Francie J. Nolan retired in 2009 after working for 37 years with Columbus City Schools (CCS).
After 8 years of classroom teaching, she joined the Gifted and Talented Program, becoming supervisor in
1994. She is married with 4 sons and one grandson.
In 1984, Francie started a chess program of instruction and play which included 34 elementary
schools. The first district-wide tournament occurred in April of 1986. All elementary schools were
included after that first successful tournament. In 1996, the late philanthropist Cecilia Cullman, helped
Francie begin the “W. Arthur Cullman Rookie Chess Tournament” at the Columbus Museum of Art. Still
going strong, it was designed for kindergarten through grade 5 to encourage young chess players. One of
every 8 players receives a trophy while all players get a museum tour. (Idea came from NYC schools.)
In 1990, Francie extended chess to middle and high schools. Middle School Quarterly
Tournaments and a CCS High School Chess League (which invited private, parochial and suburban
schools to join and compete with CCS) exercised our chess muscles. She wrote and received numerous
grants for chess in order to send district winners to regional, state and national championship
tournaments. Columbus Schools’ Chess was a power to contend with nationally by 1995, thanks to many
devoted chess parents and the Columbus community!
In 1997 Francie expanded Advanced Placement (AP) classes to nearly all high schools in the
district. She gathered a task force with the purpose of providing AP classes for all students as well as
additional support and training for high school AP teachers. Increased access led to three CCS AP
teachers receiving Siemens Awards (out of 18 teachers in the nation) in 2005. The College Board
awarded several start-up grants to CCS. Francie now works as an AP Consultant, providing workshops
for high school administrators and teachers throughout the US. “Building an AP Program” is her favorite
workshop because it stresses equity and ideas for engaging parents and community.
Francie worked as an adjunct professor for both Ashland College and The Ohio State University
to help teachers obtain certification in Gifted Education staring in the late 1990s. In 2005, the Ohio
Association for Gifted Children presented her with a “Coordinator of the Year” award. Other awards
include recognition from Big Brothers/Big Sisters in Columbus, Ohio, in 2012.
Francie remains on the Board of OWjL, which provides middle school gifted summer camps.
One of CCS’ finest former chess players teaches chess at OWL each summer. CCS students may work
as camp counselors, and several CCS teachers design and teach gifted courses there.
Bringing about change in people - whether young, old or in-between - is what she does best! As a
volunteer at Inniswood Metro Gardens, Francie finds a similarity between gardening and chess:
planning, patience, perseverance, attention to detail, and hard work lead to growth and success. Chess
and gardening may be similar in that each is a metaphor for life.