Edmunds Kids and the Game of Kings!
Edmunds students have been learning chess, the “game of kings,” after school as a part of the OASIS program. OASIS, standing for Oakridge Achievers Successful in School, is an educationally based after-school program for students in grades K-5. Funded through a 21st Century grant, OASIS is a five day a week program that includes instruction in the “3 R’s,” as well as individualized homework assistance, tutoring sessions and other enrichment activities. Instruction is provided by certified teachers. On Mondays the OASIS program includes chess, where students are learning the fundamentals of the game as they engage in positive behavioral skills.
Billy Stone, Education Coordinator for the 21CCLC program at Oakridge Neighborhood Services, sees the Monday Chess Club as an important tool in teaching students strategy building, concentration skills and the importance of sequencing. As the director of the OASIS program at Edmunds, Ms. Stone is a liaison between the Oakridge Neighborhood and Edmunds elementary. She promotes chess to help stimulate higher order thinking in the students. Along with chess instructor David Borzo, Edmunds’ chess club also includes several Edmunds teachers volunteering to help the students sharpen their game!
