ChessKid Spotlight: Orange County Public Schools

Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) in Florida is one of the largest school systems in the nation with over 200,000 students. Many OCPS schools have active chess programs. In this article we share some best practices from OCPS to give you some ideas of how to create or energize chess programs at your schools.

 

Chess team members from Avalon Elementary School.

School System Leadership is Key

Meet Nancy Golden (below right), the Program Specialist for K-12 competitions at Orange County Public Schools. Nancy is responsible for shepherding all academic competitions, including chess competitions for her school district. Having someone at your central office who helps share resources, information, and training goes a long way. 

 

Start Young

Yes, kindergarten and first-graders can learn to play chess. And elementary teachers do not need to be experts to start a chess club at their schools. In this media center, you can see ChessKid on a large screen where a lesson was taught as well as hands-on application by kids over-the-board.

"I love chess but, like most elementary staff members who help promote the game, I am not an expert.  ChessKid helps me to learn more about chess and allows students to move well beyond what they would learn from me -- and at their own pace!" — OCPS teacher.

Puzzle Challenge

 

Students from Dommerich Elementary

Contests are a great way to motivate kids to learn more and to reward many who reach a certain benchmark. Here, Dommerich Elementary conducted a puzzle challenge during the month of November, and all students who solved 100 puzzles or more were recognized. Great activity! 

Share Rosters Through ClassLink

OCPS uses the single-sign on roster system through ClassLink, making access to numerous online digital platforms easier for students. This year, ChessKid announced a partnership with ClassLink where schools that share rosters could get free gold accounts for their students in the 2022-23 academic year.

For school systems that want to provide ChessKid to every student (not just chess club members), using a system like ClassLink makes sense and makes it easier for teachers who may also enjoy introducing chess to students during the school day.