ESCONDIDO, Calif. — Controllers, games and competition were present at the first Escondido Union School District Esports Championship.
Students from middle schools in the school district participated in this inaugural event at Hidden Valley Middle School.
“You see a lot of excitement, just watching them get off the buses and come to this event there's a lot of pride in their school, a lot of pride in their team," EUSD Superintendent, Luis Rankins-Ibarra said.
The program began at the start of the school year, it was funded through the state's Expanded Learning Opportunities Program. EUSD received about 21 million dollars to go towards after-school programs and enrichment activities.
“They're learning gaming, they're learning how to collaborate, they're learning how to be a critical thinker,” Hidden Valley Middle School Principal, Bryanna Norton said.
HVMS is the first middle school in the district to roll out a top-tier gaming room. It's a feature other schools will be seeing very soon.
“All the way to the furniture to the lighting to the technology and all designed to be intentional to keep kids at school, keep them engaged, keep them excited about being there and continue to accelerate their learning,” EUSD Extended Learning and Intervention and Enrichment Director, Rick Oser said.
About 120 students throughout the district are part of E-Sports, it's meant to keep students engaged in a safe environment.
“They're all about the career aspect of the e-sports, they are learning all different types of things and new ideas are coming to them about possible careers they can be a part of,” Norton said.
It's an anticipated moment for eighth-grade student Timothy Barry, who wanted a program like this. Despite the game being competitive, it's a hobby he is passionate about.
“Usually just fun casual hangout games, socializing …it's really fun,” Barry said.
Students competed in a series of games throughout the championship, with the winners taking home a trophy.
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