LITERARY ORGANIZATIONS ISSUE
Developing Poets at a Young Age:
DC Scores
by Zachary Elkin
In the early to mid-1990s, during my
elementary education in the Boston Public school system, my academic
and social enrichment ended with the afternoon school dismissal. After
the final bell rang, I boarded the bus and headed to my after-school
caregiver, where I would watch TV, feed the pet rabbit, and occasionally
start my homework. Thinking back to those afternoons, I have to dig
hard for memories with any semblance of personal growth.
On the other hand, my brother Matt, five years my junior, was fortunate
enough to go through his early schooling during the time when a unique
after-school program was spreading across the country. At James W. Hennigan
School in Jamaica Plain, MA, Matt participated in soccer practices and
poetry workshops with his peers every day after school. A high school
student at the time, I was fairly ignorant of my younger brother’s
life in general, let alone his school activities. When he came home
in his team uniform, dirty from playing his weekly soccer game, I thought
nothing of it. America Scores New England was providing my brother with
an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity right under my nose. I recently asked
Matt, now 18 years old, what he remembered most about his time with
Scores. “I got a Leadership award,” he said. “I still
have the patch in my room.”

Jemiya Walton, a fifth grader from the Arts & Technology Academy, performs at the 2009 DC Scores
Slam at Kelly Miller Middle School. Photo by Ian Weston.
It wasn’t until my senior year at the University of Wisconsin,
under the stress of securing a job for the following year, that I came
across an organization in DC that offered exactly what my brother had
participated in 10 years prior. After some research, it became clear
that America Scores operated on a national scale, and DC was one of
its most impressive sites. Coming from a strong background in soccer
and creative writing, I was immediately interested in learning more
about the Scores mission and how to get involved in its DC affiliate.
>>>
DC Scores was founded in 1994 by Julie
Kennedy, a former Teach for America volunteer and teacher at
Marie Reed Elementary School in Adams Morgan. Kennedy was coaching soccer
to a group of 15 girls after school and realized how their involvement
in after-school activity not only prevented them from engaging in unsafe
behaviors, but instilled in them a sense of camaraderie, sportsmanship,
and school involvement.
One day, when inclement weather forced the group inside, Kennedy decided
to try a different activity: poetry. She understood that the skills
and life lessons learned through creative expression went hand in hand
with athletics. Students could build stronger relationships by being
part of a team in the classroom and on the field, develop leadership
qualities, and become more self-aware participants in their communities.
Combining her love for soccer, poetry and community service, Ms. Kennedy
had developed a program in DC that didn’t take long to spread
across the country.
In 1999, Kennedy took her innovative model to Boston and Chicago, where
principals and teachers at local public schools marveled at the concept
and wanted to add it to their after-school menus. Now, the Scores program
serves more than 6,000 at-risk youth in 200 urban schools. For her outstanding
achievements, Kennedy was awarded the Washingtonian of the Year, a daily
Points of Light award from former President Bill Clinton, and was a
finalist mentioned for the Presidential National Service Award. Since
her time in DC, Kennedy has moved on to working with an international
awards program that supports business entrepreneurs in their pursuits
and rewards them for acting as global leaders. To this day, she continues
her mission to inspire others to be agents of change and positivity
in their communities, just as she did in her work with DC Scores youth.
>>>
With DC Scores, I have the privilege to oversee our thirty
elementary school writing coaches, coordinate poetry specialists to
visit the program, and do some teaching myself. While the public and
public charter school teachers who lead DC Scores teams possess knowledge
and enthusiasm for creative writing, students often need further inspiration
from practicing artists. Over the years, DC Scores has hired performing
artists and educators to lead poetry workshops, offering students a
creative change of pace from the daily Scores curriculum. DC Scores
has teamed up with the DC Guerilla Poetry Insurgency, The Saartjie Project,
the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, Artbeat Collective, Duke Ellington School
of the Arts, and Words, Beats & Life, who have used spoken word,
music, dance, and other artistic expressions to teach students the importance
of poetry.
This year, our relationship with two poetry sources has flourished.
The American Poetry Museum has sent numerous educators to DC Scores
schools to lead their Youth Writing & Dialogue Workshops. During
these sessions, students are able to engage in meaningful discussions
about their lives and community and create expressive outlets using
poetic devices. The talented educators from APM provide unique perspectives
on poetry and often learn a lot from the youth themselves.
We’re also proud to have Anna Mwalagho, one of
our writing coaches at Tubman Elementary School in Columbia Heights,
serve as a poetry specialist at other DC Scores schools. Mwalagho is
a renowned performer and poet in the DC metro area and internationally,
recognized for her work in major venues such as The World Bank, UNAIDS,
and the Kennedy Center. She brings her Kenyan roots to the DC poetry
scene, captivating audiences with her enthusiasm and love for her heritage.
During her workshops with DC Scores, there is never a dull moment—she
encourages active participation and enthusiasm for poetry from the entire
classroom, and students walk away with a newfound passion for and confidence
in their work.
>>>
TODAY MY NAME IS...
By Daniela S., H.D Cooke Elementary
Today my name is revolution
I feel like a screaming prisoner
I pretend to be a person I’m not
Yesterday my name was depressed
I heard about people starving and dying
I found no more money in my wallet
Tomorrow my name will be clock
I will forget that there is a such thing as life
I will remember that the only thing I can do is
go through time not knowing who I am
My favorite DC Scores event is the annual
Poetry Slam!, where students recite memorized individual and group poems
accompanied by props, music and dance. Some poems, like Daniela’s,
are deep introspective accounts that reflect the troubled lives of DC
youth, while others discuss the importance of reading and writing, being
physically fit, and experiencing love. While many aspects of the Slam!
performances are admirable, the most encouraging and touching moments
are when the team acts are followed with roaring cheers from the crowd
of students, parents, teachers and friends. Each year, this is the first
opportunity for the entire community to come together and celebrate
the accomplishments of the poet-athletes.
The other most memorable part of the DC Scores program is facilitating
periodic Starbucks workshops. During these sessions, students are given
the chance to perform their “works in progress” in front
of peers and patrons. For many, this is their first time reciting original
poetry to an audience, and it often surprises them how fun reading personal
stories can be. After each student performs their work, their peers
are asked to offer positive feedback and constructive criticism. Again,
most have never engaged in this type of discussion, and it’s always
interesting to see how students express themselves.
It’s often amazing to see the students’ progress during
the hour-long workshop. One student once commented that an early performer’s
poem was “not good because it didn’t rhyme.” By the
end of the workshop, that same student critiqued another’s work:
“I really liked the emotion you used, but sometimes I couldn’t
hear. Maybe next time you could try projecting your voice more so we
could hear every part.”
>>>
Marvin Bell, the first
Poet Laureate of Iowa, praised the Scores program:
It is a program on the side of the
angels, making a tangible difference in the education of youngsters
at a crucial time in their development. The enthusiasm it engenders
in its students for teamwork and language, and the confidence it builds
in students who are encouraged through the program to develop their
imaginations and verbal skills give them a lifetime advantage.
In DC, many youth struggle through life with few positive influential
figures, few role models to gain strength or reinforcement from. DC
Scores coaches and poetry specialists fill this gaping void. At least
during the allotted five days a week after school, students release
their emotions, fears and desires through poetry. For many students,
this is the only environment where they feel comfortable openly expressing
their feelings to peers and teachers. In fact, most students have never
reflected on their personal experiences until sitting down with a journal
during DC Scores programming, coaches watching on in admiration.
One day, I took a student aside from a writing session and asked him
what the program meant to him. With a smile on his face, he explained,
“Writing is good because you can get help from the coaches and
you get to write all the words you think of in your head.” Simple
words, but powerful.
MY TIME OF SORROW
Saba A., MacFarland Middle School
I hear the words
Over and over again
“He is dead, He is dead.”
I felt my heart shatter into pieces
I thought to myself this can’t be true
This can’t happen to me
I fell to the ground
With lightening through my mind
My body shook like thunder
My tears dropped to the ground
As if houses were flooding
I thought in my mind,
“This is my moment of sorrow.”
For Further Information
Every day after school, DC Scores combines
soccer, creative writing, and service-learning for 700 students at 23
DC public and public charter elementary and middle schools. A nonprofit
organization in operation since 1994, DC Scores seeks to create a positive
connection to school and community, inspire a commitment to creative
expression, and motivate students to live healthy lifestyles through
its unique program model combining soccer, creative writing, and service-learning.
DC Scores is the flagship site and an affiliate of America Scores, the
nation’s largest after-school soccer and literacy program. Those
interested in becoming a writing or soccer coach, leading a specialty
poetry workshop, or volunteering are encouraged to see the web page
and blog at http://www.dcscores.org
and contact Executive Director Amy Nakamoto.
Zachary Elkin
is the Elementary School Coordinator at DC Scores and boys soccer coach
at Tubman Elementary School. He is a frequent contributor to the DC
Scores blog and a current participant in Avodah: The Jewish Service
Corps.
Published
in Volume 11, Number 2, Spring 2010.