eSports helps students stay positive during pandemic

PROGRAM STARTED A FEW YEARS AGOAND HAS CONTINUEDTO GROW ..

THIS PAST YEAR HASMADE GAMING LOOK A LITTLEDIFFERENT..

BUT THAT HASN'TSTOPPED STUDENTS FROMCONTINUING TO COMPETE."THE FACT THAT I CAN BOND WITHPEOPLETHROUGH VIDEO GAMES AND ALSO DOIT COMPETITIVELY IS REALLYREALLY COOL."KERN HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICTSCREATED ANESPORTS LEAGUE .

LETTINGSTUDENTS CONNECT ANDPLAY COMPETITIVELY WITHDIFFERENT HIGH SCHOOLSTHROUGH VIDEO GAMES."YOU'RE NOT JUST SITTING AT HOMEPLAYING A VIDEO GAME, IT'SREALLY COMPETING, PLAYING AS ATEAM, IT'SCOOPERATION IT IS GROWTH.

IT ISEVERYTHING THAT YOU GET OUT OFTRADITIONAL ATHLETICS BUTPACKAGED TOGETHER INTO VIDEOGAMES."THE ESPORTS LEAGUE STARTED IN2018, WHERE STUDENTS PLAYTEAM-BASED ACTION GAMESOVERWATCH AND LEAGUE OFLEGENDS.

OVER THE PAST FEWYEARS, THE ESPORTS LEAGUEHAS GROWN.

WITH WEEKLY PRACTICESTO DISCUSSSTRATEGIES AND TACTICS.

BUT IT'SNOT ALL ABOUT THE GAME.

IT'SABOUT THE TEAM."I FOUND MANY NEW FRIENDSTHROUGHTHE CLUB AND THEY ARE ALSO MYTEAMMATES, AND IT WOULDN'T HAVEEVERHAPPENED WITHOUT ESPORTS BEING ATHING."USUALLY COMPETITIONS TAKE PLACEIN A CLASSROOM WITHALL PLAYERS IN THE SAME ROOM.THIS PAST YEAR.WITH THEPANDEMIC AND DISTANCE LEARNING.STUDENTS COULDNO LONGER COMPETE IN PERSON .BUT WITH ESPORTSBEING COMPLETELY BASED ONLINE,THE GAMESCOULD GO ON"WE WERE VERY FORTUNATE THATEVEN THROUGH COVID WE WERE ABLETO COMPETE AT A SMALLER SCALEFROMYEARS PRIOR BECAUSE WE AREPLAYING FROM HOME WITH OUR OWNEQUIPMENT.""THAT REALLY KEPT THE MORAL UPFOROUR STUDENTS.""NOT ONLY WERE THEY ASKED TOPERFORMAS STUDENTS THROUGH DISTANCELEARNING BUT WE ALSO ASKED THEMTOCOMPETE AND BE POSITIVE ROLEMODELS FOR THEIR SCHOOLS."AND WHILE BEING AWAY FROMTEAMMATES WAS DIFFICULT.

THECONNECTION WAS NEVER LOST."WITH THE PANDEMIC, I FEEL LIKEIT HASBROUGHT US A LOT CLOSER BECAUSEYOU KNOW THERE IS ONLINE SCHOOLANDTHEN YOU CAN EASILY JUST GET OFFOF SCHOOL AND WE CAN JUST ALLCALL ANDTALK AND STUFF."WE TALK EVERY SINGLE DAY, WEPLAYEVERY SINGLE DAY, WE JUST FEELLIKE WE ARE ALWAYS TOGETHER ANDITDOESN'T REALLY FEEL LIKE WE ARESEPARATED AT ALL."AND WHILE COMPETING IN ESPORTSTHIS YEAR HAS BEENDIFFERENT, STUDENTS AND COACHESHAVE CONTINUED TOSUPPORT AND LEARN FROM EACHOTHER.MAX BLUEMEL, ESPORTS COACH,FRONTIER HIGH SCHOOL"THE MORE STUDENTS THAT WE HAVECOMPETITIVELY GAMING, THE MOREIT CREATES A POSITIVE CULTURE ONOURCAMPUS."NOW ESPORTS HAS MADE ITS WAY TOMANY SCHOOLSTHROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT, BUTCOACHES AND STUDENTS ATO MANY SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THEDISTRICT, BUTNOW ESPORTS HAS MADE ITS WAY TOMANY SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THEDISTRICT, BUT COACHES ANDSTUDENTS ARESTILL CONTINUING TO SPREAD THEWORD AND INTRODUCING THE GAMESTO DIFFERENT HIGH SCHOOLSTHROUGHOUT THE DIS