RCI was asked to provide a Chess Program Narrative that include but was not limited to the following questions: 
Ways the program(s) supports elementary, middle, and high school learning objectives and/or promotes academic achievement.
Chess is an affordable, accessible, and respected scholarship venue that has no career ending injuries, no strenuous physical demands, immediate income potential, no age or gender requirements, and success or failure is entirely within the control of the individual! Chess doesn’t attract bullies, has no balls to hit, throw, or bounce, no strength requirements, no hand eye coordination, no gyms, dancing, rhythm, politics, favoritism, popularity contest, need to entertain people, and no insurmountable financial obstacles! Improving at chess makes clear the intent, desire, and probability that the personality will develop prolonged concentration, sequential visualization, creative problem solving, critical decision making, record keeping, confidence, self analysis, event preparation methodologies and techniques, performance measurement, endless incremental improvement, and perhaps an even higher IQ. Chess gives our students realistic scholarship, and employment opportunies to persue. RCI’s ongoing mission is to make sure chess is accessible to every one that wants it! When any individual of any age, gender, or socioeconomic status makes up their mind that they are going to improve at chess, knowingly or unknowingly, they have made a commitment to improve their learning and achievement in every area of life!

Our programs inform, train, and support the growth of the entire chess personality. Anyone can become a, Rated Tournament Chess Player, US Chess Certified Coach, US Chess Certified Tournament Director, and/or US Chess Affiliate Organizer. Coach, Tournament Director, and Affiliate Organizer positions are management positions. Each has several tiers of performance and can be served in a volunteer capacity to satisfy community service requirements, or as paid positions to increase household income and stability.

RCI is a Tournament Chess, Professional Development, and Entrepreneurial Training Company. RCI promotes academic acheivement by explaining the earning and value of scholarships. RCI explains the ongoing dollar value of, “In School” time so that young people understand they are being paid to go to school! RCI teaches people how to explain their, “chess success” in ways that earn the respect, cooperation, and support of the adults that have an impact on their desired outcomes! RCI also provides a resume writing service to ensure that Chess goes in the, “Accomplishment” section of their high school application, college application, and resumes.

Program Campaign and Goals:
We work tirelessly to develop working and engaged Chess, Entrepreneurial, Community Minded, and College Bound Personalities!
We use our international chess experience to give them a world view of chess. We teach them what they can not learn from experience alone! We will take them to tournaments. We will teach them all of the total chess personality positions they express an interest in. We will promote them to coaches. RCI will continue to work with local businesses to find employment for both students and their parents of chess families. This increased income, responsibility and teamwork helps make their goals for scholarships of any kind more attainable and realistic. The ultimate goal being to demonstrate to students and then allow them to experience, how higher order thinking skills overcome problems, and how they unleash their full potential.

Evidence that your program(s) effectively attracts, retains and develops elementary,middle, and high school youth:
RCI serves more than schools! RCI’s founder and owner, Michael Callaham is a Board Member, the Secretary, and the Field Liason for the Virginia Scholastic Chess Association. Michael also serves as a Board Member, Vice President, Field Liaison, and Scholastic and Scholarship Director for the Virginia Chess Federation. Mr Callaham also writes for the federation’s bimonthly newsletter! Through RCI philanthropy and support from the VSCA, and the VCF, RPS elementary, middle, and high school students have been able to participate in US Chess Tournaments!  Without regard to resources, these participants are fed and guaranteed return transportation home. We have received letters from parents and comments from parents and counselors about the positive changes seen in the youth that participate in our program. Better hygiene, eye contact, confidence, writing, reading, speaking, listening, maturity, patience, conscientiousness, and attitude. One parent explained how chess notation and tournaments helped her son stop writing his numbers and letters backwards. In the last 12 months, we promoted 5 players to coach, bringing our total to 6 student coach possibilities! Last year we had 1 of our coaches become a US Certified Tournament Director. While these schools were participating we hit our goal of 75% retention and/or tournament participation several times at JEB Stuart, JB Fisher Albert Hill, Henderson, Thompson, Lucille Brown, and Franklin Military Academy and Armstrong . Some of our most memorable and significant middle school achievements were:
Student M has been a coach for RCI for 3 years. He is 14 years old and a Chess Master! The income M earns as a coach helped him go to the tournaments he needed to reach his goals! M has already come to the attention of several universities!
1st Place K-8 Henderson. Nov 7, 2015. Henderson’s team started with 1 of 12 knowing how to play chess on October 5th. With our whole team playing in their 1st tournament, 2 of the teams they beat out for 1st place were Midlothian Middle and Collegiate Middle!
2nd place K-12 Henderson. May 2016. That’s a high school trophy!
Albert Hill 1st place picture and story published in the VA Newsletter Dec 2014
Student S ; (Thompson) Earned, “Best New Player” trophy at the 2014 Va Scholastic Championship. RCI drove the whole team to Farmville and back 2 days in a row for that event! S caught the bus to come to a saturday tournament! S went on to Community High.
Student L ; (Brown) Accepted to Maggie Walker High School 2016/2017 Chess was her primary extracurricular activity and she plays on their team.
Student Z; (Brown) 2015/2016 While at his Community High interview he was asked what his greatest accomplishment had been so far… He stated, “Becoming a Rated Tournament Chess Player!” It so happened that the person interviewing him was also a Rated Tournament Chess Player. His mother said that chess dominated the interview and he was accepted!
Student A; (Albert Hill) 3rd place Dec 2014. A had behavior and confidence issues. He was being coached at his elementary shool for 2 years. He had a tournament record of 1-14! After just 3 sessions with us he went to his next tournament and scored 3-1. His final game for the trophy was against a player rated higher than anyone on our team. He beat her and earned the trophy. Many months later, his mother told me that she was about to give up on chess, but that RCI had given her son everything she had been looking for when she enrolled him in chess in the 1st place.
Student G; (Boushall) Earned a coach position after just 1 session at Next Up. G coached at Boushall’s Summer program for Higher Achievement in 2017 and was the Assistant Tournament Director at the Boys and Girls Club Tournament held in July of 2017!
Brown, Armstrong, and Boushall; Meadowdale Spring Tournament May 2017. Clean sweep of the k-12 schools section taking 1st, 2nd, and 3rd respectively. Individual players also took 3 of the remaining individual trophies! RPS middle and high schools took 6 of the 8 trophies for the k-12 section.
Lucille Brown; 1st Place k-12 Maggie Walker Tournament March 17 2018. It’s a high school trophy.

What would where you play have to say?!