by MVUSD on 2014-11-19

Like a chess match, in which a good move is really part of a larger strategy, what began as afterschool chess instruction at Serrano Elementary has now blossomed into the school hosting a chess tournament. Teachers Eligio Rangel and Neil Hartman coordinated the Scholastic Chess Tournament recently in conjunction with the Riverside Youth Chess Association Tournament event. Fifty students in grades K-12 from Riverside County came to play and compete in eight divisions. Teachers Rangel and Hartman, who coach the students on the art of chess after school, find that as students develop their chess strategies, they also learn about sportsmanship and benefit academically by applying higher-order thinking skills in the classroom.