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Good morning! It’s Sammy Caiola, gun violence reporter for Chalkbeat Philadelphia, here with our top stories.

In the Martin Luther King High School weight room this July, Coach Jordan Alexander repeatedly pulled football players aside for me to talk to. He asked each one: Do you know someone who’s been shot? Each player answered: Yes.

I spent a lot of this summer in high school weight rooms and on football fields, talking to coaches about working with players who’ve grown up around violence.

They’ve seen players start fights on the field, or shut down during practice because of trouble at home or on the streets. In the past, coaches might have responded with harsh words. Now, some are trained to talk to players about emotional regulation.

Could these skills help make them better players? Better students? Research points to yes, and the kids think so, too.

As always, you can reach us at [email protected].

Local education coverage is disappearing. Chalkbeat helps families and educators understand what’s changing. We can’t do it without you.

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To change football culture, Philly’s high school coaches tackle emotions

A training program for coaches in Philadelphia seeks to help players deal with trauma off the field.

Know a young musican? Chalkbeat’s back-to-school rap contest is here.

We’re challenging Philadelphia teens to lay down some bars about the education situation in our city. Winners will receive staffed session time in recording studios.