Stearns Elementary starts after school chess club
May 7, 2024 / Class was out for the day, but members of the Stearns Elementary School Chess Club continued to learn, engaging in battles of patience and strategy in hopes of the oft-elusive checkmate.
The school this year started an after-school chess club for its students – kindergarten to sixth grade – coached by P.E. teacher Brandon Powell, project-based learning teacher Jeff Sparks, and volunteer Manny Castaneda. The hour-long, once-a-week sessions include learning strategies and rules as well as games against their fellow club members.
During a recent club meeting, fourth-grader Leo Phillips faced Coach Sparks across a chess board.
“I like chess,” he said. “It’s a learning game and it’s really fun.”
Many of the students started as beginners but have since moved up in experience, and the coaches say they hope to enter club members into some community tournaments next school year.
Powell has wanted to start a chess club and was seeking grants for equipment when Sparks expressed an interest as well. The two teamed up and within the first couple of weeks, 60 students signed up.
“Chess teaches patience, sportsmanship, etiquette, and how to strategize,” Powell said. “You learn not just to think about what you see in front of you, but to plan ahead.”
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