RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, the game of chess is intricate and intellectually demanding, thus developing one's critical thinking skills, patience, and strategic planning;
WHEREAS, in April 2014 Bobby Blankenship, then an 11th grader at Marshall Metropolitan High School, was undefeated in the in the 2014 U.S. Chess Federation K-12 Chess Tournament in San Diego, California, after winning a Ist place medal in the Illinois state finals; in that national chess tournament, the combined team of Bobby and Michael Hobbs added another national trophy, a team trophy, despite only two of them playing for Marshall;
WHEREAS, that great success was followed by another excellent showing by the Marshall chess team in December 2014, when 11th graders, Devell Conway and Xavier Francher, won 2nd and 3rd place national trophies at the U.S. Chess Federation K-12 Grade Chess championships in Orlando, Florida; and
WHEREAS, again in April 2015, three more national trophies were achieved in Columbus, Ohio at the U.S. Chess Federation National High School Chess Tournament whenl 1th grader, Michael Hobbs, won the individual national trophy; and the Marshall team composed of Charlie Wiley, Corey Benamon, Jeremiah Townsend, Xavier Francher, Devell Conway and Bobby Blankenship earned two more national trophies;
WHEREAS, a total of seven national trophies have been won from 2014 to 2015, in a span of one year, by the Marshall Metropolitan High School chess team, that the City Council has been advised of these magnificent achievements by Alderman Jason Ervin of the 28th Ward;
WHEREAS, the chess program was started at Marshall Metropolitan High School in 2005 by math teacher Joseph M. Ocol, whose main goal was only to keep kids in school after school, and who continues to guide and mentor the high school chess players as an after school program to this day;
WHEREAS, Coach Ocol's program was expanded in 2010 when his students began to mentor students of Faraday Elementary School; and in 2014 when the ...
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