RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Earle STEM Elementary School, located in Chicago's great South Side, is among the top elementary school chess teams in Chicago, in Illinois and in the country today; and,
WHEREAS, Over the past several years, the Earle STEM Elementary School Chess Team has garnered a considerable number of team and individual trophies, in its participation in national, state, city and local chess tournaments. Its student members have become rated members ofthe United States Chess Federation, the nation's highest chess authority, thereby enabling them aspire for college scholarships and grants for chess-related activities; and,
WHEREAS, The members ofthe 2018-19 Earle STEM Elementary School Chess Team include Team Captain Christina Williams (6th Grade), Co-Captain Shatira Danner (7th Grade), Deandre Perry (8th Grade), Brandon Burgess (7th Grade), Gavin Harry (6th Grade), and Taahir Levi (5lh Grade), and coached by Mr. Joseph M. Ocol; and,
WHEREAS, The Earle STEM Elementary School Chess Team continues to enjoy has the all-out support given by Network 11 Chief Dr. Julious Lawson, the Earle STEM school administration led by Principal Cederall Petties and Assistant Principal" Elwanda Butler, and the family of parents in the Local School Council Community headed by Darlene O'Banner and Edwin Walker; and,
WHEREAS, In February 2019, the Earle STEM Elementary School participated in the 2019 Illinois State Chess Tournament, winning 3rd Place; and,
WHEREAS, In April 2019, the Earle STEM Elementary School participated in the 2019 National Junior High School Chess Championship, winning 4th Place; and,
WHEREAS, the chess program of Earle STEM Elementary School has been geared not on winning trophies and medals but rather in saving lives of children at Englewood; though its chess program helps underprivileged children make their lives productive by developing their critical thinking skills so they will be able to make the right choices in their lives, the Earle chess program has had a deeper sense of fulfilling its mission to the people in Englewood: to save lives and make lives of children more meaningful; and.
WHEREAS, Since 2015, the Earle STEM Elementary School Chess Team members started mentoring one another not just about chess but also in math, and then spread the mentoring program from Grade 8 to the kindergarten program; that the Earle STEM mentoring program has been effective in getting kids to mentor one another and competing against each other, thus providing the least expensive way
of mastering skills and yet giving opportunities to kids in becoming productive after school instead of being on the streets; and,
WHEREAS, Located in Englewood community, Earle STEM Elementary School has more than 90% of its population coming from below-poverty level households - and yet has proven that poverty is no barrier to success in intellectual pursuits such as the game of chess; that most of the members ofthe Earle Chess Team have excellent grades in math, thus also proving that the impact of chess on the academic performance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics] subjects are too significant to be ignored; that chess players develop greater skills in math, reading, in problem-solving, pattern recognition, critical thinking, spatial reasoning, and visual memory, that they become better decision makers, a skill that will benefit them in steering their career and future; and,
WHEREAS, The Honorable Raymond Lopez, Alderman ofthe 15th Ward, has informed this august body ofthe remarkable achievements of the members of the Earle STEM Elementary School Chess Team and its Network 11 Family, its students, educators, parents and; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and the Members ofthe City of Chicago City Council, assembled here this twenty-ninth day of May 2019, relay our warmest congratulations, commendation and appreciation to the Earle STEM Elementary School, the Chicago Public Schools Network 11, and all the members ofthe chess team and its local school council of parents, teachers and staff; and,