BY JOHN DUNPHY
Staff Writer
MIGUEL JUAREZ staff Vanessa Plange waits for a move by Saketh Aleti during a “living chess” match that culminated a multi-school chess project in Sayreville Monday night. SAYREVILLE — It was a chess-themed night, complete with plenty of strategy and ultimately a checkmate.
Some 124 students in the Talented and Gifted (TAG) program at Sayreville’s four elementary schools and their families packed the Sayreville Upper Elementary School gymnasium Monday night to show off the personal chess tables they created as part of a school project.
The project, conducted by Paulette Hudock, TAG teacher at the elementary schools in the borough for the last 16 years, was for the children to create their own playable chess tables. They had the option of taking an existing table and redesigning it or making one from scratch. The theme of their creation was entirely up to the student.
Andreana Buckenberger, a second-grader at Arleth School, designed a chess set based on the solar system.
“I want to be someone who studies the planets,” she said with a smile. Andreana said she would like to make even bigger art projects having to do with the solar system and have them displayed in New York City.
Briana Ruzanski, a third-grader at Eisenhower School, built an elaborate jungle-themed chess set, consisting of a grassy border and various animals as game pieces. Her idea came about after she and her family visited Costa Maya in Mexico.
“There were so many animals,” she said. “It was so nice.”
Paige Gallagher, a third-grader at Truman school, decided to make “Irish chess.”
“It’s because I’m Irish,” she said, “and because it was just St. Patrick’s Day.”
With help from her grandfather, she took on the task of assembling different pieces of wood to create the unique setup, paint it green and affix hundreds of little leprechauns and dollar signs to its border. A box was even built to store all of the pieces.
Kelly Gallagher, Paige’s mother, said she loved the idea that the children could participate in such a creative event.
“It’s a great way for the children to show off what they’re learning,” she said. “They look forward to it.”
Other themes displayed at Monday’s show included sports chess, light bulb chess, flower chess and even bug chess, created by Truman School third-grader Jessica Donohue.
“A lot of people try to kill [bugs] because they’re small,” she said. “I like them because they can do cool things. They can fly.”
In addition to creating chess sets, the children have been learning how to play the game.
The TAG program began in Sayreville in 1978. Georgia Baumann, principal at Wilson School and head of the TAG program, was one of the people who brought it to the borough.
“This is the kind of thing they should be doing,” Baumann said of the chess project. “When you play a game of chess, you have to be a strategist and really think of what you’re doing. It’s a very exciting project.”
Once the public got a good look at the chess sets Monday evening, students participated in “living chess.” TAG students served as chess pieces in a game played by Truman third-grade student Saketh Aleti and Eisenhower third-grader Vanessa Plange. Though both were already accomplished players, it was Saketh, representing Truman and Wilson schools, who came out victorious.
But in the end, Hudock said, everyone was a winner.
“The students did an outstanding job with their projects and being a living chess piece,” she said. “And the audience was phenomenal, showing respect and courtesy throughout the evening.”
In addition, Hudock said about 15 parent volunteers as well as Robert Rodgers, who built the giant living chess board, helped to make the evening a success.
“It’s the team that makes the night work,” she said.