The new chess club during advisory gives students another opportunity to find community within school. Students Yonas Hanson (11) and Daniel Parker (11) were interested in chess and came together to form the club with sponsors history teacher Sam Duff and English teacher Riley Walker.
Many students share an interest in the game of chess, so this new club is a way for them to move towards a more competitive level of play.
The idea of a chess club being introduced to the school was quickly accepted, with students excited to have a new opportunity to build new skills and test their minds. “Seeing that there was a large amount of student interest in the game, I wanted to give them an opportunity to have a space where they could play other people and potentially set up different leagues/tournaments,” Duff said.
Duff was in a high school chess club himself, and looks to teach those who are interested in the game. “I joined the chess club when I was in high school to go hang out with my friends during school,” Duff said.“My teacher forced us to play the game instead of just talking, but we ended up having a lot of fun and it became something we looked forward to during the school day.”
Walker has also been a part of bringing the chess club to life. Walker has been playing chess since he was about six years old, giving him almost 30 years of experience with the game. “Chess is a fun way to compete, because when you lose a game of chess, you don’t feel mad at the other player,” Walker said. “But you do go back over the game and try to think about how to perform better next time.”
He hopes that the chess club helps bring the opportunity for students to build skills, gain confidence, and meet new people. “The feeling of beating someone you haven’t been able to beat is a powerful feeling,” Walker said.
President of the chess club, Parker has been playing chess casually with other students, and decided that a club would be a fun idea. “I remember playing in a tournament when I was in fourth grade, there was a little chess club and it was pretty fun,” Parker said.
Chess club member Hanson played with his dad when he was young, and has been interested in the game ever since. “I remember when I finally beat my dad, and then I didn’t want to play him again because I didn’t want to ruin my winning streak,” Hanson said.
Most of the other clubs meet during lunchtime, which often leaves little time for students to be involved in multiple activities. “Chess club is during advisory so that there are more people available than they would be at lunchtime, so we get to try and pull in new faces and meet new people,” Hanson said.
As students improve their skills at the game, advisors watch closely and learn alongside the students. “The best part about it is that I can learn from them and quickly beat the students in the upcoming school-wide tournament,” Duff said.
