Posted June 11, 2013

Fifty North Philadelphia children flexed their math muscles on Saturday, June 8, at the Cardinal Bevilacqua Community Center in Kensington by using baseball as a way to teach math concepts. 

The Fantasy Baseball tournament was the culminating event for more than 100 fourth- to eighth-grade students of local public and parochial schools and community-based organizations.

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They spent the last four months using the program to build fantasy teams, analyze data and play simulated baseball games with their peers, all while demonstrating their math ability on baseball statistics and developing critical thinking and decision-making skills.

Fifty youths who excelled in their respective after-school programs qualified to play in Saturday’s tournament. Following five competitive rounds and a championship game, the winners took home prizes.

The tournament, sponsored by Catholic Social Services (CSS) of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in partnership with Congreso de Latinos Unidos and Communities in Schools, is a pilot program of the organizations offered as an academic enrichment activity in their citywide after-school programs.

CSS operates 12 Out of School Time (OST) programs that offer after-school and summer enrichment activities to at-risk youths in grades K through 12. These programs serve more than 2,000 children and youths annually at Catholic parish-based elementary schools as well as CSS-operated Family Service Centers across the City of Philadelphia.

Their purpose is to to enrich the lives of children, youth and families by providing educational programs and services focused on community residents who confront high rates of poverty and other barriers to educational achievement and social success.

Learn more about the Out of School Time programs here.