America SCORES Milwaukee | 7101 W Good Hope Road | Milwaukee, WI 53223 | 414.358.2510
© 2010 America SCORES Milwaukee
As an elementary student, Silverio (10 years old) is faced with a lot of challenges. He attends a school where the free or reduced lunch rate is 94%, and fewer than half of the children meet state proficiency in reading and language arts. What's more, is Silverio is an
English Language Learner. This means that despite the already tough struggles he may face during the school day, he must work even harder to keep up with his fellow students. America SCORES Milwaukee is there to help Silverio, with his academics and his physical health.
Attending the only SCORES school that has grass to play soccer on, if you asked Silverio what his favorite part about SCORES is, he would undoubtedly say SOCCER! And even though he enjoys playing on the SCORES team with his friends, he knows that in order to be the soccer star he wants to be, he must attend writing sessions twice per week. With this in mind, Silverio attended 100% of SCORES creative writing sessions last season. With the extra effort put in on writing days, Silverio is allowed to take part in weekly soccer games against other SCORES schools.
Here is an onomatopoeia poem (a poem using words that sound like the objects they name or the sounds those objects make) he recently wrote:
"The Yellow Popcorn"
Pop, pop, pop
Went the yellow corn
Flop, flop, flop
The popcorn drops to the floor
Swish, swish, swish
I had to sweet up the corn
No more yellow pop corn on the floor!
By attending SCORES five days per week, Silverio is benefiting from additional classroom time with licensed instructors, and becoming more physically fit -- all while having fun. In fact, SCORES kids love participating and have consistently held a 95% attendance rate.
Numerous other children just like Silverio take part in SCORES each year. The more you get involved, the more children America SCORES Milwaukee can serve!
Just a few short years ago, Karla (10 years old) did not know how to speak English. She is also faced with the harsh reality that 1 in 3 children are obese. Although she faces these challenges of keeping up in school as an English Language Learner, and maintaining her health, Karla continues to excel in all aspects of her life.
Of SCORES participants, 89% do not have any other structured after-school activities available to them. Especially as a girl in Milwaukee's central-city, Karla is one of few who have the opportunity to participate in team sports. America SCORES Milwaukee provides her that opportunity -- as she takes part five days per week in soccer practices, creative writing sessions, and weekly soccer games. Karla takes interest in both the writing and soccer aspects of SCORES. With the determination and extra classroom time with licensed teachers, she was chosen to travel to New York City to recite her poetry at the New York Stock Exchange in April 2010.
Writing poetry in the Fall, and planning and implementing community service projects in the Spring, Karla is a tremendous role model for the other children at her school. With her teammates, the SCORES children were able to voice their concerns about the nutrition options available during the lunch hour. As their community service project, Karla and 15 other girls were not only able to get more fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grains served during lunch, but they also held informational sessions for all of the children at their school. During these sessions, SCORES students demonstrated the benefits of eating a healthy, well-rounded diet in comparison to a fatty, sugar-filled diet.
One of Karla's recent poems clearly demonstrate the abilities of the children in our communities urban schools:
“Goal”
Enthusiastically we'll scream
In the middle of the field,
Leaving behind the effort and profound love we feel.
With perseverance we'll achieve,
The challenge we face today, because we're
A team full of dreams, enthusiasm and eagerness to win.
Hooray for our team that will always try to be
the very best there is to beat.
Soccer sounds pretty good indeed.
For me is the sport that lives in my heart.
PLAYERS TO THE FIELD!!!!!!!!
Soccer is our pride
In the field we'll demonstrate
With effort and perseverance we'll show that we are great.
America SCORES Milwaukee is only possible because of the generous contributions of our supporters. There are hundreds of children just like Karla and Silverio right here in the Milwaukee community that could benefit from SCORES programming. Please take a moment to donate and to see the numerous opportunities to get involved!
