2nd Place Finish!!!
On October 28th, twelve TRS students competed for the first time in the MAIS Chess Tournament at the Clyde Muse Center on the Hinds Community College campus in Pearl. TRS was one of fifteen schools in the competition and our Junior High Team came in with an impressive 2nd Place Finish!
We want to give a BIG CONGRATULATIONS to 7th grade student Cole, who placed 2nd in the 7th through 9th grade division! TRS Student Activities & Logistics Coordinator, Mr. Robert Akin, who has been teaching the students chess says, this up and coming chess wiz, “also helped lead his classmates to a team runner-up trophy for the same division.” After the competition, with a smile on his face Cole said,
“I learned that I was better at chess than I thought! I also learned that my grade level doesn't determine what I can do. I was winning against 8th and 9th graders!"
Cole, 7th Grade TRS Student & Chess Wiz
Mr. Akin celebrated 6th grade student Kamyriah for her resilience in the competition. Kamyriah didn’t win her first two games, but that didn’t stop her from persistently pressing forward to strive to do better. Kamyriah’s steadfastness paid off. During her final competitions, she tied two matches and won her final match of the competition!
“I learned that I should never give up on myself. I really enjoyed the tournament experience, it was fun.”
Kamyriah, 6th Grade TRS Student & Blossoming Chess Prodigy
Kamyriah, way to go for winning, but even more importantly, for believing in yourself and not giving up!
Some of our younger students are learning chess for the first time and competed too. Brandon, a 2nd grade student admitted that the tournament, "was hard, but I still give it two thumbs up. I was able to learn the game better."
When asked what he learned from the experience, Brandon’s 2nd grade peer, Wilkes, shared that "when I lost, I learned that I can get better at chess." Out of five games, Wilkes won two of the competitions. When asked if they will continue to play chess in the future, Brandon and Wilkes responded with a resounding “YES!!!”
While the chess tournament helped boost the spirits of several students, others were humbled by the experience. Courtlandt, a 7th grade student shared that he learned he was overconfident going into the tournament which will help him know better how to prepare in the future.
“Our work as a staff is two-fold: maintain the energy and excitement of those that had a good showing, as well as keep those who struggled in the tournament to maintain interest by still identifying encouraging takeaways or beneficial lessons that they learned.”
Mr. Robert Akin, TRS Student Activities & Logistics Coordinator
Again, congratulations to each student participant! It took lots of courage to compete, and we are thrilled to see the Lord’s light shining through you in so many phenomenal ways! We are so very proud of each of you who courageously participated and ecstatic that several of our students placed in the tournament!
