Game of chess helps Catholic school students discern their next move
Game of chess helps Catholic school students discern their next move
Game of chess helps Catholic school students discern their next move
By Christina Grey
October 4, 2020
Summary
A retired special education teacher recently named coordinator of the San Francisco Archdiocese's African American ethnic ministry sees chess as an academic, social and spiritual game changer for students today.
"When we speak about the philosophy of chess, I look at it just like life and how we discern and make decisions," Chris Major told Catholic San Francisco, the archdiocesan newspaper, during a visit to St. Raphael School Sept. 14.
A half dozen third graders stared intently at chess boards as two sixth graders jumped around a super-sized chess board rolled out on the school's library floor.
The school is the first Catholic school in the archdiocese to host his after-school chess ministry now serving about 50 students in Marin County.
In 2009, Major, launched the Novato Chess Club with a Rotary Club grant to help students from kindergarten through eighth grade become critical and independent thinkers better able to "Plan their next move" in life.
He came to chess late in life himself and believes the game has much to offer today's students of all racial, cultural and economic backgrounds.
The school had a game playing schedule that included chess, something Major admits he thought of at the time as "Nonsense" and a "Waste of time."
He didn't think about chess again until 13 years later when a chance conversation with another man at a baseball game piqued his interest in learning the game.
Major would like to help other Catholic schools start an after-school chess program and envisions an archdiocesan-wide chess tournament.
St. Raphael School is hosting a one-hour virtual chess class every Wednesday until Nov. 19.
Reference
Grey, C. (2020, October 04). Game of chess helps Catholic school students discern their next move. Retrieved October 06, 2020, from https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2020/10/game-of-chess-helps-catholic-school-students-discern-their-next-move/