We've had a phenomenal tournament victory this weekend. At the Western States Grade Championship in Ventura this past Saturday and Sunday (Feb 21-22), five brave St. John of Damascus students competed within the 4th-6th championship section. Nearly 300 players from all over Southern California (and beyond) traveled to compete in one of Southern California's most competitive & elite tournaments. Past winners of this tournament have gone on to become some of the top-ranked players in the nation, for their respective ages. After two days of competition and six intense rounds of chess, the St. John of Damascus team emerged as the 4th-6th grade Champions! Being crowned the 2009 Western States Team Champions, the St. John of Damascus students were awarded a trophy roughly five feet tall! Tournament organizers, other teams, players, and parents were all impressed with the level that the St. John of Damascus students competed at. We knew that the students would have a great showing, but their performance surpassed all expectations! The students well very well mannered-- displaying integrity and Christ-centered character. They represented the school very well! The Championship team was comprised of Agata Bykovtsev, Sanya Bykovtsev, Michal Ciaszczyk, Alec deBruin, and Cole Keller. We are so proud of each of these students. The progress that they made just over the weekend, not to mention this school year, is outstanding. Returning back to school this week, the students are in great spirits, inspired from this experience, and hungry for more chess training and tournaments! We are hoping to represent Santa Barbara at Nationals, and are holding a funding drive this week to see if we can make this a reality!