First Draft Academy

History

We just celebrated 20 years of impact, thanks to our donors, educators, and students.

Here’s how we got here:

2021:
- With the success of online programming, Write on Sports launches the Write on Sports Roundtable Series, a live-online discussion led by Write on Sports alumni students.
- A new summer program starts in Denver, CO, at Metropolitan State University – Denver
2022:
- New school partnerships are established with Kearny Public Schools, Hillside Public Schools, Paterson Public Schools, and Camden City Schools
2023:
- A new summer program is established in Berkeley, CA, in partnership with Berkeley United School District (BUSD)
- Write on Sports continues its single-day workshop program with partners including the NJ Devils (hockey), Seton Hall University athletics, TCNJ Men’s basketball, Montclair State University Athletics, and the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL).
2024:
- Write on Arts is created to support even more students and teach topics around the arts and entertainment.
2025:
- Write on Sports celebrates its 20th Anniversary!
2026:
- First Draft Academy launches, a new umbrella organization that encapsulates all Write on Sports and Write on Arts programming.

2016:
- Write on Sports branches out again to hold single-day workshops to continue engagement with students beyond summer camps and after-school programs.
- A second camp is started in Rhode Island at Bryant University.
2017:
- A new camp starts at Sacred Heart University in Bridgeport, Connecticut
2018:
- A summer program is held at Farleigh Dickinson University (Madison, NJ)
2020:
- Due to the pandemic, Write on Sports pivots to hold online summer programs for the flagship location, Goshen, and Rhode Island.

Summer camps continue to be held in Montclair State University and with various partners in Newark, including St. Benedict’s Prep, Rutgers-Newark, and Newark Public Schools.
Write on Sports brought in a new district partner, Hawthorne Public Schools.
Write on Sports holds an after-school program at the Boys & Girls Club of Newark. Write on Sports introduced a new summer camp with Hawthorne Public Schools as an addition to the summer camps for Newark and West Orange students, and an after-school program was introduced for students at the Boys & Girls Club of Newark (2013-2015)
Write on Sports creates first Affiliate summer camp program in Goshen, IN, which was operated by Goshen College in conjunction with the Goshen Public School System.
Write on Sports continued its expansion, creating new summer camps at Roselle Catholic High School in Roselle, New Jersey
Write on Sports expands to Rhode Island with a camp held at Providence College
Write on Sports continues its growth in NJ with a new summer program at Monmouth University.

Write on Sports was founded in 2005 by Byron Yake, a former sports writer for the Associated Press in Pittsburgh and, later, Sports Editor and a senior executive at The AP in New York. Byron’s inspiration for Write on Sports arose from his interest in sports, journalism, education, and his desire to help students improve their writing skills.
Write on Sports partnered with Montclair State University’s Broadcast Department, The Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center, and the Montclair School System to launch the first Write on Sports summer camp program. Dr. Erik Jacobson, a professor in the College of Education at Montclair State University, developed an in-depth curriculum and teacher training program and introduced a student evaluation program.
In 2008, Write on Sports started a summer program in collaboration with Newark Public Schools, held in Newark, NJ.
In 2009, Write on Sports launched an after-school program model in collaboration with Newark Public Schools. Summer camps for Newark were held at the Dr. Marion A. Bolden Student Center of the Newark Public Schools and at Montclair State University’s ADP Learning Center for West Orange and Montclair, respectively
In 2010, Write on Sports began an after-school program in West Orange, NJ, which continues today.