All students at each of Westerville’s four 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 19. After a variety of building and/or grade level matches, facilitated through chess instructor Marv McDaniel and middle school gifted education facilitators Debbie Pellington and Pat Farrenkopf, the following chess champs have resulted:
- Blendon Middle School – Building Champion, Darya Sulkouskaya; Runner-Up, Alex Gardner; 3rd Place, Gabby Freshly; 4th Place, Zeke Bednarczuk
- Genoa Middle School – Building Champion, Robert B.; Runner-Up, Andrew Lin; 3rd Place, Ian Chuah; 4th Place, Aishu Iiangovan
- Heritage Middle School – Building Champion, Brian Courts; Runner-Up, Adam Kaiser; 3rd Place, Daniel Murray; 4th Place, Adam Wartel
- Walnut Springs Middle School – Building Champion, Gabrielle McCrea; Runner-Up: Agboayoh Agbor Enow; 3rd Place, Abadit Negasi
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.