time of 5 minutes and 23 seconds.

Also, online ordering of our America SCORES t-shirt is now available.  CLICK HERE to order yours today.  A design can be seen below on last weeks post.

The Moment You Have All Been Waiting For....

With the sylistic and creative efforts of the America SCORES Denver staff, we have designed a one-of-a-kind SCORES t-shirt that is soon to be the must have item for your closet.  Below is a template of the design.  As you can see, the front of the shirt has our logo on it (very stylish), and the back has the phrase "futbol + poesia = alegria"...or "soccer + poetry = happiness" (very catchy).  We are printing them both on white shirts and navy...so take your pick.

T-shirts will be sold next Friday at our last game day, as well as during our Poetry Slam on November 10.  We will also have link up soon to buy them online, so be on the look out.

Larimer Arts Festival

We are proud to announce the upcoming of the second annual Larimer Sidewalk Arts Festival taking place on Saturday October 17th from 9AM - 4PM.  Now, you may be thinking...I thought SCORES was a soccer and writing program...and you're right.  But we want to encourage all types of creative expression and would like to invite our poet-athletes to take part in this exciting opportunity.

The festival is an open-air celebration of arts created by young people sponsored in part by Flobots.org.  The event is welcome to all artists ages 12-21, but the program directors at flobots.org have actually given us special permission to let our SCORES kids participate.  All artists are invited to show and sell their art with all proceeds going to benefit each individual artist.  It should be a fun filled afternoon with local bands and DJ's scheduled throughout the day, so even if you don't have art to showcase, it will be a great way to spend your Saturday. 

If you would like to participate, please contact Loy Merck at 303.587.1029.  Or if you have any questions about the details of the day, please email krees@americascores.org, and I will get you in contact with the appropriate person.  We look forward to seeing you there.

One last thing....there are more amazing pictures up of the game day last Friday, so CLICK HERE to be amazed

Yesterday, my Name was Soccer

We have finally gotten to the point in the season where our students are beginning to come up with some very original and creative writing.  Today, I wanted to share with you some poems from the boy's team at Eagleton Elementary.  Special thanks to Chris, their coach, for sharing these with us.

Today, my name is Grant Wood.

I like ice cream.

I play soccer all day.

Yesterday, my name was soccer.

I like macaroni and cheese.

I read books.

Tomorrow, my name will be backpack.
I lick the floor.
I eat crayons.
-Adrian, grade 4

Defense is the key to the game.

Effort is what we’re looking for.

No slacking off in the game.
Venture to the other side of the field.
Every game needs defense.
Really try your hardest.

Soccer is an easy game.
Carry your teammates to victory.
Organize a plan for soccer.
Recognize your team.
Energize your game plan.
Soccer balls are used for a soccer game.
-Jacob, grade 5

If I crashed on the moon, I will bring a big water bottle so that I could drink on the way.
I will also bring food to eat on the way.
I will also bring a flashlight so that I could see the dark side of the moon.
-Kevin, grade 5

Also, as promised, please CLICK HERE to look at pictures from last weekends Fall Frenzy.  Pictures may also be viewed on our Facebook fan page.

Speaking of Facebook...don't forget to help support SCORES by joining our cause.  CLICK HERE to join!

Fall Frenzy 2009 = Success!

Last Saturday was definitely a fun-filled and successful day for our 250 poet-athletes, their coaches, and of course, their families.  After a sunny morning full of soccer games, book give-aways, and face painting, the field was all smiles as people were leaving to go home.

We would like to give a very special thanks to the Regis University Girls Soccer team for helping out with the event by setting up the fields, reffing each game, and for their artistic talent at the face painting booth.  We could not have put on this event without their help.

As you can see, I have included a few feature pictures from the day, but be on the look out for more...

Will you Spread the Word?

With the world of social networking growing at unremarkable rates, it is time that America SCORES Denver jumps on the bandwagon.  Trends in 2009 show that social networking sites and blogs are more popular and more widely used than personal email, accounting for nearly 10% of all internet time.  In fact, research has shown that if the number of people using facebook made up the population of a country, it would be the eighth most populated in the world, ahead of Japan, Russia, and Nigeria (HERE for more information).

So, you may be asking, what is America SCORES Denver going to do to stay connected to this growing cyber world?  Well, I'll tell you; we are going to start a wave of activism in the Facebook country by creating a cause named......SUPPORT URBAN POET ATHLETES.  In order for this wave of activism to start, we need your help by joining and supporting our cause, and also by recruiting your family and friends to do the same. 

Steps to Join:

(1)  CLICK HERE to be taken directly to our cause page.  If you have a facebook page, you will need to sign in with your user name and password.  Then, simply select "join now".  During the process you will get to a step which asks you to invite friends to join; don't simply skip over this step, we need you to spread the word.

(2)  You can also search for our cause by going to applications feature on the bottom of your facebook page, selecting causes, and then searching for "Support Urban Poet Athletes".

(3)  If you are not a facebook user, and thus not a part of the Facebook Country...do not worry.  I am sure that somebody you know has an account and can help you recruit.

Thank you again for all of your continued support.