Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
On Saturday March 26th, twenty-three Lower School students, Kindergarten through 5th grade, competed in the Elementary Team State Chess tournament in Lansing, playing five rounds of chess in one day. There were six, four member teams competing, and one of them won the State Championship. Championship team members are 5th graders Aiden Song, Bryce Bottesi, Nate Carlson and Luke Burmeister. Ten players also received individual medals (Points out of 5):
This achievement follows Roeper’s success in the K-8 Michigan Scholastic State Chess Tournament on February 13, 2016. The Middle School team, Blake Bottesi, Kayden Pierce, Stephen Raphael and Josiah Smith won second place in the state and the Lower School team took seventh place.
Roeper has won four State Chess Championships in the past five years:
A formal chess program was started at Roeper’s Lower School by parent Diallo Smith six years ago with six children. It has grown to 45 students, which is nearly 20% of the K – 5 student body! Three years ago, when two of the original six players moved up to the Middle School, the program moved with them. There are now 10 students playing on the Middle School team. The school has been actively trying to encourage more girls to participate in the program.
Coach Ellen Hoppe commented that, “They are dedicated players; they work together and mentor each other. They are a cohesive team; they back each other up and support each other at tournaments, demonstrate leadership and sportsmanship. Beginning at a young age, they learn to comfortably advocate for themselves, take on challenges, problem solve, and develop individual style.”
The Roeper chess team is coached by Head Coach Bryan Wilson, Lower School teacher Ellen Hoppe and Middle School teacher Patrick Ratliff. With back-to-back state titles, Roeper has established itself as a chess powerhouse.
Roeper’s MS team will be headed to the National MS Chess Championship April 15-17 in Indianapolis and a LS team is going to the National Elementary Chess Championship in Nashville May 7-9.
Roeper will hold its third annual chess tournament on May 14th in the Community Center Building at the Bloomfield Hills Roeper campus. Players of all levels are welcome.
Roeper Elementary Team
Kari Papadopoulos, Director of Communications & Marketing
The Roeper School
41190 Woodward Avenue
Bloomfield Hills MI 48304
kari.papadopoulos@roeper.org , 248-203-7303
The Roeper School is an independent coeducational day school for gifted children in metropolitan Detroit founded by George and Annemarie Roeper in 1941. The Roepers believed that all human beings have two central tasks: to come to understand themselves and to discover how they will contribute to the world. As a pre-K through 12th grade school, Roeper plays a formative role in the pursuit of these lifelong goals and offers a whole-child education for gifted students that guides them on the journey to becoming discerning, humane, engaged adults. With a dedication to diversity, democracy, and community service that dates to its founding, Roeper students and alumni endeavor to fulfill the school’s mission: Educating and inspiring gifted students to think as individuals and to engage as a community with compassion for each other and this world. For more information, email kari.papadopoulos@roeper.org or visit www.roeper.org.