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Schools

Norcross Elementary Chess Team Receives Plaque

The team was given a plaque for their success and hard work at the Eastern Metro Regional Chess Tournament in February.

The Norcross Elementary chess team received a plaque Thursday for their hard work and success, particular for their win at the in February.

Capt. Ron Verplaetse, a member of the Norcross Business Association and owner of Petey's All Around Town in Buford, decided to honor the team with the plaque.

The plaque, which features the major playing pieces of chess, has a history since it's been with Verplaetse. While being stationed in the Philippines from 1975 to 1977, he came across a local artist who made the piece of work specifically for him.

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Recently, he decided the piece no longer fit the layout in his house. Verplaetse connected with Kim Dorough of the Norcross Cluster Schools Partnership to see if there was a chess team he could honor it with.

"The [chess team] works very hard. They give up their lunch time," said Principal Dora Hill. "You walk into the cafeteria at lunch, and it's one of the very few classes that's very quiet, because they're all engaged. And [Chess Coach Ken Almon's] right there with them at the table."

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Last month, the Norcross Elementary chess team headed to the Eastern Metro Regionals and finished first among the 10 competing public schools in Gwinnett. They earned the Gwinnett County Champion title in the K-5 division and placed fourth in the competition, after three DeKalb County teams.

Additionally, Norcross Elementary received an automatic invitation to the state championship this month since they scored in the top five. The team has decided not to go to finals because of conflicting student schedules, but they still enjoy the sport and are happy about the plaque.

"I want the trophy for my room," said Devon Spisak, a fifth grader who's also a team captain.

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