Checkmate! Hawthorne Chess Team Captures 3rd Place at the 2025 CPS Knights Quest Tournament
We are thrilled to celebrate the outstanding success of the Hawthorne Scholastic Cademy chess team, a brilliant example of what students can achieve through the Nexplore Chess program, in partnership with Mindful Masters Chess Academy.
The team recently competed in the Chicagoland Academic Chess’s 2025 CPS Knights Quest Tournament, going head-to-head against Chicago’s most talented young players. We are incredibly proud to announce that the Hawthorne team placed 3rd among 23 teams in the highly competitive K-6 Intermediate section!
This remarkable achievement reflects countless hours of dedication, strategic thinking, and practice—the core skills our Nexplore Chess program is designed to foster. By applying the critical thinking and problem-solving strategies learned in their sessions, these young minds demonstrated true mastery under pressure. The top 4 placers all scored 3 out out 4 points, leading to the team’s total score out of 12.
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Honoring an Outstanding Team Performance
In recognition of their brilliant performance, the team won a well-deserved 3rd Place Plaque! We sincerely hope they bring it to school to display and inspire the next generation of Nexplore Chess champions!
👉Want to bring a competitive and inspiring Chess program to your school?
🌟 Celebrating Excellence in Teaching: Alexis McCall
At Nexplore, we love celebrating instructors who bring innovation, passion, and joy into every classroom. Each month, we shine a spotlight on a team member who goes above and beyond to make learning meaningful—and this month, that spotlight shines on Alexis from Los Banos, California! 🎉✨
Teaching at five active sites—Charleston Elementary, Lorena Falasco Elementary, R.M. Miano Elementary, and Henry Miller Elementary—Alexis brings unmatched energy and consistency to every class. Whether it’s Robocoding or Coding with Microbit, she transforms complex STEM concepts into exciting, hands-on experiences that kids absolutely love.
Her dedication, creativity, and warm communication have made her an invaluable part of the Nexplore family. Alexis doesn’t just teach—she inspires confidence, builds community, and makes learning an adventure. 💡💻
Her creativity and passion truly make the JOY of Learning come alive—and that’s exactly what we celebrate with our Instructor of the Month!
🙌 Thank You, Alexis!
We are so grateful for Alexis’s incredible dedication and passion for teaching. Her creativity, consistency, and positive spirit bring coding and robotics to life—empowering students to explore, create, and grow. That’s exactly what we celebrate with our Instructor of the Month! 🌟
