I like having the after-school chess club

After-school programs enrich students lives

By Sheena Mcfarland
The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated: 01/21/2009 09:02:16 PM MST

West Valley City » Randy Prum knows exactly where he’d normally be at 4 p.m. on a school day: at home in front of the television.

Instead, the 12-year-old has joined hundreds of classmates from Monroe Elementary in after-school activities ranging from sports to dance to drama. Prum is taking chess classes this semester.

“I thought the game seemed challenging,” he said, adding that basketball is his favorite after-school activity. “But every activity I’ve been on has actually been fun.”

Prum’s chess classmate, Timur Tripp, 10, takes the class to improve his skills. The fifth-grader recently took first place in a Salt Lake City chess tournament.

“I like having the after-school chess club. It’s nice to have the experience of playing on a real board,” he said. “The computer is nothing compared to a real chess set.”

Here is the full story.