Philly students score big at chess Supernationals!

The quadrennial K-12 Supernationals chess tournament took place April 5-7 in Nashville, TN, and Philadelphia had a fantastic showing. ASAP is proud to report that the Masterman Middle School team won the K-8 grade championship!

In addition to Masterman's win, Philadelphia's other students also did extremely well despite facing over 6000 competitors. George Washington's team was the 15th place team in the country's second highest section overall! Team member William Yang tied for 30th place with Paul Robeson Chess Club member Marquise Edge in the K-12 U1200 section. The Minor Threats were the 28th place team in the K-5 U900 division, and team member Tahvon Hughes tied for 35th place in that division! Finally, again from the Paul Robeson Chess Club, Bobby Fishburn-Spivery was 30th place in the K-5 U900 division, and the Mastery-Shoemaker team came in 27th in the K-12 U1200 section.

The Philadelphia Chess Society, made up of the Paul Robeson Chess Club, the Minor Threats Chess Club, the Academy at Palumbo HS/Bella Vista Chess Club, the George Washington HS Chess Club, and the Blair Bishops Chess Club, raised $11,000 to attend the event, and ASAP couldn't be more thrilled for their amazing accomplishments.

Check it out: ASAP featured on CNN!

Every four years chess supernationals brings together the best elementary, middle and high school chess players for a national championship. This year ASAP is helping some of our most talented chess players attend and compete. CNN recently covered these talented students and their quest to raise funds for their trip to Nashville, TN.

Watch CNN's clip here and go to the Philadelphia Chess Society's website to help them fund their trip to nationals. You can also donate by sending check to ASAP with 'Philadelphia Chess Society' in the memo field.

ASAP partners with school district and city to ease school closings.

As 23 Philadelphia public schools face closure, the need for engaging after school programs has never been greater. ASAP is partnering with the City of Philadelphia and the School District of Philadelphia to ensure that transitioning students have access to safe and stimulating after school programs like Chess, Scrabble, Drama and Debate, all of which have been associated with academic gains. After school programs also give new students a way to make friends, get involved in the school's culture and develop relationships with adult mentors.

You can help ASAP provide after school opportunities to receiving schools and transitioning students by volunteering to lead an after school club or by making a tax deductible donation.

McCall Scrabble club prepares for the Winter Classic.

On January 14th, 2013, McCall Elementary had its last Scrabble Club meeting before the big Winter Classic Scrabble Tournament! This is the first year the Scrabble Club has been running at McCall and with the help of their club leaders Ms. Hope Pomerantz and Ms. Kathy Phillips they've been having a lot of fun learning the ins and outs of the game. At the Scrabble Winter Classic on January 24th, almost 200 students from 14 schools will sharpen their wordsmithing in two rounds of competition in the School District Atrium at 440 N. Broad.

You can check out photos of last year's Winter Classic on ASAP's facebook page here. For more information on ASAP's Scrabble initiative or to start a club please contact Leah Wright at 215-545-2727 ext. 13.

Philadelphia Scholastic Debate League announces winners!

On December 19th the Philadelphia Scholastic Debate League wrapped up its 10 week season with a finals match at the University of Pennsylvania. 80 Students from 14 public and charter high schools around Philadelphia competed at the finals round for awards in both the novice and varsity division. Over the course of the season over 200 students from 24 schools competed against each other, taking advantage of the academic and social benefits of debate. This year, two students from Masterman High School took home first place at the varsity level while a team from Girls High dominated the novice league. Bodine and Masterman tied for the top overall school in the league. For more detailed results, check out our debate page. ASAP also offers spring competition events for debate at both the middle and high school level.

Check out pictures of the event on ASAP's facebook page here and read the full league standings on ASAP's debate page. For more information on ASAP's debate initiative or to start a debate team please contact Meg Hess-Homeier at 215-545-2727 ext. 10.

Queen of Katwe visits Philadelphia chess players.

On Saturday, December 1st, Phiona Mutesi, 3-time Women's Junior Chess Champion of Uganda spoke to a rapt audience of about 45 aspiring girl chess-players, parents, and coaches about her incredible journey from the slums of Katwe, Uganda, to international chess fame. The event kicked off another cycle of 9Queens Academy, a five part series which provides free expert chess instruction for young female players. Phiona and her coach, Robert Katende, shared stories of challenge, persistence and triumph, then fielded questions from the girls on everything from their favorite chess openings to their favorite new American food. Afterward Jen Shahade, 2-time U.S. Women's Champion and regular instructor of the 9Queens Academy, reviewed some of Phiona's tournament games with the students. The event culminated in Phiona leading her first-ever chess simul against several of the young participants.

A number of the girls were awarded free-copies of the new book about Phiona; "The Queen of Katwe: A Story of Life, Chess, and One Extraordinary Girl's Dream of Becoming a Grandmaster" by Tim Crothers, and all were given the opportunity to get autographs and pictures with the inspiring young champion. The 9Queens Academy will continue to meet monthly through April 2013.

Check out pictures of the event on ASAP's facebook page here. For more information on ASAP's chess initiative please contact Ben Cooper at 215-545-2727 ext. 17.

ASAP and Philadelphia Film Society to host screening of Brooklyn Castle.

On Wednesday, October 24th, ASAP, in partnership with the Philadelphia Film Society, is co-hosting the Philadelphia Premiere of Brooklyn Castle, a compelling documentary about the challenges and triumphs facing members of a junior high school's champion chess team. Watch the Brooklyn Castle trailer here.

Some of Philly's finest young chess players will kick-off the event with friendly matches in the lobby of the Prince Theater at 5pm. The film begins at 5:30pm, followed by a panel discussion with the film's director moderated by ASAP's Executive Director Justin Ennis.


To purchase tickets to the screening and panel discussion, please click here. For more information on ASAP's chess initiative please contact Ben Cooper at 215-545-2727 ext. 17.

ASAP and the Phillies Hit an After School Home Run!

ASAP and the Phillies have teamed up to make a video grand slam for Philadelphia viewers this fall. The Phillies are strong supporters of ASAP and have hosted the Chess League finals for the past few seasons. Upon hearing that some Phillies players enjoy the game of chess when they're not throwing, catching, or batting, ASAP hit a double for chess leaguers and major leaguers, bringing the two together at home plate. This inter-league play led to an exciting video that can be found here.

Also tune in to Comcast Sports Net's BEHIND THE PINSTRIPES on SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30th, at 1 PM to see ASAP's Executive Director Justin Ennis team up with the Phillies to promote chess.


For more information on ASAP's chess initiative please contact Ben Cooper at 215-545-2727 ext. 17.

A City Priority: Keeping Kids Safe and Active After School

On Wednesday, September 12, ASAP staff members spent the morning handing out ASAP's annual Directory of After School Activities to commuters at the Clothespin statue at 15th and Market Streets. In addition to the 700 copies that ASAP staff distributed, the Directory was also released as part of that day's Philadelphia Daily News. This year's Directory is the largest to date, highlighting more than 1,000 after school programs, and was praised as a key resource for families by Mayor Nutter at the Out of School Time Summit on September 11th. ASAP's efforts were featured in the Philadelphia Public School Notebook and on KYW!

The Directory is organized by zip code and contains up-to-date activity information for parents, caregivers, and other youth workers. The online version (which can be accessed by clicking 'directory' and 'find a program' above) will be updated regularly with new program inforamtion. Please contact ASAP if you would like a hard copy or to request multiple copies to distribute to parents and families. To download the directory, click here.


For more information or to request copies, please contact Reni Ellis at 215-545-2727 ext. 12.

Summer Chess Day 2012

On a hot July afternoon, almost 60 participants in the Philadelphia Youth Chess Challenge gathered in the atrium at the Shops at Liberty Place in Center City to play chess and raise awareness about summer out-of-school-time programming. Students and coaches from clubs across the city played informal chess matches against one another and welcomed challenges from the lunch-time crowd making its way through the stores and eatery at Liberty Place.

Many passing professionals wanted to play a quick game-some requested matches against the strongest students present while others merely wanted to shake the rust off their chess game against novice players. Either way, ASAP's chess students were happy to oblige. ASAP staff also distributed flyers about the afterschool programming available in the city to an interested and grateful public. ASAP chess club students showed the public the value of after school and summer programming.


If you have any questions about ASAP's chess programming please contact Ben Cooper at 215-545-2727 ext. 17.

Help ASAP improve the website!

Thanks for supporting After School Activities Partnerships! We are in the process of updating our website and are looking to learn how you would like to use our website and what we can do to improve your experience. Please take 5 minutes to complete a brief survey. The results will help us improve our service to the families of Philadelphia. To take the survey, please click here.


If you have any questions about ASAP's website or this survey, please contact Meg Hess-Homeier at 215-545-2727 ext. 10.

How to use the ASAP Directory.

This year, as a result of reduced School District-sponsored summer programming, many parents have been instructed to use ASAP's Directory to find contact information for sites that might provide summer programs for their children. The directory can be found here on our website by clikcing on 'Directory' and 'Find a Program.' Many (though not all) of the programs listed in ASAP's Directory provide summer programming in addition to their school year offerings. All libraries, recreation centers and OST (Out of School Time) sites provide summer programming. The directory is organized by zip code to help families find programs that are conveniently located, whether near the home, a grandparents' house or parent's place of work. Each program listed in the directory is different. Some will offer full-day programming while others may offer shorter enrichment activities. Many of the programs listed are either free of charge or low-cost. Please call the programs that interest you or your child to get more details. If you have questions about using ASAP's directory you can reach an ASAP staff member at 215-545-2727.

ASAP Chess teams compete at the State Chess Tournament!

On March 2nd ASAP Chess teams will travel Carlisle, PA to compete in the State Chess Championship. After the excitement of the Chess League Finals at Citizen's Bank Park many students are eager to compete at the state level. ASAP is sponsoring 81 students from 12 different Chess teams, and even more Philadelphia students are traveling to the State tournament un-sponsored. To see the results of the Chess League finals, check out our facebook page here. Results from the State Tournament will also be posted on facebook.


For more information on ASAP Chess contact Ben Cooper at 215-545-2727 ext. 17.

ASAP debate teams compete at the district speech and debate qualifying meet!

On February 25th, 16 students from 6 different Philadelphia Scholastic Debate League high schools competed at the speech and debate district qualifier tournament. The tournament was sponsored by the Pennsylvania High School Speech League and hosted by St. Joseph's Preparatory Academy. Of the ASAP affiliated schools, a debate team from Franklin Towne Charter High School qualified to compete at the State Tournament! Congratulations to Kim Pyatt and Jacob Glatts and good luck at the State Tournament at Susquehanna University!


For more information on ASAP debate contact Meg Hess-Homeier at 215-545-2727 ext. 10.

ASAP hosts Scrabble® Winter Classic at the School District!!

On January 26th ASAP hosted the Scrabble Winter Classic at the School District Atrium. Over 150 students from 15 different schools competed in two rounds of Scrabble. After the rounds, students received prizes for high scoring plays and exemplary education-related words. Students from Martha Washington Elementary, Howe Elementary, Prince Hall Elementary, Girls High and Vaux Promise Academy took home prizes. The best education word was 'Learn' played by a middle school team from Duckrey School.

CBS3 reported on the event, check out the article here.

For more information on Scrabble contact Marshall Bright at 215-545-2727 ext. 12.

ASAP Spring Training Schedule

ASAP is currently recruiting and training Scrabble, Chess and Drama club leaders. Volunteers interested in starting new clubs and after school staffers interested in bringing new activities to their existing programming should attend one of our upcoming trainings.
Scrabble Trainings: Feb. 2nd and 16th, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Chess Training: Feb.16th, 9:00am-10:45am
Drama Training: Feb. 9th, 4:00pm-6:00pm

For more information on ASAP programs or to RSVP for a training, contact Marshall Bright at 215-545-2727 ext. 12.

ASAP Directory Update

ASAP's online directory is currently undergoing technical difficulties. If you have trouble accessing the directory online, click here to access a PDF copy. You can also request a hard-copy of the directory by contacting Marshall Bright at 215-545-2727 ext. 12.

Philadelphia Chess League Hosts Second Tournament

On Saturday, December 17th Mastery Charter School, Shoemaker Campus hosted the second ASAP Chess Tournament of the year. 200 students in grades K-12 competed in 5 rounds of competitive chess matches in the non-rated sections and four rounds in the rated sections. This event was only possible because of the hard work of parents and coaches. Thank you for ensuring that our young people are having the best experience possible. Assistant Tournament Directors Caitlin and David were also integral to the success of this event. They managed registration, made pairings, supervised rounds, and made sure everything ran smoothly. A special thank you goes to Mastery Charter, Shoemaker Campus for volunteering their space and acting as a valued ASAP partner by hosting their third ASAP Chess Tournament in two years. Thank You! The next ASAP chess event will be the Family Chess Day on January 14th. For more information on ASAP chess, contact Frank White at 215-545-2727 ext. 18.

Philadelphia Scholastic Debate League Completes Season with Finals Round.

On Wednesday, December 14th the Philadelphia Scholastic Debate League hosted its finals competition at the University of Pennsylvania. 64 students from 13 schools were invited to compete with many more students observing. After an inspiring speech from District Attorney Seth Williams, students split up to begin competition. In the team competition, George Washington High School's A team came in 1st place, with Masterman A and Constitution A close behind. The top individual speakers (in order) were Desislava Gergishanova (George Washington), Raisa Masud (George Washington), Maia Reumann-Moore (Masterman) and Jeff Kessler (Science Leadership Academy). Masterman was awarded the school sweepstakes trophy, barely edging out Central High School. For more detailed results, check out ASAP's debate page, here. Debate rounds will continue in January when students will argue the whether the costs of a college education outweigh the benefits. For more information on debate, contact Meg Hess-Homeier at 215-545-2727 ext. 10.

Philadelphia Scholastic Debate League Starts Strong!

On October 12th the Philadelphia Scholastic Debate League began its 10 week competition season. Students from schools all over Philadelphia came to Central High School to debate the merits of public v. private funding for space exploration. After only three weeks of competition, over 100 students have debated with many more observing and preparing. The competition season will continue until the finals round on December 14th. For more information, contact Meg Hess-Homeier at 215-545-2727 ext. 10.

Scrabble ® Players Catch Phillies Phever at Fall Kick-Off

Philly Plays Scrabble® kicked off on Thurday, October 6 at the Greenfield Elementary School library at 2200 Chestnut Street when PICA Chairman Sam Katz (pictured) challenged Greenfield principal Dan Lazar to a game of Scrabble. They were joined by members of Greenfield’s Scrabble club, who engaged in friendly competition to celebrate another year of Scrabble. In honor of the Phillies post-season, students were awarded prizes for playing their best Phillies-related words. Top prizes went to two Greenfield students who played “stadiums” and “baseball.” The highest-scoring players also received prizes. Philly Plays Scrabble® is a citywide campaign aimed at creating volunteer-led youth Scrabble clubs in libraries, schools, and community and recreation centers that has organized over 100 Scrabble clubs with 1,200 kids playing weekly.

For more information, check out the ASAP blog here.

ASAP launches the after school directory with a press conference!

At 11 a.m. on Wednesday, September 14 Mayor Michael Nutter announced the release of the Directory of After School Enrichment Activities published by ASAP. The annual Directory release contains over 1,000 after school programs that keep kids active and engaged after school. These programs are vital in combating “flash mobs” and other unsafe, negative activities in which unsupervised and unengaged youth may become involved.

Published as a supplement to the Philadelphia Daily News, the Directory includes information on more than 1,000 after school programs in Philadelphia organized by zip code and is updated monthly on ASAP's website. Copies may be requested at mbright@phillyasap.org. ASAP is grateful to the sponsors, Deloitte and Independence Blue Cross, and the Philadelphia Daily News for understanding the crucial role this information plays in keeping Philadelphia youth safe.

To watch the press release, click here.

2010 Annual Chess Day at New Venue:
Please Touch Museum
ASAP’s Chess Challenge students got to show off their new chess skills at ASAP’s annual Chess Day held on May 19th at the Please Touch Museum, sponsored by Wachovia. About 190 students from 18 Chess Challenge clubs attended the event, where they were organized by skill level and given one directive: “play as many games against students from other schools as you can!” The students dove in with gusto, making new friends, and sharing new chess strategies and tricks. For many students, the Chess Day was their first opportunity to play against youth from other clubs and experience an informal tournament setting. Sheppard School Chess Coach Jamie Roberts was grateful for the unique opportunity afforded her students: “Many of my students come from high poverty backgrounds and don’t have a chance to attend events,” she said. “Chess has taught them critical thinking skills and consequences, which are so important in their lives.” The students also had a chance to tour the Please Touch Museum.