Artist Tracy Tomko is Inspired to Join the Cause

Tomko attended the Art Institute of Colorado for Industrial Design, and has spent the past few years working as a Sculptor and Master Maker for companies such as Warner Bros., Porch Light Entertainment, Friends With You, McDonald's, Nike, Hollister, Guess, and many more. We are very excited to have her participate in the 2011 Inspired Art Event creating a piece based off Jacquelyn's poem "Poker Poetry." To learn more about Tracy Tomko and the Inspired Art Event visit her website at http://inspiredartdenver.wordpress.com.

 

When asked why she chose to contribute to the Inspired Art Project Tracy responded:

"I wanted to be involved in the Inspired Art Project to work alongside other young, creative minds that will be crucial in forming a beautiful future.   The poetry of the young writers involved in this project is a great springboard for my own imagination.  I can’t wait to see the way the imagery from the poem I chose will unfold in my painting."

View some of Tracy's work at www.tracytomko.com.

Inpired Artist Noami Foster Returns for a 2nd Year

Noami's body of art has brought healing, hope, love and restoration back into lives of many, crossing the boundaries of race, social status and economic background.

Why she chose to participate in Inspired Art?
My artwork is inspired by children and most of the time are children.
It impressed me to see an organization focused on our children and their own creative abilities. After reading some of the poems which were so heart felt I knew I had to be a part. Inspired Art gives our young people an opportunity to express themselves in their own way & allows artists to share with children how we see their work, it is a great collaboration.

How would you describe your experience from last year?
I was honored to be a part of last years Inspired Art. I know Inspired Art is an auction and you want your work to sell for a great cause but to be honest my desire was that the poet of my piece would love it the most.

To learn more about Noami Foster or view more of her work visit www.onejdesigns.com or become a friend of her Facebook page.

News from across the nation...

East coast school turned their lunchroom into a reading cafe!
DC SCORES Slams the issues
Trick or Treat Fundraiser
Poetry Author Talks to Students
Recommended Books for Kids

Ready, Set, Create!

Local artists are teaming up with SCORES to create some inspiring pieces. The artwork they create, based on SCORES poetry, will be sold on March 10th, 2011 at the annual Inspired Art Auction to help raise funds for the America SCORES Denver and Think 360 youth programs.
When asked "Why participate?" artist Angela Canada Hopkins responded,

I have experienced the power of healing through art first-hand. When I saw how Scores was working with youth through writing I wanted to support their mission. With my art I hope to portray the feelings of the particular poem that touched me. I strongly believe an open dialogue and the sharing that comes from an expression of creativity is incredibly therapeutic.

To learn more about artist Angela Canada Hopkins and Inspired Art 2011 visit the Inspired Art website at www.inspiredartdenver.wordpress.com.

Support Inspired Art Denver; Like us on Facebook

Thank you for a great Poetry Slam!

Relive the night...check out the slide show again, view pictures of the performances, and let us know what you thought about the event.

If you didn't get your chance to buy a T-shirt last night do it online today!
Click here to order a T-shirt

Don't miss the Fall 2010 Poetry Slam

Poetry is a deal of joy and pain and wonder, with a dash of the dictionary.  ~Kahlil Gibran

The Slam will take place at Lincoln High School Wednesday, November 17th. The Slam will be held in the auditorium from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.

Students will recite their original poetry in front of an audience of family, friends, community members, and volunteers.

See you there!

Check out the pictures from the Fall 2010 season!

Go to our Picasa Site for full albums

       

There is a Place

There is a place that is called Denver

And that is where I am from.

There are flowers that are beautiful

Of all colors.

There is plenty of water.

I can see the leaves going side to side

While it falls.

I hear how the raindrops

Drop like a heartbeat.

Laura M. Age 8,
Eagleton Elementary
Inspired Art Poem #19

Game Day!

Final Game Day of the Season!

Eagleton @ Cheltenham
Brown @ Cowell
Barnum @ Newlon
Munroe @ Knapp 
CMS @ Gust

Congratulations to all teams on an excelent soccer season. Lets finish today's games showing our teamwork, soccer skills, and sportsmanship.

Failure happens all the time. It happens every day in practice. What makes you better is how you react to it.

Mia Hamm
American female soccer player.

Inspired Art has begun!

New poems are now available for artists to choose from.

Visit the Inspired Art website for more information about the event, and if you are an artist, choose a poem to base your work.

Register for the event quickly to make sure you get the poem you want.

Inspired Art 2011 will take place March 10th at Space Gallery in Denver.

Quote of the Week

The vision of a champion is someone bent over, drenched in sweat, to a point of exhaustion, when no one else is watching.

Anson Dorrance 

American women's soccer coach

Thank you students and coaches for all of your hard work so far this year. Keep it up and remember the quote above as you prepare for your final games of the season this Friday. Good luck to everyone!

A little Halloween Humor

Frankenstein Humor

Q: How can you tell that Doctor Victor Frankenstein had a good sense of humor? 

A: Because he kept his monster in stitches. 

Q: Who did Frankenstein take to the prom? 

A: His ghoul friend.

Q: What monster flies his kite in a rain storm? 

A: Benjamin Frankenstein 

Q: What did the mad scientist eat on Halloween? 

A: Frankenfurters with Ketchup

Everyone stay safe this Halloween and we'll see you next week! 

Everyone come see how awesome we are!

Join us on Facebook to view pictures from this season's soccer games.

I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion.

Mia Hamm
American female soccer player

Game Day

Today's Games:

Cowell @ Cheltenham
Brown @ CMS
Munroe @Newlon
Barnum @ Knapp
Eagleton @ Gust

Good Luck to everyone!

And remember...

The rules of soccer are very simple, basically it is this: if it moves, kick it. If it doesn't move, kick it until it does.

Phil Woosnam
Welsh soccer player and manager

A picture is worth 1,000 words.

To view more photos from last week's games visit our picasa site.

Game Day!

Our theme this week is sportsmanship;
lets make sure everyone has fun at the games today!

Newlon @ Eagleton 3:30
Gust @ Munroe 4:05
Cowell @ Barnum 3:30
Knapp @ Brown 4:10
Cheltenham @ CMS 3:50

Quote of the Week

"Sportsmanship for me is when a guy walks off the court and you really can't tell whether he won or lost, when he carries himself with pride either way."

Jim Courier
Professional tennis player, during his career he won four Grand Slam singles titles

Game Day!

Game schedule for today:

Munroe v Cowell 3:45PM
CMS v Knapp 4:10PM
Barnum v Cheltenham 3:30PM
Brown v Eagleton 4:15PM
Newlon v Gust 3:40PM
As we gear up for Game Day check out this article in the Denver Post about streatching.

Fall Frenzy 2010 = Success!

The 11th annual Fall Frenzy went off without a hitch Saturday Oct. 2nd. The successful day was due in a large part to the help received by the Regis University Women's Soccer Program-thank you!

Thank you also to all players, coaches, fans, and staff who came to the round robin tournament and contributed to a great day.

You can find pictures and video of the event on our Facebook page and in our Picasa album. Feel free to share any fun stories from the day.

Thank you for your great attitudes and sportsmanship throughout the season so far, let’s keep the good times rolling.

Gear Up

Fall Frenzy is this Saturday, October 2, 2010.

All SCORES teams (and their families) will come together at Regis University for a round robin tournament, face painting, and other family friendly activities.

DON'T FORGET: your soccer equipment, SCORES jersey, water bottle, and great attitude.

Brown vs. Newlon 9/24/10 Pictures

For full picture album visit picasaweb.google.com or our Facebook page.

SCORES Select Team starts the season 2-0

Congratulations to the SCORES Select boys team on their great start to the season. The Select team consists of graduates from the America SCORES Denver program that have committed to attend an extra practice every week and to compete in games on Saturdays and Sundays. These poet-athletes are competing in the Colorado Youth Soccer Southwest Quadrant division, a semi competitive league that includes teams from soccer clubs in the Denver area. The Select team is participating thanks to the support of the Colorado Fusion.

The SCORES Select team demonstrated skill, sportsmanship, and teamwork in their game Saturday, and we look forward to watching them throughout the rest of the season.

For more pictures visit our facebook page or at our picasa site

2010 Fall Season Begins!

Registration packets are being collected, practices are starting, coaches are planning and students are preparing for yet another great season of America SCORES Denver. The season started for a few schools last Wednesday, September 8th and things are running smoothly.

This fall SCORES will be adding Gust Elementary and CMSCMS Elementary schools. The addition of these schools will expand the program to 20 teams-10 girls and 10 boys.

Some exciting events for this fall include:

September 24th: First Game Day
October 2nd: Fall Frenzy @ Regis University
November 17th: SCORES Poetry Slam (location to be determined)

Fall Game Schedule:

Week 1: Sept. 24, 2010
Cheltenham @ Munroe
CMS @ Cowell
Newlon @Brown
Knapp @ Eagleton
Gust @ Barnum

Week 2: October 1, 2010
Cowell @ Newlon
Eagleton @ CMS
Munroe @ Barnum
Cheltenham @ Brown
Knapp @ Gust

Week 3: October 8, 2010
Munroe @ Cowell
CMS @ Knapp
Barnum @ Cheltenham
Brown @ Eagleton
Newlon @ Gust

Week 4: October 15, 2010
Newlon @ Eagleton
Gust @ Munroe
Cowell @ Barnum
Knapp @ Brown
Cheltenham @ CMS

Week 5: October 22, 2010
Cowell @ Cheltenham
Brown @ CMS
Munroe @ Newlon
Barnum @ Knapp
Eagleton @ Gust

Week 6: November 5, 2010
Eagleton @ Cheltenham
Brown @ Cowell
Barnum @ Newlon
Munroe @ Knapp
CMS @ Gust

Week 7: November 12, 2010
Make-up Games

Copa de Kids 2010

In honor of the upcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup being held in South Africa this June, America SCORES Denver is partnering with the Colorado Fusion Soccer Club for the inaugural "Copa de Kids." On June 12th, 2010, SCORES and the Fusion will be co-hosting a full day youth soccer festival at Bill Roberts School.

Admission is $10 per person, or $45 for a block of five. CLICK HERE to get your entry tickets today. Please contact Brandon Blew at bblew@americascores.org with any questions. There are limited number of spaces available. Reserve your spot today!

WHO: America SCORES Denver and the Colorado Fusion Soccer Club (all proceeds will directly benefit these two organizations).

WHAT: A full day youth soccer festival. The day will consist of a goal scoring skills clinic, viewing of the U.S. vs England game, pick up soccer, and a player appreciation drawing with fantastic prizes.

WHEN: Saturday June 12th, 2010
             9:00 am - 3:00 pm

WHERE: Bill Roberts School (Stapleton)
             2100 Akron Way
             Denver, CO 80238

Jamboree 2010 Highlights

Last Friday our 2010 Jamboree was held at Dick's Sporting Good's Park.  In recognition of the 2010 FIFA World Cup being held in South Africa, the theme of this years Jamboree was "World Cup".  Each team was assigned a different country to represent at the games, and in World Cup tradition, captains exchanged the flags of their country at the start of each match.  One of our spectators, Randy Strong from iVB Network, was kind enough to capture a video of the night.  I invite you to take a minute and check it out.

Students at Brown Visit the Franciscan Sisters Home

On Monday, May 17, students from Brown Elementary took a moment out of their busy schedules to pay a visit to the nearby Franciscan Sisters home for the elderly. Guided by their enthusiastic writing coaches Greg Toston and Amanda Swift, Brown's poet athletes decided they would give back to their community by raising money in order to purchase small pots and plants, inscribe their poetry on the pots, and personally deliver these wonderful gifts to tenants of the Franciscan Sisters home.

In a truly memorable afternoon, the students walked their poem-plants to the home and arrived just in time for dinner! For nearly 45 minutes they visited with about 30 members of the community, reading their poems, discussing their participation in SCORES and simply spreading joy! The energy in the room was contagious.

We are so proud of the students at Brown for coming up with this idea and putting it into action. Thanks to the Franciscan Sisters home for being such gracious hosts!

Graffiti Education at Cowell Elementary

On Tuesday, May 11 the Poet Athletes at Cowell Elementary school had the opportunity to learn a little bit more about the graffiti problem facing their neighborhood. Donna from Denver Partners Against Graffiti came by the school to give a presentation about graffiti in Denver, and discuss with the students what they can do to spread awareness and clean things up! We learned some interesting facts about graffiti:

• The city of Denver alone spends over $1 million in graffiti clean up each year
• We are all forced to pay for the graffiti problem because it comes out of our taxes
• There is a difference between graffiti-vandalism and graffiti-art:
• Vandalism is graffiti that takes place without permission and is illegal.
• If you call 311, the Denver Information hotline, you can receive an application form and request a graffiti clean up crew to come out and remove graffiti from your home or property free of charge.

Thanks Donna for stopping by Cowell, and thanks to the Denver Partners Against Graffiti for all your hard work in keeping our neighborhoods clean!

 Donna from Denver Partners Against Graffiti answering questions at Cowell Elementary

Newlon Helps Their Community

On Monday, May 4 the Boys and Girls Teams at Newlon Elementary spent the afternoon cleaning up their school as part of the Writing for the Community service project. With coaches Luis Munoz and Emily Fenske leading the charge, the students spent over an hour filling trash bags with all sorts of nasty stuff they found on the grass, on the playground, and even hidden in some of the bushes surrounding the school. The students' energy and efforts in cleaning up the school were truly amazing, and the grounds surrounding Newlon are certainly new and improved.

The students also plan on contributing to a local community garden by helping till the soil, put down seeds, and paint a fence!

Great work Newlon, thanks for all your efforts! And welcome back Coach Luis Munoz, you were certainly missed.

Let the Games Begin!

Sadly, the snow day that closed school the Wednesday before spring break also cancelled opening day for the Spring Season. So, in our opinion it was not worth it to play our first scheduled game.

The teams regrouped after spring break, however, and the last 2 Fridays we have seen some great soccer, big crowds and a festival atmosphere at each host school. Here are some great action shots from the first two weeks - thanks to all the coaches for sending these in!

This coming Friday, April 23 marks week 3 of the season, and we've got some very big games on tap:

Barnum @ Newlon
Munroe @ Knapp
Eagleton @ Cheltenham
Cowell @ Brown

In addition, both the boys and girls Select Team seasons are well underway, and we are playing so well! The girls had their best game of the season this past Friday in Highlands Ranch, losing a close game to Real Colorado, last year's league champions. All the girls on the team played great, and our opponents even named second half goalie Ruby Cortez the game's MVP for all the great stops she made. Way to go girls!

The boys played a bigger, older Boulder Force team. We worked so hard from start to finish on a field that seemed like it was a mile long, and every one of our players should be proud of his performance. It's not easy playing against 7th graders, and it's obvious that all the hard work in practice is paying off on the weekends.

Join us for a Night of Inspiration!

CLICK HERE to buy your tickets today!

For additional event information CLICK HERE

Spring Season Begins!

It has been a long winter here in the SCORES office waiting for the spring season to begin...but, our waiting is finally over as the first practice of the season begins today!  We have big plans for the season, and to give you a look at what's ahead, here is a game schedule for the next 2 months.  If you are interested in volunteering throughout the season (ex: being a referee for a game or helping in a service learning project) please email me at krees@americascores.org.   

Week 1:  Thursday, March 25th, 2010
Barnum @ Cowell
Brown @ Knapp
Cheltenham @ Newlon
Eagleton @ Munroe

Week 2:  Friday, April 9th, 2010
Cowell @ Cheltenham
Knapp @ Barnum
Newlon @ Eagleton
Munroe @ Brown

Week 3:  Friday, April 16th, 2010
Newlon @ Cowell
Eagleton @ Knapp
Cheltenham @ Munroe
Barnum @ Brown

Week 4:  Friday, April 23rd, 2010
Barnum @ Newlon
Munroe @ Knapp
Eagleton @ Cheltenham
Cowell @ Brown

Week 5:  Friday, April 30th, 2010
Cheltenham @ Barnum
Newlon @ Munroe
Knapp @ Cowell
Brown @ Eagleton

Week 6:  Friday, May 15th, 2010
Munroe @ Barnum
Brown @ Cheltenham
Cowell @ Eagleton
Knapp @ Newlon

The Inspired Art Project is up and Running

As we get closer to the first annual Inspired Art Project to be held in Denver, we are receiving some incredible artwork from some very talented Colorado artists.  Here is a little sneak peak of what to expect on the night of the event:

I invite you to visit our event website at http://inspiredartdenver.wordpress.com/ for information about our participating artists as well as how to attend this incredible event.

America SCORES Receives Largest Donation In Its History From Bestfoods Educational Foundation

America SCORES has been awarded the largest ever gift in our history, a $1.3 million grant from the Bestfoods Educational Foundation. The Bestfoods Educational Foundation, overseen by former Bestfoods executives, has provided gifts to non-profit educational causes for 10 years. America SCORES has had a long partnership with the Bestfoods Educational Foundation and we are so grateful that they have decided to award this grant to our organization.


America SCORES will use the gift to dramatically improve the delivery of our innovative after-school programs that combine soccer, poetry, and service learning to fight obesity, improve literacy, and increase motivation among youth in 200 public schools in 14 cities. Enhanced communication and operations among the national and affiliate offices will allow us to provide more and better opportunities to empower children across the country to succeed in school and live healthy lives.

From Norma Barquet, our CEO: “This gift will enable America SCORES to reach new heights in its mission to inspire urban youth through creativity and teamwork.We are extremely grateful to the Board at the Bestfoods Educational Foundation for its generosity and belief in our organization to provide educational opportunities to deserving children. America SCORES is honored and privileged to be the recipient of such an extraordinary gift.”

For the full press release, please follow this link:

http://pitch.pe/47906

On behalf of our poet-athletes here in Denver, the America SCORES team says Thank You to the Bestfoods Educational Foundation.

Save the Date for Denver's First Inspired Art Project

CLICK HERE for ticket purchasing information.

SCORES 5th Graders to compete in Colorado Youth Soccer League!

We are very excited to announce that this spring, SCORES has partnered with Colorado Fusion to start its first two Select soccer teams! All 5th graders in the program were eligible to participate, and on January 16th tryouts were held at Cowell Elementary and two teams were formed. The boys and girls Select Teams will represent SCORES in the Option 1 League, and will play against teams from around the state. It's time to show the rest of Colorado what our community is made of!

The following boys and girls 5th graders have showed great Commitment and Leadership by joining the Select teams:

Boys:

Dante Gonzalez, Cowell
Diego Herrera, Cowell
Romeo Martinez, Cowell
Maurision Marquez, Cowell
Anthony Mares, Cowell
AJ Flores, Eagleton
Cruz Jimenez, Eagleton
Fidel Lucio, Eagleton
Alex Montenegro, Eagleton
Isaac Dominguez, Eagleton
Jesus Jurado, Cheltenham
Alejandro Landa, Cheltenham
Hugo Estrada, Cheltenham
Saul Sandoval, Cheltenham
Ray Lopez, Newlon
Oscar Andrade, Newlon
Christian Calderon, Newlon
Carlos Garcia, Newlon

Girls:

Miriam Lucero, Knapp
Hidai Olivas, Knapp
Jacqueline Moncada, Munroe
Destiny Rodriguez, Newlon
Gema Munoz, Newlon
Cassandra Zamora, Newlon
Ruby Cortez, Cheltenham
Perla Verala, Cheltenham
Stephanie Pacheco, Cheltenham
Jenny Arriaga, Eagleton
Jennifer Sandoval, Eagleton
Mirka Nahut, Eagleton
Adelena Nunez, Eagleton
Genesis Valdez, Cowell
Stephanie Campos, Cowell
Ashley Espinoza, Eagleton

Are you Ready to Run?

Lace up your running shoes, get out your cold weather gear and join us in training for the 5th Annual Colfax Marathon on May 16th, 2010! For the first time ever, America SCORES Denver is putting together a team to race in the Colfax Marathon Charity Partners program. This event is a great opportunity to not only get in shape, have some fun and win cool prizes, but also a chance to support the work of the SCORES program as we look to expand to 10 schools in 2010. If you are interested in participating, please email Kristine at krees@americascores.org and we will send you a registration form. (NOTE: America SCORES Denver will cover your registration fee, so if you wish to run with us do not register yourself on the marathon website.)

To get more information on the Colfax Marathon please visit http://www.coloradocolfaxmarathon.org/. America SCORES Denver will provide each team and individual runner with their own personalized fundraising page for the event.

Marathon and Half Marathon Fundraising Packages:

All-Star- $250
Benefits Include:

• A healthy body and the knowledge that you are supporting SCORES poet athletes!
• Registration fee covered by America SCORES Denver
• America SCORES Denver T-shirt
• Email training tips and updates (Every 2 weeks)
• Participation in SCORES group runs
• SCORES team dinner/celebration after the race

MVP- $500
Benefits Include:

• A healthy body and the knowledge that you are supporting SCORES poet athletes!
• Registration fee covered by America SCORES Denver
• America SCORES Denver t-shirt
• Email training tips and updates (every 2 weeks)
• Participation in SCORES team runs
• SCORES team dinner/celebration after the race
• Rapids tickets for 4
• Discounted running gear
• Starbucks gift card

Golden Boot - $1000
Benefits Include:

• A healthy body and the knowledge that you are supporting SCORES poet athletes!
• Registration fee covered by America SCORES Denver
• America SCORES Denver t-shirt
• Email training tips and updates (every 2 weeks)
• Participation in SCORES team runs
• SCORES team dinner/celebration after the race
• Rapids tickets for 4
• Discounted running gear
• Starbucks gift card
• Sports massage gift certificate
• Dinner for 2 at a local Denver restaurant (TBD)

Marathon Relay Team (5 people):
Raise $1000 as a team and complete the race and each member will receive:

• A healthy body and the knowledge that you are supporting SCORES poet athletes!
• Registration fee covered by America SCORES Denver
• America SCORES Denver t-shirt
• 2 Rapids Tickets
• Starbucks Gift Card
• Discounted Running Gear
• SCORES team dinner/celebration after the race

Race Day Volunteer
Volunteer on race day (May 16th, 2010), and become eligible to fundraise and win prizes at each level - All-Star, MVP, or Golden Boot.

Top Fundraiser will receive a weekend vacation in Summit County.
Top Team prize to be announced.

Announcing the 2010 National Poetry Slam Participants

The competition was rough this year as 22 poet-athletes performed for a spot to participate in the National Poetry Slam in New York on April 19th.  After careful consideration, we are proud to announce our two winners: Daeja R. from Cowell Elementary and Javier O. from Barnum Elementary.  These two students will be representing SCORES Denver on an all expense paid trip to New York where they will perform their poems at the New York Stock Exchange.  This will be a big fundraiser for the National SCORES organization, and a unique experience for these two incredible students.

Left: Students at Auditions; Right: Daeja R.

Calling all Artists!

America SCORES Denver and Think 360 Arts are coming together to bring poetry to life…

We would like to take this opportunity and announce that America SCORES Denver and Think 360 Arts are partnering to bring the Inspired Art Project to Denver!  Modeled off of projects done in Bay Area, California and Chicago, Illinois, the Inspired Art Project enlists local artists to create and donate original works, drawing their inspiration from poetry written by 3rd to 5th grade students of America SCORES Denver’s after school program. All submitted artwork will be auctioned at the Inspired Art Show on April 29th, 2010 with proceeds going to benefit America SCORES Denver and Think 360 Arts.

Through this cycle of inspiration and influence, urban students are able to witness their creativity brought to life, artists are able to build connections with diverse communities around the city, and supporters of America SCORES Denver and Think 360 Arts are able to see the profound impact children’s words can have on others. The creative interpretation that local artists display in their work shows our youth the power and limitless impact of their words and voice.


If you are interested in learning more about the Inspired Art Project, please contact Kristine Rees at 303.832.5879 or krees@americascores.org.  Also, please visit our event webpage at http://inspiredartdenver.wordpress.com/ for further information on how to get involved.

2010: What's Your New Year's Resolution?

We usually make new years resolutions all about ourselves...

We're challenging you to help us change that.

Here's how: Go to http://www.newyear4kids.wordpress.com/ and tell us what you will do for kids this year!