Chess program influences life lessons for youth
October 31, 2011 by Lauren Hertzler
Young students from Meade Elementary learn the game of chess from the Director of Community Relations L. Harrison Jay, and gain life lessons in the process.
The concept of playing chess dates back to the Early Middle Ages and still persists today as a method of intellectual development and cultural growth.
In September 2009, the Director of Community Relations L. Harrison Jay started a chess program at Temple in collaboration with Meade Elementary School, located approximately two blocks from Main Campus.
The chess program provides local fifth and sixth grade students with a comforting, free place to go year-round every Thursday from 3:30 p.m. until 5 p.m. This program is a “safe haven for these kids,” Jay said.
Jay learned how to play chess from his grandmother, and played on his high school team all four years. His experience has taught him to compare the values and responsibilities of particular pieces on the chess board with values and responsibilities in life.
“[Chess] truly is about how you handle yourself in life,” Jay said.
“These kids in elementary school, that’s where you have to get them, when they’re in high school and college, that’s a little late, that’s how I see chess impacting these young guys,” Jay added.
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Kudos to them.