All students at each of the middle schools are invited to participate in school-wide chess activities leading to the selection of a building representative to compete in the Middle School District Chess Tournament on May 18. After a variety of building and/or grade level matches, facilitated through Marv McDaniel, chess instructor, and Debbie Pellington and Lisa Huelskamp, the middle school gifted education facilitators, the following chess champs have resulted:
- Blendon – Building Champion, Anthony Vilardo, grade 8; Runner-Up, Zeke Bednarzcik, grade 8; and 3rd Place, Bobb Hines, grade 6.
- Genoa – Building Champion, Robert B., grade 8; Runner-U, Andrew Lin, grade 8; 3rd Place, Ian Chuah, grade 7, and 4th Place, Max Rojanasakdakul, grade 6.
- Heritage – Building Champion, Adam Kaiser, grade 7; Runner-Up, Daniel Murray, grade 7; 3rd Place, Nick Lovell, grade 7; and 4th Place, Hayden Yeager, grade 7.
- Walnut Springs – Building Champion, Xiaowen Li, grade 6; Runner-Up, Cregan Hughes, grade 6; 3rd Place, Agborenow Agborayon, grade 8; and 4th Place, Christian Dowdy, grade 7.
Chess is a researched-based way to have fun and making friends from all backgrounds, develop logical thinking, improve concentration and memory, and promote imagination and creativity.