First-hand knowledge of how chess helps kids
As young chess players, we are more than excited about the
Glendale Park that is under construction. We currently attend the All
American Assn. Chess Club in Glendale and Los Angeles. Like us, there
are several hundred kids who attend this club and play in tournaments
nationwide. We are always looking for new places to play chess and we
know that the park will be one of them for many kids to play after
school.
Recently, it has come to our attention that there have been some
negative letters posted about the park in the News-Press. We do not
understand how anyone can think of the chess park as only for older
men. Since we are members of the United States Chess Federation, we
can clearly say that there are more children playing chess now than
ever. As a matter of fact, there are more than 40,000 -- nearly
one-third of all the members -- that are children.
The other point that has been brought up in some of these negative
letters is the fact that chess is not a women's game. First of all,
we like to think of chess as not only a game, but also an art and a
sport. Also you will see that this letter is signed by many of the
girls that attend our chess club.
We are strongly behind the construction of the chess park because
we know that this will be a new place for our friends and many other
kids to hang out and play chess after school.
We urge all kids and all those who have kids to play chess because
we personally know the wonderful effects of chess on our education
and social skills. Many tests have been done to prove that chess not
only helps children in their school, but also boosts confidence level
and social skills.
For more up-to-date research and thorough information on the great
effects of chess on children, go to www.child.com under their
development article archives. Or, type in and search for the "Brainy
Benefits of Chess."
CHILDREN OF AAA CHESS CLUB
(signed by 12 members --
including several girls)
School closures could open Pandora's Box
I cannot believe the Glendale Unified School District is
considering extending the holiday break for the Armenian Christmas.
If we do, we need to close the schools for Hanukkah, Passover and the
Chinese New Year, as well as many other holidays for specific
religions and races.
It is as ridiculous to close our schools for the Armenian
Genocide. Why don't we close our schools on a specific day to
remember the Holocaust for the Jewish citizens of our fine country?
