When passion meets purpose, extraordinary things happen. This year’s student-led Chess After-School OLE (Other Learning Experiences) has been a powerful showcase of student leadership, dedication, and community spirit.
It all started with a shared vision from two Secondary students, Wil and Zoie. Driven by a deep love for chess and a desire to share it with others, Wil and Zoie stepped up to lead. After school, they gave up their personal time and stayed until 5:30 PM each week, researched online resources, and created custom slides, notes, and exercises from scratch. Wanting to make the experience even richer, they invited fellow secondary schoolmates to join as peer coaches, building a dedicated team of student mentors.
Their hard work welcomed 25 Middle School students, Grades 5 to 8, most of whom had zero prior knowledge of the game. Over six weeks, this group transformed from absolute beginners into confident players competing against one another on the board.
Kudos to Wil, Zoie, and all the secondary student coaches for their initiative and leadership!
Student Coach (Zoie): "After teaching this course, I truly appreciate the immense effort teachers put into their lessons. I met new friends, collaborated with them to plan each class, and saw each student learn from the materials we worked so hard to prepare, which felt incredibly fulfilling. I’m glad to have had this opportunity to teach others and grow in the process."
Student Coach (Wil): "Over these six weeks, I worked alongside my friends, especially Zoie. We created notes and exercises, and successfully helped about 25 students learn the game. I also learned how to communicate more effectively and work much faster to produce high-quality materials. Leading these classes taught me what true leadership really means... Now, I feel far more confident speaking in front of a crowd. This has been an unforgettable experience!"
What the Middle School Participants Had to Say:
- Hailey: "They taught me a lot of skills and tactics and also the rules."
- Mia: "I like the course. The student teachers are very nice, thank you."
- Athena: "I think they taught very well because they made Canva slides for each lesson. They also showed us how to checkmate with techniques."
- Jonathan: "I think they taught us very well and explained things when I didn’t understand."
- Brydan: "This was a really great experience with all of you, and I truly enjoyed every moment. The teaching method was great! "