St Anne's Academy Kiminini made an impressive debut in competitive chess after five of its learners qualified for the Kenya National Chess Championships during the regional competitions held at Kitale National Polytechnic.
Speaking after the event, the school's headteacher Robert Wangila Masinde was over the moon for the outstanding performance, describing it as a major milestone for the institution.
"I'm a very happy headteacher because of the performance of our learners. So far, five of them have qualified to go to the Nationals," said Mr Masinde.
The principal identified the qualifiers as Kyla Matthew (Grade 6), Barry (Grade 6), Trevor (Grade 6), Sibyl (Grade 6), and Felicia Nijuma from the lower primary section.
"I'm very, very happy, excited and exhilarated because of this stunning performance. Imagine, this is the very first time we are presenting our learners for these competitions, and yet they have done tremendous work. They have performed incredibly well," he added.
He said the school was still awaiting results for four more participants and remained optimistic they would also secure places at the national championships.
"We are still waiting for the outcome of four others. I'm very sure we are likely to have every participant from our school proceed to the Nationals," Masinde said.
He thanked the school's directors for their unwavering support, noting that their investment in both academics and co-curricular activities have contributed significantly to the learners' success.
"Thank you very much to our directors for the support to have the school climb the scales of success, even in co-curricular activities," he said.
The strong showing at the regional competition underscores St Anne's Academy's growing commitment to nurturing talent beyond the classroom as it prepares its qualifiers for the upcoming national chess championships.