We had 34 students(4th-9th grade) and teachers from 9 different school districts participate in our two-and-a-half-day scholastic esports event. This was a competition-based professional development experience in which teachers learned and worked with their students to engage in graphic design, website creation, and an esports tournament. It was beneficial for all of our participating teachers to learn with their students. Teachers were able to help students develop persistence and resilience as they worked in teams to produce amazing projects for the academic portion of the competition.

We were fortunate enough to partner with Jackson College’s esports program. Students and teachers were able to use the esports arena for a real immersive experience. On the last day of the event, we ran a tournament in which teachers experienced the benefit and engagement that esports could provide for their class, school, and community. Parents and community members were invited to the tournament and the awards announcement.