Warsaw Community Schools is thrilled to announce that the Madison Elementary School Chess Team emerged as the National Champion in the third-grade unrated section at the National Elementary Chess Championship held in Columbus, Ohio. The team was composed of Anastasia DeRuntz, Asher Reneker, Liam Allen, James Whitehead and Sawyer Schlemmer.
Jay Bolduc, Madison and Washington’s chess sponsor, shared, "Pursuing dreams is one of the pillars of the WCS mission statement. Sometimes a dream can come true when one is not even looking for one. Two months ago, competing at nationals wasn't even on our radar, now we're national champs. Interest, hard work, perseverance, a little luck and a lot of fun can go a long way!"
In addition to the team's victory, several students also earned individual awards. Asher Reneker placed 6th, Liam Allen 9th, and James Whitehead 10th. Anastasia DeRuntz and Sawyer Schlemmer also performed commendably, securing 14th and 18th places.
Furthermore, this past weekend at the Scholastic Chess of Indiana Girl’s Championships in Jeffersonville, Indiana, Washington STEM Academy's Azra and Maryam Anwar showcased their talents. Azra tied for first but took second due to rating technicalities, and Maryam secured fourth place.
