School District of Philadelphia

At George Washington High School, ASAP Chess club isn’t just a fun place to go after school—it’s a much-needed alternative to other, non-school-sanctioned activities that often happen in the after school hours.

His teammate Jason, who first joined ASAP Chess in elementary school, agrees.

Besides keeping kids safe in the classroom, ASAP Chess also takes students to places far beyond the school walls—like the 2024 National Chess Championships in Baltimore, MD! Abduvoxid, who joined ASAP Chess last year, was one of eight George Washington students who placed at Nationals this past spring. The chance to compete in scholastic chess at the highest level is definitely a motivating factor for sticking with ASAP Chess.

George Washington High School ASAP Chess students at 2024 Nationals in Baltimore

Nationals was just one of 12+ tournaments ASAP Chess teams competed in last season!

If you’d like to help ASAP create more opportunities for Philadelphia youth, we hope you will consider making a donation in support of our programs.

I’d like to invest in after school for Philly kids!

PS: It costs $370 to support one ASAP student all year long — donate today to make after school a reality for a child in Philly!

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A mayor for after school

ASAP is thrilled that Mayor Parker is proposing new investments in enrichment programming as part of her vision for year-round schooling to keep our kids safe. Following her budget address, Councilmember and Chair of the Committee on Children and Youth Anthony Phillips voiced his support to WHYY: “robust out-of-school type programming will help us with violence prevention.”

Read about Parker’s budget address!

Since the mayoral transition, ASAP has worked closely with other afterschool programming advocates to help advocate for the Mayor’s vision to include of out-of-school-time for Philadelphia youth. A lot of this work also involves connecting both City and School District administration.

Most recently, the District announced it would end controversial practice of leveling — which in the past had made it challenging for ASAP to retain and recruit after school club leaders, a majority of whom are school teachers, each fall. This unpredictable yearly shuffle was hugely disruptive to students of all ages, and we are optimistic that its abolishment is a sign of more decisions to come from District and City leaders that center the needs of Philly kids. Our kids need that stability.

District nearing a fiscal cliff

But unfortunately, the District is still facing a fiscal cliff in the near future, and planning for a 2024-25 school year without the federal COVID relief funding. That funding provided 8,000 students with spots in an after school program, almost 2,000 of which are ASAP programs. Without committed funding from the City, state, or District, this means that come Fall 2024, thousands of Philly kids will be left without an after school program. We need your help to advocate for new funding and keep our kids safe and engaged after school!

How to become an Afterschool Advocate!

If you’re reading this, we know you care about our youth having access to safe, enriching spaces after school and in the summer!

Check out these three ways to help advocate for Philly kids and the importance of safe and enriching after school spaces:

Contact your City Councilmember

Contact your City Councilmember and share a brief message on what afterschool programming means to you or your family. Not sure how to contact your Councilmember directly? Find your Councilmember’s contact info here.

Find my Councilmember

Submit written testimony

Submit written testimony to the School District of Philadelphia School Board of Education, or speak at a School Board meeting on the importance of robust afterschool programs.

Share your story!

At ASAP we care about YOUR story!

Why are after school programs important to you and your family?
What did it mean to be part of an after school community ?
How did after school programs help keep your kids safe while you were at work?
What did you learn about your community when volunteering with ASAP?

Share your afterschool story with ASAP. Whether you are a current student or program alum, parent or caregiver, afterschool professional, teacher, or volunteer — we want to make your voice heard! Your stories help ASAP and partner organizations alike make the case for after school in Philadelphia. Together we can share our impact on social media, through newsletters, and in conversations and with family and friends.

Share your story with ASAP!

Advocates seize the moment!

The momentum in Philadelphia for afterschool programming has rarely been stronger. This is an all-hands-on-deck moment to capitalize on unprecedented mayoral AND School District support. With your help, ASAP can give even more students access to quality programming that creates a greater sense of belonging at school, provides a safe haven, and lets students in every neighborhood of the city realize their potential.

Learn more about how ASAP meets the need!

School District Superintendent Dr. Watlington and City Councilmember-at-Large Isaiah Thomas Joined ASAP Debate Finals

“Thank you for putting yourself in a position to mentor and learn from each other.”

– Councilmember-at-Large, Isaiah Thomas

2024 ASAP Debate High School League Finals

On April 3, 2024, dozens of the School District of Philadelphia’s best debaters competed for top honors at the ASAP Debate High School League Finals. Students competed against students from across the city by presenting pro and con arguments on the following topic:

The finals were the culminating event of the season, with students honed from nine previous matches (in addition to Pennsylvania High School Speech League State Championships, where several students made top 8 in multiple events).

Competing ASAP Debate High School League Teams

Northeast High School
Masterman
Academy at Palumbo
Central High School
Philadelphia High School for Girls
William W. Bodine High School
Hardy Williams High School

Learn more about ASAP Debate!

After the debate round, students, volunteer judges, and ASAP debate coaches and staff were excited to hear concluding remarks from guests including Philadelphia City Councilmember-At-Large Isaiah Thomas.

Thomas, a strong supporter of ASAP and the Chair of the Council’s Education Committee, couldn’t make it in person due to budget meetings, but made sure to Zoom in to offer students encouragement.

Councilmember-at-Large Isaiah Thomas tunes in virtually to congratulate high school debate finals competitors

Next guest: Philadelphia School District Superintendent Dr. Tony Watlington, Sr

Other esteemed speakers included Philadelphia School District Superintendent Dr. Tony B. Watlington Sr. who emphasized the positive impact of participating in after school debate.

Meet the SDP Superintendent!

As a result of touring the event, Watlington said he would:

Ahead of School District Superintendent Watlington's speech, students tackle important topic

After speeches, varsity and novice debate participants received trophies and medals reflecting their standings after a competitive season.

ASAP Debate High School League: Top Varsity Teams

1st- Masterman – Ana Sorrentino and Ray Eggerts
2nd- Academy at Palumbo – Rose Semmel and Una Cutrone
3rd- Masterman- Tova Albert and Jessica Jesteen
4th- Masterman – Nabilah Chowdhury and Taylor Samara- Reuter

Northeast had a lot to celebrate!

While ASAP is proud of its varsity competitors, we are also excited about the students coming up in the ranks! Notably, Northeast High School won the ASAP Debate Novice Division!

In addition to a school trophy, longtime coach Theresa Bramwell was awarded the ASAP Debate High School Coach of the Year. Among many attributes, Coach Bramwell is dedicated to her role in leading Philadelphia youth after school and helping her students become the best debaters and future citizens of the community. We cannot thank her enough for her efforts!

FUN FACT: First place teammates Ana Sorrentino and Ray Eggerts made top eight in Public Forum Debate at states in March.

ASAP is so proud of all its high school debate league participants, and is excited to help students polish their public speaking and research skills this summer at ASAP’s Summer Speech Academy July 15 – 19 at George Washington Carver High School of Engineering and Science (registration coming soon!).

ASAP Debate is made possible through the support of:
the City of Philadelphia, the Office of Children and Families, Penn for Youth Debate, and the School District of Philadelphia.

Professional photos credited to:
Rachel Utain-Evans Photography

Safe clubs start with you!

Your donation today supports ASAP’s mission to create spaces our children, including Ziegler students, depend on to keep them safe, as well as make them feel like they belong to something greater.

Make a donation here!

How you can help

With summer just around the corner, you can support ASAP’s work in Philadelphia’s gun violence hot spots through the spring and all summer long by simply making a donation and sharing our stories of impact with the people you care about!

Make your gift today!

If you’d like to learn more about Philadelphia’s gun violence epidemic and how ASAP is utilizing after school activities to keep kids safe click the button below.

Learn more!

A New Community of Leaders

Brett Dunlap is a lead middle school social studies teacher at Andrew J. Morrison School, a neighborhood public school in North Philadelphia. Going into this year, Brett was concerned that some of his students might not have somewhere safe to go after school. He felt his students needed a place they could relax. But he felt they also needed a space where they could speak their minds and see other perspectives.

Enter ASAP Debate.

Leaders in Training

To give the Morrison students a vision of where their debate team could go, ASAP staff leaders invited them to observe one of its monthly middle school tournaments. After witnessing their peer leaders from across the city present their arguments on the topic of cyberbullying, the Morrison students felt inspired.

As lead coach for Morrison School, for Brett the tournament was equally eye-opening.

Mentorship Builds Strong Leaders

To support Morrison and get the students ready to compete on their own, ASAP Debate paired the Morrison team with two experienced ASAP high school lead debaters — Iya Nealy from Girls’ High and Ana Sorrentino from Masterman School — to serve as their peer mentors and leaders.

Leaders inside & outside the classroom

And the skills the Morrison student leaders have gained through debate aren’t only helping them win debate matches. Brett noticed during the school day, his students from debate club are speaking up more in front of the class, their writing is improving and they’re gaining more confidence. He also feels strongly that having ASAP Debate at Morrison has helped to mitigate even some behavioral issues that one might normally have during the school day.

And how do the student leaders feel?

ASAP Debate is grateful to partner with teachers like Brett and high school mentors like Iya and Ana who help to create a space for students to feel safe to speak their mind while building a community of future advocates and leaders.