They're not exactly what one imagines when they think of Gen Z kids -- that generation of children born to Millenials and X'ers with smartphones in their hands.
When walking into the gymnasium at Princess Anne School on May 16, the first thing one would have seen were a number of shining trophies on a table where registration and standings lists (printed on paper!) were stacked.
Take an extra step, and the entire gym was wall-to-wall with tables, each topped with a chess board. At them, elementary school students were bent over in contemplation and intent.
Their goal? “It wasn’t about winning a trophy, but about having fun” said player Riley Landry.
And fun, it had to have been -- the students that played the tournament that day, did so throughout the entirety of Tuesday's school hours.
Princess Anne Public School librarian Fiona Ferguson was impressed by how many kids showed up. “It is hard to imagine there were nearly 80 students in the school gymnasium yesterday. It was so quiet you could hear a ‘King’ drop!” said Ferguson, who coaches Princess Anne's chess players.
“Students compete against the same opponents every week so Princess Anne Public School’s chess coaches decided to host an all-day, inter-Board tournament. From the calibre of play, it is obvious that children are learning the game both at home and in the classroom.”
Results of the tournament are as follows:
Runner-Up in the Junior division: Adam Ramoul (Algonquin Road Public School)
Winner in the Junior division: Charles Schwendener (Princess Anne Public School)
Runner-Up in the Senior division: Jacob Bolton (MacLeod Public School)
Winner in the Senior division: Jacob Sharkey (Princess Anne Public School)
