PRESS RELEASE
April 7, 2016
For Immediate Release
Small School, Big Chess Team!
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
On Saturday March 26th, twenty-three Lower School students, Kindergarten through 5th grade,
competed in the Elementary Team State Chess tournament in Lansing, playing five rounds of chess in
one day. There were six, four member teams competing, and one of them won the State Championship.
Championship team members are 5th graders Aiden Song, Bryce Bottesi, Nate Carlson and Luke
Burmeister. Ten players also received individual medals (Points out of 5):
 Gold – 5 points: Bryce Bottesi, Roshan Shah and Aiden Song
 Silver - 4 points out of 5: Luke Burmeister, Nate Carlson, Sam Keuten, Teddy Potocki, Alexi
Simecek, and Brailen Wilson
 Bronze - 3.5 points: Jack Hulen
This achievement follows Roeper’s success in the K-8 Michigan Scholastic State Chess Tournament on
February 13, 2016. The Middle School team, Blake Bottesi, Kayden Pierce, Stephen Raphael and Josiah
Smith won second place in the state and the Lower School team took seventh place.
Roeper has won four State Chess Championships in the past five years:
 the 2016 K-6 Elementary Team Championship
 the 2015 K-5 Elementary Team Championship
 the 2013 K-3 Elementary Team Championship
 the 2012 K-3 Scholastic Club Championship,
A formal chess program was started at Roeper’s Lower School by parent Diallo Smith six years ago with
six children. It has grown to 45 students, which is nearly 20% of the K – 5 student body! Three years ago,
when two of the original six players moved up to the Middle School, the program moved with them.
There are now 10 students playing on the Middle School team. The school has been actively trying to
encourage more girls to participate in the program.
Coach Ellen Hoppe commented that, “They are dedicated players; they work together and mentor each
other. They are a cohesive team; they back each other up and support each other at tournaments,
demonstrate leadership and sportsmanship. Beginning at a young age, they learn to comfortably
advocate for themselves, take on challenges, problem solve, and develop individual style.”
The Roeper chess team is coached by Head Coach Bryan Wilson, Lower School teacher Ellen Hoppe and
Middle School teacher Patrick Ratliff. With back-to-back state titles, Roeper has established itself as a
chess powerhouse.
Roeper’s MS team will be headed to the National MS Chess Championship April 15-17 in Indianapolis and
a LS team is going to the National Elementary Chess Championship in Nashville May 7-9.
Roeper will hold its third annual chess tournament on May 14th in the Community Center Building at the
Bloomfield Hills Roeper campus. Players of all levels are welcome.
The Elementary Team
Elementary State Champs: (L to R) Coach Brian Wilson,
Nate Carlson, Aiden Song, Luke Burmeister
and Blake Bottesi
Middle School 2nd in State (L to R): Stephen Raphael, Josiah Smith, Blake Bottesi, Kayden
Pierce
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For further information, please contact:
Kari Papadopoulos, Director of Communications & Marketing
The Roeper School
41190 Woodward Avenue
Bloomfield Hills MI 48304
[email protected] , 248-203-7303
The Roeper School is an independent coeducational day school for gifted children in metropolitan
Detroit founded by George and Annemarie Roeper in 1941. The Roepers believed that all human
beings have two central tasks: to come to understand themselves and to discover how they will
contribute to the world. As a pre-K through 12th grade school, Roeper plays a formative role in the
pursuit of these lifelong goals and offers a whole-child education for gifted students that guides them
on the journey to becoming discerning, humane, engaged adults. With a dedication to diversity,
democracy, and community service that dates to its founding, Roeper students and alumni endeavor
to fulfill the school’s mission: Educating and inspiring gifted students to think as individuals and to
engage as a community with compassion for each other and this world. For more information, email
[email protected] or visit www.roeper.org.