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Virtual Chess Championship Sets Records in Participation
Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) first Virtual Chess Championship set a record in participation as 167 students in elementary, middle and high school put their chess skills to the test, competing in more than 300 games.
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BCPS partners with chess organizations, such as Chess4Life, to incorporate chess into the school
day for elementary students, as well as after school chess clubs for students of all ages. Due to school closures as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the Spring Chess Championship, which had previously attracted as many as 150 students for face-to-face mental bouts, was moved to a virtual landscape.
The tournament, held Friday, May 15, was divided into four categories by grade level: kindergarten through second, third through fifth, sixth through eighth and ninth through 12th.
At the end of five rounds of competition, the winners emerged: kindergarten through second grade - Matthew Dunlop from Eagle Point Elementary School; third through fifth grade: Miles Rosner from Beachside Montessori Village Academy; sixth through eighth grade - Alice Wu from Falcon Cove Middle School tied with Vladimir Bershanskiy from Parkway Middle School; and ninth through 12th grade - David Reyes-Tobar from Fort Lauderdale High School.
“Chess is an important part of our District’s plan for preparing students for success,” said BCPS Superintendent Robert Runcie. “It helps to enhance students’ problem-solving skills, concentration, and creativity and provides great lessons in patience and sportsmanship. I congratulate all the winners and competitors for challenging themselves by participating.”
Aspiring chess experts can continue to hone their chess skills during distance learning by accessing the Chess4Life platform through the District’s Clever portal. For more information, contact the Applied Learning Department at 754-321-1851 or visit chess4life.com.
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Florida Youth SHINE Cheers Grads from Foster Care
Above: Florida Youth Shine member and class of 2020 graduate; Right: Florida Youth SHINE members visit legislators in the State capitol to share their stories about life in foster care and advocate for change The path to graduation is challenging for youth from foster care. Only 50% obtain a high school diploma and less than 5% nationally earn a college degree. Yet a dynamic group of kids, members of Florida’s Children First’s youth advocacy group Florida Youth SHINE, beat the odds by graduating this June. Despite years of trauma, abuse and neglect, some even received a master’s degree. But, without families or a support network they had no one to mark this milestone with. Due to COVID-19, many have also lost their jobs and lack funds for food, housing, remote learning and other basic necessities.
Florida’s Children First, the acclaimed non-profit dedicated to advancing rights of youth in the foster care system, threw a virtual celebration for these extraordinary 2020 grads. Complete with a gift box for each student, the celebration featured inspiring words from their youth mentors, and surprise videos congratulating them from celebrities including former foster youth and Olympic Gold Medal gymnast Simone Biles, actor Woody Harrelson and child advocate and legislator Senator Lauren Book.
Committed to making big, systemic changes to the child welfare system that improve long term outcomes for kids in care, one of Florida’s Children First’s biggest achievements was securing passage of legislation providing paid instate college tuition to foster youth through age 28. That provision, along with ongoing training and support from Florida Youth SHINE, enabled these kids to overcome their difficult beginnings and prove to others that Florida’s foster youth truly do SHINE.
For more information on Florida’s Children First, go to: FloridasChildrenFirst.org | 954.786.0860
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