Fall Frenzy, America
SCORES’ season kickoff event for youth soccer players, is a community event
hosted at the SLU Medical Center Stadium
On Thursday, October 4th, 180 urban youth soccer players from 6 public elementary schools, families,
coaches, SLU Campus Recreation volunteers, and SLU club soccer participated in this health and wellness celebration! The SLU club
soccer team taught soccer drills to America SCORES youth, and nutrition
games, literacy activities, Zumba, face painting, music and health and wellness
activities were available to all participants. Every year,Fall Frenzy brings
together all youth served by America SCORES St. Louis to kick off their
fall season as a community, while celebrating soccer and learning how to
maintain healthy lifestyles through nutrition and wellness activities. To learn more about America SCORES program offerings, visit www.americascoresstlouis.org
On September 29th, 2012, 11 cities came together to break the
Guinness World Record for most soccer balls dribbled simultaneously. The record to beat was 2,068 set by the United Nations, and our preliminary count was 2,149!! We are so proud to be part of this historic event featuring such
powerful national teamwork!
All proceeds from the Great America SCORES Soccer Dribble
benefit the youth of America SCORES. We thank our record setters, sponsors, volunteers,
staff, national office, our sister cities, and board of directors for
making today a record to remember!
Guinness World Record status is pending final
counts and evidence approval from all 11 cities. To watch celebrity athlete
testimonials about the event, footage from the national live Google Hangout,
and more event videos, visit: http://www.youtube.com/americascores
Deontrel Ervin couldn’t believe his eyes as he sat just a few feet away from President Barack Obama.
“I was like, ‘wow, this is the president,” Deontrel said.Deontrel and five other students from America SCORES St. Louis were invited to Washington D.C. as part of the Los Angeles Galaxy’s invitation to recognize their Major League Soccer championship. The SCORES kids were part of a group of 50 students from around the country invited to the ceremony.
Serena Muhammad said the students gave Obama a rousing applause when he entered the room.
“It was kind of funny,” Muhammad said. “The press and adults who have been doing this all the time didn’t expect the kids to start cheering Obama when he came in. It definitely changed the atmosphere in the room.”
Meeting Obama was one of many highlights from a whirlwind one-day trip to D.C. The America SCORES St. Louis contingent, all 11-year-olds, spent time with Michelle Obama in the State Room, got to ask Galaxy players questions and took a tour of the White House.
Deontrel said Michelle Obama was nice.
“She said she was happy to see us,” Deontrel said. “She knew we were from all around the country and that the State Room was where they had their special guests and that we were their special guests.”
Michelle Obama talked to the students about her Let’s Move initiative, which is design to combat childhood obesity. Let’s Move and America SCORES compliment each other. America SCORES St. Louis participants get ten times more exercise than the national average, and seven out of 10 students who start out overweight achieve a normal weight within one year. America SCORES uses soccer as a tool to encourage fitness, sportsmanship and leadership and inspires a life-long appreciation of sports and healthy-living behaviors.
Students enjoyed an exciting day of teamwork, sportsmanship, and fun at our 2012 end of year celebration and soccer tournament: Jamboree! Boys and girls teams from 6 public elementary schools played soccer, engaged in health and fitness activities, and parents joined in on the fun with their own soccer game! Students received awards for good sportsmanship, and coaches were recognized for their hard work and leadership on behalf of our 180 poet-athletes. Congratulations to our youth on a successful year of sport, literacy, and leadership! For more Jamboree photos, click here.
Our students had a fantastic SHOUT day of Action at the Mississippi/Missouri Confluence! Students built birdhouses, cleaned up litter, built nests for wild birds, and enjoyed exploring the natural treasures Missouri has to offer. Thank you Wyman Center, Americorps, and the Department of Conservation for making this an experience to remember! Click here to see more photos of this special day!
ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year Dave Berg sings an original co-written song with Triniya
On April 28th,
2012,celebrities put youth in the spotlight at STL Celebrity Voices, presented by Nine Network. All proceeds benefitted America SCORES St. Louis.Youth and celebrity performers enjoyed standing ovations from the audience, and
SCORES youth autographed their headshots in the program booklet after fantastic performances. A VIP cocktail hour, red carpet, Alive Magazine photo shoot, and live music and poetry performances gave the night a special ambience. For more information about the event, go to www.stlcelebrityvoices.org, and click here to see a listing of our great media coverage. To learn more about our event theme, visit www.americangraduate.org
America SCORES St. Louis and the Nine Network of Public Media have joined forces to promote graduation nationwide! Ten students created and recorded original poetry at the Nine Network studios to promote American Graduate: Let's Make It Happen, a bold national media initiative focused on improving high school graduation rates. Check out some fantastic Poetry PSAs below, currently featured on Nine Network platforms:
Got 60 Seconds? Watch Eric B. of Jefferson Elementary perform his original poem, "Statistic", and get inspired! Poet-athletes from 7 public elementary schools stood in front of a live audience last night to recite original works of poetry at our 7th Annual 2011 Poetry SLAM. Awards were given for group and individual performances, judged by a panel including representatives from Opera Theatre, local businesses, and the St. Louis Rams. Congratulations to our eloquent young poet-athletes! Stay tuned for more highlight videos...
*Financial assistance for the 2011 Poetry SLAM was provided by Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.
At our 7th annual Poetry SLAM, America SCORES St. Louis youth from seven urban elementary schools will take to the stage to perform original poems they’ve created, to celebrate the completion of a successful fall season of creative writing! Watch the Poetry SLAM PSAs our youth created above (Top-Normandy Students; Bottom-St. Louis Public School Students), and join us on November 17th!
WHO: 3rd-5th grade youth poets from seven urban public elementary schools, over 250 spectators, and a panel of judges including local educators, community leaders, and artists.
WHAT: Students will perform original works of poetry onstage for families, community members, and other supporters. Entertainment and activities will be provided for all spectators, and prizes will be awarded for group and individual performances. The event will feature youth poets from Jefferson Elementary, Barack Obama Elementary, and Washington Elementary of the Normandy School District, and Nance Elementary, Hamilton Elementary, Patrick Henry Elementary, and Walbridge Elementary of the St. Louis Public School District.
WHERE: Metro High School, 4015 McPherson Ave, St. Louis, MO 63108
WHEN: Thursday, November 17th, 2011, 5:30pm-7:30pm
WHY: The Poetry SLAM is the culminating event for the America SCORES St. Louis fall season. Reciting poetry onstage is an opportunity to publicly celebrate the accomplishments of SCORES youth, while enhancing their confidence and public speaking skills.
Come watch our young poets shine!
*Financial assistance for the 2011 Poetry SLAM has been provided by Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.
Watch a musical masterpiece in progress! The Jefferson Elementary poet-athletes shared their inspiration and their voices while recording with Dave Berg at Shock City Studios last week. See above for a highlight video featuring selections from "I Can Be What I Wanna Be". Check out the feature article on STL Today's Club Soccer site. We thank ASCAP for another phenomenal experience, and Dave Berg for giving of his time and his talent! "I had an amazing time writing and recording a song with the kids. The unabashed spirit and joy in their voices flew right off of the speakers and reminded me of what music is all about. It's food for the soul, and right now mine feels like it's Thanksgiving and it just had seconds." - Dave Berg
After a very successful recording session at Shock City Studios, our poet-athletes have created an original song with Dave Berg, inspired by their poems! Stay tuned for the full music video! Check out below for a thank you video our Jefferson Elementary poet-athletes have dedicated to Dave:
We thank Dave Berg for sharing his musical talents and our Jefferson poet-athletes for sharing their creative voice this week! See above for a video clip of Dave and the students making music together yesterday at Jefferson Elementary, and see below for a sneak peek at some of the original lyrics Dave wrote based on their poetry! Tonight, Dave will record their original song with our poet-athletes at Shock City Studios. Stay tuned for some inspired music!
I left Nashville in the eve driving all night long
SCORES youth from Jefferson Elementary will have the opportunity to put their poetry to music next week, recording original songs with famous country songwriter Dave Berg made possible by ASCAP (The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers.) The America SCORES ASCAP Songwriter Residency is a mentorship program that provides a platform for songwriters to engage and inspire elementary and middle school students in under-resourced neighborhoods. For a sneak peak, see the music video above created by our Walbridge poet-athletes.
America SCORES youth create and perform original poetry each year, improving literacy by engaging in a creative writing curriculum after school. Dave Berg will help our poet-athletes integrate music into their creative writing, while giving their work a platform to be heard. He will lead songwriting classes with Jefferson Elementary poet-athletes, and the students will then record their original song with him at Shock City Studios . The finished song will be included on a special compilation CD that ASCAP produces and distributes to schools in the SCORES network as well as to members of the music industry.
Dave says, "I'm really looking forward to the ASCAP @ America SCORES program in St. Louis. I feel honored to be a part of it. Music is such a powerful thing and I truly believe it can be a life changer. It was for me….. this program gives [kids] a voice that can provide a spark for their spirit that will inspire far beyond the music itself." You can read more about Dave and our upcoming songwriter residency on the Music Industry News Network.
Our SCORES youth at Barack Obama Elementary had a great time helping the First Lady set the Guinness World Record for the most jumping jacks in a 24 hour period, as part of Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" initative. U.S. National Player Becky Sauerbrunn returned from a recent trip to the White House to lead our SCORES youth in the record attempt last week, along with thousands of children across the nation. Our record attempt was featured on the front page of the St. Louis American, and on STL Today's STLClubSoccer.com.
We are also pleased to announce our Jefferson Elementary SCORES team will put their poetry to music with famed singer/songwriter Dave Berg next week, made possible by American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Read more about Dave's upcoming songwriter residency with our youth on ASCAP's website!
We had a fantastic time celebrating soccer and healthy lifestyles at our season kickoff event, Fall Frenzy! Click here for our full photo album of the event. Our youth learned soccer drills from the SLU women's club soccer team, practiced Thai Chi, yoga, and Zumba with professional instructors, and engaged in interactive nutition games with Operation Food Search and Whole Foods. All cheered on the SLU vs. WashU club soccer game at the new Medical Center Stadium, and SLU Campus Recreation volunteers did face painting and helped with all activities!
Our SCORES youth were featured in STL Today and in SLU News after the event. We thank all of our partners for helping us start our fall season off on the right foot! Stay tuned for photos from U.S. Women's National Player Becky Sauerbrunn's appearance at Barack Obama Elementary and our game day this week to talk about her World Cup experience, leading soccer clinics with the First Lady at the White House, and injury prevention! Read more about Becky on STLClubSoccer.com!
Our annual Fall Frenzy unites over 200 SCORES youth to celebrate soccer, health and wellness with the community. This year, on Friday, September 30th from 4pm-7:30pm, the Fall Frenzy will be the first event hosted at the new Saint Louis University Medical Center Stadium at Compton off Chouteau.
Soccer drills from the SLU womens' club soccer team, yoga, crafts, face painting, music, and health and wellness activities are available to all. We welcome you to join us Friday as we kick off our SCORES season!
On September 10, 2011, soccer players from the St. Louis metro area came together at Saint Louis University to kick off the St. Louis soccer season at the 1st annual Great St. Louis Soccer Dribble. The Honorable Mayor Francis G. Slay served as Honorary Chairman for this inaugural event, and Bill McDermott served as MC.
"Soccer is an institution that spans generations here in St. Louis," said Pete Spanos, America SCORES St. Louis board member and owner of Vetta Sports complexes. "We saw the need for an event to pull together soccer players and teams from around the area to kick off the season. And we decided to add some fun and excitement to it while we were at it."
Photos courtesy of Steve Ley
All proceeds raised at the event benefited America SCORES St. Louis, a non-profit youth development program that brings soccer, poetry, and service learning to urban youth.
Honorary Chairman Mayor Francis Slay says: "America SCORES St. Louis provides a strong model for youth development. Through the unique combination of soccer, poetry, and community service, they are providing opportunities for poet-athletes to be successful throughout their lives as students, citizens, and leaders."
"We were thrilled to host America SCORES St. Louis as it continues its mission of engaging and educating St. Louis area youth," Saint Louis director of athletics Chris May said.
Two of our very own poet-athletes, Marcus J. of Jefferson Elementary (pictured with Apollo's famous lucky wood) and Joschula P. of Patrick Henry Downtown Academy (pictured with Michael Jackson's nameplate), performed their original poetry along with other SCORES poet-athletes from across the nation at the Apollo Theater in New York on Monday evening! Video of their great poetry performances, including back-up dancing with Martha Reeves, is coming soon. Please take a moment to read the original poems they performed:
New York, The Empire State
(By Joschula P, Grade 6, Patrick Henry Downtown Academy)
I think everyone has a dream, a wish, a goal, a desire.
It might be to meet a celebrity
Or to do something great that everyone will remember them for.
Then some people are adventurous, bold, daring, a risk-taker. That’s like me.
I want to be free, free to have fun, free to explore, free to go to new places.
A new place far from St. Louis, a place with that feeling that make your insides
Tingle with excitement whenever you even think about it.
New York, The Empire State!
Now there’s a place that’s full of excitement.
So much to hear, see, taste, smell and feel.
I heard that great people like Denzel Washington, Eddie Murphy,
And even Sammy Davis, Jr. were born there.
I see the Statue of Liberty, the Mets, and the famous Empire State Building.
I taste New York style pizza with bubbling cheese on top of thin fresh baked crusts.
I smell hot dogs from hot dog stands, the aroma begging me to come take a bite.
And last, but not least, I feel my hand on a sheet of paper, reading a poem called,
As many of you already know, America SCORES has been selected by Best Buy as one of four nonprofits eligible to win $250,000 between now and August 1st. In order to win this money, we need teens (13-18) to sign up to the Best Buy @15 campaign and vote for America SCORES.
Please follow this link and sign up to the America SCORES Best Buy @15 Fan Page. In addition, if you or someone you know is between the ages of 13-18 and you think they might like to join our TEEN EMPOWERMENT COMMITTEE, please contact me (Matt Menietti) at 314-533-0302 or email me at mmenietti@americascores.org.
The three nonprofits we are competing against are YMCA, Room to Read, and The Truth. For us to have a chance at winning this money, we really need your help! Please let us know if you know any teens that might like to participate in a fun summer project, either by themselves or with a few of their friends, and help raise money for America SCORES.
Over the last few months, the Inspired Art Planning Committee and America SCORES St. Louis have put countless hours into making this event possible. We're less than 3 weeks away from the big event and we're all very excited to see community members, artists, parents, supporters, friends, and family come out to celebrate and recognize our young poet-athletes.
I (Matt Menietti, the man behind the curtain, rather, the keyboard) wanted to highlight two of our recent submissions to give you a taste of what kind of art will be displayed at the art show.
Our guest artist, internationally renowned for his work and a resident of Missouri, is Ibiyinka Alao. Ibiyinka submitted a piece that is matched with a piece entitled "Tall as a Tree".
We partner with urban schools to provide a team-based program that integrates soccer, poetry and service-learning, inspiring youth to lead healthy lives, be engaged students, and have the confidence and character to make a difference in the world.
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