Meadowthorpe and Tates Creek High School Teams Crowned State Chess Champs

After a decisive victory in double overtime on Saturday, the chess team from Meadowthorpe Elementary School earned the state chess title in the K-5 division on Saturday. After a decisive victory in double overtime on Saturday, the chess team from Meadowthorpe Elementary School earned the state chess title in the K-5 division on Saturday.

The students are coached by Meadowthorpe curriculum coach Michael Price. “What makes this group special is their hard work and dedication, their commitment outside of the classroom and the way they came together to work and support each other as a team,” Price said. “Even thought the competition is made up of individual games, it’s still a team concept.”

Nearly 100 students at Meadowthorpe Elementary participate in the school chess club. Students compete to earn a spot on the state competition team.

“Chess allows our children to become analytic and reflective thinkers, which prepares them to be problem solvers in the many different situations they come across,” Price said. “They get to utilize their competitive spirit in an academic setting that still requires teamwork and training and practice for success. Just as an athlete would train and lift weights, these kids train by studying drills and boards – it’s training your brain.”

Tates Creek High School’s win marks the first state chess title in school history. The team also became the first Fayette County high school to win the competition since 1999. Lexington Traditional Magnet School placed third in the competition – improving from last year’s sixth place finish.

Technology brings two schools, two countries together

Students at Tates Creek High will get a chance to meet and chat with their French counterparts during a videoconference on Thursday, March 15 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the library/media center at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School.

The videoconference is the culmination of several shared projects between the Tates Creek students and students from College Jules Ferry in Beaune, France. For the last several months, students from the two countries have been comparing the eating and health habits of each other.

“We’ve tried to foster the idea that we live in a global community that is more interconnected now through technology,” said French teacher Nicki Shelton, whose class has been participating in the exchange.