West Lake Junior High School hosts chess tournament

By JM Martin

More than 100 students from eight West Valley area elementary and junior high schools participated in the inaugural Community Education Partnership Chess Tournament held April 8 at West Lake Junior High School.

The chess tournament was open to all students in the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth grades that wanted to play. All of the students received a certificate of achievement for participation presented by West Valley City Mayor Mike Winder, and trophies were awarded to the top two competitors at each grade level.

Nickole Brown attended the after-school tournament with her daughter Monica, a fourth-grader at Monroe Elementary School. Brown said the opportunity to play chess once a week at the elementary school is a great opportunity for her daughter, who was excited to play chess in the tournament and meet the mayor.

“Anybody in the school that wanted to play chess could come [to the tournament], and I think that’s so great,” Brown said.

The chess tournament was sponsored and organized by the Community Education Partnership, a West Valley nonprofit organization dedicated to providing school community educational events, and Salt Lake Community College.

The after-school chess program is one of a number of educational opportunities for local students funded by grant money received from West Valley City, the Utah State Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Education.

West Lake Junior High School Principal Ike Spencer said students have been meeting to play chess before morning classes since the beginning of the school year and that school administrators wanted to see more kids get involved.

More here.

Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
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