Patrick J. Kennedy School fourth grader Brian Mancia was selected to participate in the America SCORES National Poetry Slam as the sole representative of Boston Scores, a soccer and enrichment program for grades K-12.
The America SCORES National Poetry Slam will feature poet-athletes representing 12 SCORES affiliates across North America including Boston, the Bay Area, Chicago, Cleveland, DC, LA, Milwaukee, New York, Portland, Seattle, St. Louis, and Vancouver.
Mancia and other students will travel to Washington, D.C. on Saturday, March 21, for workshops and city tours with other poet athletes. The National Poetry Slam will take place on Sunday, March 22 from 11:30 am-1 p.m. at The Kennedy Center.
“My first reaction when I heard that I was going to Washington DC was craziness,” said Mancia. “I was jumping and hopping around my house – I couldn’t believe that I was going to Washington DC and that I am the only student from Boston going.”
Mancia was chosen to represent Boston through a competition at Regional Slams. Mancia traveled to New York City, N.Y. on Saturday, February 8, to perform at the Nuyorican Poets’ Cafe with three other Boston Scores students and other competitors from DC Scores and America Scores New York.
Mancia was selected to advance to the National Slam as a showcase event due to a combination of his scores from the Regional Slam and his embodiment of the Boston Scores values of Teamwork, Leadership, and Commitment.
“Brian represents the true spirit of a gentleman with a compassionate soul for his classmates. He is a perfect fit for this honor,” said Cynthia Grant-Carter, Mancia’s former third grade teacher and current SCORES coach.
Mancia and the three other Boston Scores students who competed in the Regional Slam were selected by their coaches from over 400 students in elementary program. In the fall, students spend eight weeks creating poems with their teams before performing at the historic Strand Theatre in Dorchester.
“It is such an honor that a student from East Boston was chosen to attend,” said Kennedy Principal Kristen Goncalves. “Brian is a hardworking student who always gives his greatest efforts in both his academics and on the soccer field. He and his family are strong supporters of PJ Kennedy and are active in our school community. We are so proud!”
Boston Scores provides urban youth with team-based education programs that foster their health & well-being, academic achievement, and civic engagement. Our innovative blend of soccer, academic enrichment, and civic engagement programs improves students’ health, academic engagement, and global citizenship. Scores reaches almost 2,000 youth each year and is one of the largest and fastest growing school-based afterschool programs in the city of Boston.