April Newsflash
Afterschool chess clubs go citywide
Boosting both critical thinking and social skills are among the benefits of playing chess for young people, say proponents of the game.
With the recent launch of the Philadelphia Youth Chess Challenge by the local nonprofit After School Activities Partnerships (ASAP) in partnership with the District, students at more than 70 District elementary, middle, and high schools across the city now have the chance to learn the game through afterschool clubs.
While some schools—such the national championship-winning Vaux Middle and Masterman High chess programs—have had established chess clubs for years, the Philadelphia Youth Chess Challenge represents the first major initiative to establish clubs at every District school.
The initiative involves about 1,000 students at over 70 schools that currently have active chess clubs. The clubs range in size from 7 to 54 students.
Computer technology teacher Andrew Skopp started a chess club at Meehan Middle School in Mayfair this fall. Although he is the club’s teacher leader, Skopp said the 15 students—who meet three times weekly—really teach each other how to play the game
“It’s really a student-run club,” he said, noting that he has seen significant improvement in student behavior since the club’s start last fall.
“I like to play because it makes me think,” said Meehan seventh grader Sean Pine. “It’s a lot of strategy.”
The city’s school chess clubs will have the chance to compete during an upcoming April 24 citywide tournament at Lincoln Financial Field.
ASAP executive director and veteran education advocate Marciene Mattleman said plans are in the works to launch a citywide chess league starting next year.
“We really want to start a huge, citywide coordinated effort,” said Mattleman.
Proponents of this citywide chess initiative consistently say fundraising to sustain this program is an ongoing challenge.
Philadelphia Youth Chess Challenge coordinator Alice Pope said ASAP is focusing on ensuring a stable funding stream for the program.
“What we don’t need is more programs that start and then get dropped because they can’t be supported,” she said.
“Unless we raise the money ourselves, there really isn’t any funding,” Skopp said. While he praises the District for spending millions on a new curriculum and textbooks, he added, “There also has to be money in the budget somewhere for student activities.”
District CEO Paul Vallas said the 2004-05 District budget, to be released publicly in late May, will institutionalize many of his reforms through a revamped funding formula, freeing up schools to spend more money on afterschool enrichment programs.
It costs about $2,500 a year for a strong high school chess player to compete seriously, said veteran chess coach and Masterman High School teacher Steven Shutt, and he lamented the loss of promising students due to the inability of their families to pay these costs.
“Money [is going] to be key to keeping this going,” said Shutt. “If we can support it, it will grow.”
For more information on how to start a chess club at your school, contact Alice Pope at After School Activities Partnerships by calling 215-875-7024. You can also visit www.phillyasap.org.