St Benedict's College sets up Chess Academy

Late last month, St Benedict's College in conjunction with the Malta Chess Federation, officially launched a Chess Academy for students in schools belonging to the college to provide high quality chess lessons and to improve the level of play of its students. The academy will be known as St Benedict's College Chess Academy.

The objectives and activities for which the academy is established are based on the National Minimum Curriculum (NMC) principles of a healthy education for leisure across all ages and the provision of quality investigative learning that puts fun in its process. The academy aims to promote the game of chess and make it accessible to everyone in a safe and healthy environment while providing expert training to the intermediate and advanced players.

Ms Marilyn Sciortino, St Benedict's College co-ordinator, is chairing the Chess Academy Board. The other members of the board are George Micallef, assistant head at St Benedict's College Boys' Secondary, Stephen Farrugia, representative of the Malta Chess Federation, myself as teacher representative, and Rita Cassar, a parent member belonging to St Benedict's College.

This board has an official statute and meets regularly at St Benedict's College Boys' Secondary, which is hosting the academy.

The Chess Academy is an independent non-profit making organisation. The income and property of the academy will be applied to promote its objectives. A fully equipped chess room has been set up at St Benedict's College Boys Secondary School with standard chess boards and pieces, chess timers, demonstration board, a video projector and a laptop with chess-installed software to facilitate the teaching of chess.

Chess training, as an after school programme, is open to all boys aged seven upwards attending Birzebbuga, Ghaxaq, Gudja, Kirkop, Qrendi, Mqabba, Safi and Zurrieq primary schools together with the Boys' Secondary School at Kirkop.

In the near future, students from Tarxien Girls' Secondary and Sta Lucija Junior Lyceum will also be joining these chess classes since these two schools have now joined St Benedict's College.

As St Benedict's College gives great importance to the involvement of parents in their children's education, this chess academy requires children under 12 to be accompanied by a parent/guardian. In this way, what is learnt at school can be fully developed and practised at home giving the whole family the possibility to engage in a healthy leisure activity.

There are endless studies proving that chess is an excellent tool to help students realise their academic potential. Investigative learning, quality rigour and standards are commitments of networked learning communities.

The focus is on student learning, holistic education of quality that caters for the whole development of the learner.

A positive step forward in this direction was taken by the administration at St Benedict's College Boys Secondary School, who are offering chess training as part of the numeracy curriculum for the foundation programme offered for Form 1 and Form 2 students, chess as an activity period for Form 1 and Form 2 students and chess practice during midday break open for all students.

The board of St Benedict's Chess Academy wishes to thank the Ministry of Education and the Department of Adult Education within the Education Division as well as the Malta Chess Federation for their total support in favour of this initiative.