Recess Monkey and Chessmates

Megan Sukys
05/23/2008

Rebellious and Bohemian aren't usually the words associated with chess players. Today, local chess master and psychologist Leo Stefurak takes us inside the Pacific Northwest chess scene. We also hear songs from Recess Monkey and get a review of the New Indiana Jones movie.


At 2:05 p.m. – Recess Monkey
If you want kids to learn, first you have to get their attention. Jack Forman, Drew Holloway, and Daron Henry have found a way to do just that. All three are local elementary school teachers and members of the Seattle band Recess Monkey. Their music gets both parents and kids dancing along, but more importantly, it keeps students engaged in the classroom lessons — from solving math equations to painting pet rocks.

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• Recess Monkey

At 2:20 p.m. – Chessmates
Becoming a chess master is more about seeing than thinking. And getting to checkmate is more about spatial processing than simple logic. Those are just two of the conclusions Leo Stefurak has made as both a psychologist and the president of Chessmates, a local organization that promotes chess education. Leo looks at chess as indirect learning tool — a way of engaging kids in complex thinking at any early age. Today, he tells us how his love of the game started at age 10.

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• Chessmates
• Video: Leo Stefurak's Lecture on Chess History

At 2:40 p.m. – Robert Horton Movie Reviews
Robert Horton reviews Hollywood Blockbusters and art house rarities every Friday on Sound Focus. He joins us with a look at films screening in our region this weekend.

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• Robert Horton's review of 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'
• Seattle International Film Festival

At 2:50 p.m. – Dan Mazur
Mount Rainier is an easy climb compared to Mount Everest. But our local summit taught mountain climber Dan Mazur a lot about the ethics of mountain climbing. Dan is an Olympia resident and sometimes volutneers as a guide on Rainier. He also leads expeditions to the top of Mount Everest. Dan and his team made headlines after a dramatic rescue there in 2006.

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• Dan Mazur