City Springs Eagles Participate in All State Middle School Combine

Four City Springs Eagles football players participated in the All-State Middle School Combine in Jessup, Maryland on October 28th. Two of the four players earned awards for Best Wide Receiver & Best Running Back.

The Middle School Combine offers youth football players from grades 6th-8th throughout the state an opportunity to be tested and evaluated by the top High School coaches from the region, searching for the next cream of the crop of talent; while also participating in an elite combine experience.

"A lot of great high school coaches were present," said City Springs Coach Antoine Lewis.

"Our boys got a lot of exposure and feedback."

The event was powered by Next Level Nation, a company that promotes character, discipline, and integrity in youth athletics.

Congratulations to our students and thank you to Next Level Nation for hosting this event. Special thanks to Coach Lewis for making the trip possible.

City Springs Football Team Visits FSU

 City Springs Elementary/Middle School's new middle grades tackle football team visited Frostburg State University on Friday, August 10th.  They practiced with the football team and toured the university. City Springs Head Coach and para professional Antoine Lewis organized the trip. It was a great day for the kids. They were very impressed with the facilities at the University and thrilled to practice with a college team! We'd like to thank Frostburg State University for giving our kids this amazing opportunity.

City Springs wants to turn dilapidated schoolyard into sports complex

The community recently opened a football field, but school wants place for kids to play


By Liz Bowie, The Baltimore Sun
4:43 PM EST, January 2, 2012

Most mornings, students arrive early at City Springs Elementary/Middle School to throw a football around on the blacktop. They love the game, but it is hard to play in the raggedy yard behind the school.

The students of the school had a plan back in 2007. A group wrote a letter and gathered signatures, then handed it to the principal at a morning assembly.

"The complex outside has many things wrong with it," they wrote. "It is outlined with a very uneven grass, it has broken glass on the rocky concrete, a broken gate, a swing set without swings, a basketball court with only one goal and it is very trashy. This needs to be fixed because many children hurt themselves on the complex. … We can have a football field, basketball court, a swing set and a gate to keep intruders [out]."

The principal listened and so did the adults in the community. From the students' vision has come a new regulation-size football field dedicated recently that will serve as a place for sports teams in the neighborhood. Built with a $100,000 grant from the NFL to Living Classrooms Foundation and $135,000 from the city's Department of Recreation and Parks, the field also was supported by the Ravens.

But the football field was built a block away from City Springs because the school grounds were not large enough to accommodate a 100-yard playing field. And because the field is fenced, the students don't have access to it every morning.

Six schools, including a high school, Freedom Academy, are nearby and have teams that need a field. City Springs has an intramural flag football team, as well as a soccer and basketball team for its middle-schoolers.

"I feel good about the field that has been given to the community, but I get out of my car every day and I look at that field [at the school], and it looks the same as it did four years ago," said the principal, Rhonda Richetta. "I feel I have let the kids down."

The space behind the school is large enough to hold everything the students in 2007 imagined as well as a track for running, according to Larry Schugam, the executive vice president and chief development officer for the Baltimore Curriculum Project, which operates City Springs as a charter school.

Schugam developed a master plan for the area several years ago, and he said he and Richetta are hoping to reconvene the committee that worked on the football field to build a sports complex behind City Springs. Schugam said they hope to raise more money — he estimates the cost at between $500,000 and $800,000 — to provide good facilities.

The school could reach out to the community and local businesses, as well as the NFL Local Initiatives Support Coalition Grassroots Program, which provided funding for the first field. Schugam said the new field would be 80 yards long rather than 100 yards, but still provide plenty of space for elementary and middle-school students.

City Springs students are particularly interested in sports, Richetta said, and at times she has considered whether the school should have a particular focus on athletics.

"There is a lot of talent at City Springs, and we are not tapping into it. It is tragic," she said.

Right now the school, with about 600 students, can devote little time to athletics. Every student takes physical education for one 45-minute period a week. In addition, students can go outside once a week during lunch to play on the blacktop. Richetta said the grassy field with a few trees behind the school is off-limits to her students because it is scattered with broken glass, trash and needles discarded by drug users. Only on the days that she goes out with her gloves to clean up the area can her students play there.

If the students' dream is realized, Schugam said, the area will be fenced. Parents and other residents are interested in the project, and he said the school would have no trouble finding responsible adults in the neighborhood who would be willing to open the area for the community. But first, there's a lot of money to raise.

liz.bowie@baltsun.com
www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/education/bs-md-ci-city-springs-sports-20120101,0,5040528.story
baltimoresun.com

Copyright © 2012, The Baltimore Sun

City Springs Field: A Dream Fullfilled

Baltimore, MD - 12/28/11 - On November 29th, 2011 the Baltimore Ravens joined Living Classrooms Foundation, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young, the NFL/Local Initiatives Support Coalition (LISC) Grassroots Program and several former Colts players for the dedication of a new football field at City Springs Park. The field will offer more than 2,000 youth every year a safe place to exercise, play team sports and receive wraparound services.

The newly renovated City Springs Football Field features a regulation-size football field that will be used for physical education activities during the school day and will provide youth with safe and supervised recreation during the critical after-school hours.

The City Springs School Drug-Free Soul Steppers and Hampstead Hill Academy's Drum Line performed at the dedication.

Baltimore Ravens players and cheerleaders hosted a Play 60 football skills clinic for 125 students immediately following the press conference. The NFL's Play 60 campaign is designed to encourage kids to be active for at least 60 minutes a day in order to help reverse the trend of childhood obesity.

"Our students are very excited about this brand new field," said City Springs Principal Rhonda Richetta.

"We have been running an intramural flag-football league for several years. This field will help take the league to the next level."

The City Springs Flag Football League's fall 2011 season was funded by a grant from the Ravens All Community Team Foundation.

Public/Private Partnership

Funding for the City Springs Football Field was initiated by an NFL/LISC Grassroots grant of $100,000 to Living Classrooms, that was supported by the Baltimore Ravens and matched with funding from Baltimore City Recreation and Parks of $153,000.

This unique public and private partnership in the form of an Adopt-a-Field Agreement has designated Living Classrooms Foundation as the operator of the field by Baltimore City Recreation and Parks. As the designated operator, Living Classrooms will provide both the maintenance of this high quality athletic field and programming focusing on health and wellness for the East Baltimore Community.

The Dream...

The dream of a City Springs football field began in 2007 when a group of City Springs students presented Principal Rhonda Richetta with a petition at the school's daily morning assembly. The petition urged her to repair the run-down field, playground and basketball courts adjacent to the school.

"We really want to play football. We will not hit any cars. We will come in on time. We will not come in after 8:00 and ask for breakfast. We will also consider safety first. We will also not disrespect any adults that tell us to come in. We will also have our shirts tucked in... The complex outside has many things wrong with it. It is outlined with a very uneven grass, it has broken glass on the rocky concrete, a broken gate, a swing set without swings, a basketball court with only one goal and it is very trashy. This needs to be fixed because many children hurt themselves on the complex...we can have a football field, basketball court, a swing set and a gate to keep intruders out and to keep our fellow peers safe. This will benefit our school because our children will be more safe and will be able to stay healthy."

In response to this request, Principal Richetta and Baltimore Curriculum Project Executive Vice President Larry Schugam assembled an energetic planning team, which included Kevin Atkinson (BRE Construction), Michael Carter (BCPS Parent Engagement Office), Talib Horne (Living Classrooms Foundation), Blaine Lipski (BCPS Department of Facilities), Erin McVay (Legislative Aide to City Councilman Jim Kraft), Alison Perkins-Cohen (formely of the Baltimore Curriculum Project), David Pennington (Colliers Pinkard), Lucy Price (formerly of Colliers Pinkard), and Kinji Scott (Citizens for Washington Hill)

The team met regularly to flesh out the vision for a sports complex, discuss logistics, and develop a fundraising plan. BCP secured Community Investment Tax Credits and in October 2008 the Little Italy Bocce Rollers Association hosted a Bocce Tournament to raise funds for the project.

After determining that the sports complex could not easily accommodate a regulation-size football field, the team developed a master plan to build a regulation-size field in nearby City Springs Park and a "feeder" field for elementary-age football in the original location; complete with a track, basketball courts, and playground.

"After picking up the schematics for City Springs Park from the City Planning Department and determining that a regulation-size field would fit; I developed an albeit amateur design for a football field in City Springs Park," said Larry Schugam.

Living Classrooms

With said design in hand, Living Classrooms took the lead to meet with Rec and Parks and apply for a LISC grant to develop the regulation-size field in City Springs Park. The rest is history.

"We are incredibly grateful to Living Classrooms, the Ravens, Rec and Parks, and LISC for developing this beautiful field just a block from our school," said Rhonda Richetta.

"It is amazing what can happen when schools like City Springs and nonprofits like the Baltimore Curriculum Project and Living Classrooms work together."

Phase Two

Now that the students at City Springs have a regulation field within walking distance, the school and BCP have turned their attention to the dilapidated park next to the school.

"We hope that this investment in City Springs Park and the attention it has drawn to this part of East Baltimore will spark greater interest among local businesses and foundations in developing our original vision for the City Spring Sports Complex," said Muriel Berkeley.

In the park next to City Springs School the swing set still has no swings; the basketball courts still have only one basket; and the concrete is still broken.

As Principal Richetta gazes at park, all she sees is potential.

"With wonderful partners like Living Classrooms and the Ravens, no dream is beyond our reach."