Chess Club

Tuesday night was our first PTO meeting at Fisher's Landing – it was quite long (2 ½ hours) and interesting.

I met with Julie Williams after the meeting to discuss the Chess Club. She showed me the equipment that has been purchased – 10 vinyl boards with large weighted pieces and storage bags, a bunch of chess pencils and wrist bands, and notebooks for recording games. It's all stored in a large plastic tote. Although we are limiting the first 6-week session to 20 students, we already had more than 40 forms turned in as of Tuesday; this despite them just going home on Friday!

I will be looking for some good "How to teach chess" books. Also, we will have a meeting with all of the volunteers next Thursday to come up with our game plan. In addition to me, there is one grandfather who seems excellent for this undertaking – he has run tournaments for years, and writes for a chess magazine – but he does not want to commit to organizing the club on a full-time bases; I believe there were at least two other parents who are willing to help – but again, not full-time, and we are looking for more adult help, even if they do not know how to play chess.

I also found out why Julie looks familiar to me (and I to her, evidently) . . . her daughter was in CYT's 'Sound of Music' and Julie worked backstage for the show. I happened to be wearing my CYT t-shirt to the PTO meeting!