News & Events
2015-08-14 Summer Highlights
Davir Tyler traveled to England for the Universal Squash Camp. “I was proud to be chosen as SquashSmarts 2015 Ford Williams Scholar. I got to fly to England, stay with a host family, train at a world-class camp and meet kids from all over Europe. We finished with a tour of historic sites in London.”
Colesto Williams trained in Barcelona, Spain with Squash & Beyond. “Traveling, training and playing with kids from around the world was such fun. We stayed together, ate together, trained together in Barcelona and received coaching from top-notch international pros. It was truly an incredible way to spend the summer and improve my Spanish!”
Melissa Gray & Duane Rodgers studied at Philips Exeter Academy and the Taft School. “I got an A, A-, A-, B in my Studio Art, Environmental Science, Creative Writing and Psychology course; more importantly, the teachers made us take responsibility for our work and behavior each day – like waking up on time and eating a good breakfast. They taught us the small things are important to becoming the best possible student.”
Monisha Das represented Philly on the NUSEA Citizenship Tour. “It was so energizing to travel from New York to Washington with a van full of thoughtful, engaging kids from other urban programs. We got a tour of the White House, Ellis Island and NY Times building. Meeting with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and asking questions about our country’s education system was something I’ll never forget.”
Oscar Merino studied at the Williams College Summer Science Program. “I spent a month taking college prep courses and conducting stoichiometry experiments; the lab connected me to a great teacher who motivated me to focus on pre-med (and I hope will be my advisor!) when I head off to Williams this fall as a freshman.”
Raphael Mercado, Jose Zayas and Joshua Morales had an incredible time hiking, zip-lining and sharing their high school, college and career aspirations while breathing in the mountain air thanks to SquashSmarts Volunteers-of-the-Year Karen & George Gowen who hosted the trio in the Green Mountains.
Bairon & Dodanim Garcia soared at the NUSEA Doubles Discovery Camp in Denver, CO. “Spending a week playing singles and doubles at altitude was tough, but I think learning doubles improved the variety of shots I use on court. And going white-water rafting was a blast!”
National Urban Squash Championships. Nine alumni traveled to NYC to compete including Kalik Stanley, Tempest Bowden, Oscar Merino, Kareem Price, Mithun Das, Rabbi Awsan, Marcus Major, Monisha Das & Andrew Holliman
11th Annual Embrace Camp
30 students from Baltimore, Harlem, New Haven, Philadelphia, The Bronx and Toronto gathered at the Lenfest Center for a week of Service & Squash activities, including: daily squash and fitness training with guest pros; clean-up projects in Hunting Park; Philadelphia Outward Bound leadership training; progressive relaxation and visualization; site seeing on South Street, Reading Terminal & The Franklin Institute. Thanks to our Guest Instructors: Roy Mathunni, Ned Edwards, Jennifer Raymond, Alex Clark, Brandon Flores, Ben Hughes, Asad Khan.
Phillies Night
SquashSmarts Board Member Tom Mashek and the Philadelphia Phillies rolled at the red carpet for the NUSEA tour group (see above) treating the best-and-brightest in urban squash to an unforgettable evening meeting players on the field and viewing the game from a luxury box. Final Score: Phillies 3, Marlins 1!
Franklin Square Capital Partners
Franklin Square Capital Partners, a local investment management firm, volunteered with the girls and boys of SquashSmarts. Employees toured the SquashSmarts program and engaged in one-on-one “mirroring” conversations with our kids focusing on their school, work and communities. Students returned the favor by teaching the FSC volunteers a thing or two about squash. Thanks to Mia Fioravanti, Trevor McGuinness, Gray Gifford and David Hilton for helping FSC focus its energies on SquashSmarts.
Summer Volunteers
Thanks to all who coached, taught, lead workshops and spent time engaging our students: Alex Dubow, Anna Nehrbas, Anne Collier, Brandon Taylor, Brookie McIlvaine, Charlie Blumberg, Christina Snyder, Claire Overby, Clara Davis, nConnor Tatlow, Conor Drakely, Dan Shank, Daniel Ellert, Danielle Krawetz, David Hilton, Drew Clark, Gary Laughlin, George Edwards, Ginevra Czech, Grant Sterman, James Beach, Joe Wolgast, John Archbold, Josh Kohler, Judy Wisniewski, Kristine Westley, Kyhl Weber, Linnea Hughes, Margaret Burpee, Maximo Moyer, Meredith More, Nathan Anderson, Peter Light, Peter Rogers, Rebecca Scattergood, Robert Kaminski, Robert Skellenger, Sam LaCroce, Scott McConnell, Shannon Drakely, Trevor McGuinness, Tucker Twitmyer, William Means, William Wu, Zach Chalfont
To receive student updates electronically, please send your email address... Don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter!