Feature Photo: Roeper Chess Team Wins State Championship

Last weekend was a big one for the young chess players at the Roeper School's lower campus.

The Roeper K-3 Chess Team took home first place at the 2012 Michigan Scholastic Club Championship in Lansing on Nov. 17.

The tournament was open to students in grades K-12 and with students competing as a team and individually. The team, which is made up of 30 students, is coached by Diallo Smith, of Detroit.

In addition to placing first, the following Roeper students received medals for individual achievement at the tournament:

• Aiden Song — First place in K-3 Division
• Bryce Bottesi — 12th place in K-3 Division
• Toby Morrow — 13th place in K-3 Division
• Josiah Smith — First place in K-5 Division
• Max Morrow — 9th place in K-5 Division
• Blake Bottesi — 12th place in K-5 Division

"There is a very high caliber of skill at these events as most clubs have been competing for much longer and are regionally based, which means they pull from a much larger group of students," Smith said. "Every study played a huge part of the team's success and I couldn't have asked for a better effort."

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