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SCS graduates leave lasting legacy with handmade chess tables

SCS graduates leave lasting legacy with handmade chess tables

Layne Beman (left), Gunnar Begley (middle) and Nathan MacMillan are recognized for building chess tables that will serve future students.

Aly Morrissey

SHARON – Three Sharon Center School eighth graders were recognized by the Board of Education June 8 for creating a new class legacy project.

The students built three wooden chess tables that have been placed in the school’s new Leadership Lounge, where students from different grade levels can gather and play.

Principal Carol Tomkalski praised the trio for launching what she hopes will become a tradition for future graduating classes.

"You're paving the way for a new tradition for other classes to follow, so thank you," Tomkalski said.

The students signed their names to the tables, ensuring they will be remembered by generations of Sharon Center School students to come. Tomkalski said she hopes to put the tables to use with a future chess tournament, tapping into a student body that includes enthusiastic players as young as second grade.

Aly Morrissey
Reporter
Aly Morrissey joined LJMN in 2025 as a reporter and photographer for The Millerton News, covering local government, community life and the arts across northeastern Dutchess County and northwest Connecticut before moving into newsroom leadership. A graduate of Quinnipiac University, she began her journalism career in Boston, working in radio before joining the Boston Herald as an editorial assistant and City Desk reporter covering breaking news. Her career spans nearly two decades in journalism, communications and professional photography. A lifelong theater enthusiast, Aly spent several seasons as production photographer for Sharon Playhouse and now happily embraces her newest role as a budding stage mom.
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