While attending the National School Boards Association Conference in Philadelphia in March 2019, Southeastern Greene School District School Board Member Janet Pennington, made attending the session on starting a high school Esports team a top priority. With 72% of students considering themselves gamers, competitive Esports (electronic sports) teams are becoming part of the extracurricular landscape in many high schools and colleges. Over 140 colleges are sponsoring Esports teams and offering over $17 million in scholarships with the student pursuing any major – just as in traditional sports. Locally, both West Virginia University and Waynesburg University have organized Esports teams.
After attending the conference, Pennington presented the idea to the receptive administration of the Southeastern Greene School District. Scott Sinn, assistant to the superintendent and director of curriculum, met with students to gauge their interest and investigated HSEL (High School Esports League). He found that HSEL offered opportunities as far as competition, available games, and possible exposure for scholarships. On June 20, 2021, the Esports program was approved by the SEGSD Board. On July 26 of that year, Johnathan Gamon was hired as the sponsor.
The district used Title IV funds to purchase 10 gaming PC’s, 10 27-inch curved gaming monitors, and 12 high back gaming chairs. Mapletown joined HSEL, which allows competition among teams across the country. The 11 students on the team compete in the games of Valorant, Fortnite – After School Rumble, Rocket League, and Chess. Two Mapletown players ranked in the top 25% nationally in the Fortnite – After School Rumble.
Gamon has been a driving force for the Esports program. He created a Mapletown Esports YouTube channel that features interviews with players, gaming recaps, live streaming of games, and gaming tutorials. According to Scott Sinn, Greene County is using grant money to create a county-wide Esports league where Mapletown students will be competing against other county schools. Gamon has taken a leadership role with this opportunity by developing a countywide website for Esports.
Johnathan Gamon is already thinking about next year. He is planning a summer camp for incoming ninth grade students as well as returning students. In addition, he plans on developing and constructing an onsite arena with digital access for fans. An Esports base class with curriculum aligned to the STEM initiatives is in the works. This course will focus on social emotional learning, college and career readiness, and digital citizenship.
Esports has become a multibillion industry, and Gamon is making students aware of the many career paths associated with the gaming industry. For example, Ohio State University offers areas of study that include Esports management, game art and production, game design, programming, the business of games, and health and rehabilitation.
Great Idea Janet Thanks