12-R106
2012 -- S 2590
Enacted 02/29/12
S E N A T E R E
S O L U T I O N
PROCLAIMING
FEBRUARY 26TH THROUGH MARCH 3RD, 2012, TO BE "CHESS
AWARENESS
WEEK" IN THE STATE OF
Introduced By: Senator Beatrice A. Lanzi
Date Introduced: February 29, 2012
WHEREAS, Invented over fifteen hundred years ago in
strategy. It is said that the ruler of
become better thinkers and better generals on the
battlefield. Chess was the result; and
WHEREAS, Since its inception, chess has spread to almost every
country in the world.
Approximately thirty nations have chess currently
incorporated into their education curricula, and
in countries where it is offered as part of the
curriculum, students exhibit a heightened ability to
recognize complex patterns and, consequently, tend to excel in
math and science; and
WHEREAS, In the United
States, chess has received endorsements by many educators,
both past and present, ranging from Benjamin Franklin to
former United States Secretary of
Education, Terrel
H. Bell. Currently, western
schools, with thousands of students participating each year;
and
WHEREAS, The myriad benefits chess confers on learning development
include focus,
visualization, thinking ahead, weighing options, analytical
decision-making, thinking abstractly,
planning and juggling multiple considerations simultaneously,
understanding the consequences of
actions, and planning for future possibilities; and
WHEREAS, The beauty of chess as a teaching tool is that it stimulates
children’s minds
and helps them to build these skills while they enjoy themselves.
As a result, children become
more critical thinkers, better problem solvers, and more
independent decision-makers; now,
therefore be it
RESOLVED,
That this Senate of the State of
hereby proclaims February 26th through March 3rd, 2012, to
be “Chess Awareness Week” in the
State of
RESOLVED,
That this Senate hereby respectfully requests the
Commissioner of
Elementary and Secondary
Education to support the development of programs to offer instruction
in chess and encourage school districts to offer
students in
opportunities to participate in chess programs; and be it further
RESOLVED,
That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is
authorized and directed to
transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Rhode
Island Commissioner of Elementary
and Secondary Education.
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LC00347
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