While there have been some obstacles along the way, USD 257’s esports program is up and running.
Ben Prasko, the district’s technology director, and esports club sponsor Chris Belknap discussed the program at Tuesday evening’s school board meeting.
“When it comes to playing other schools, competing has been kind of a struggle,” admitted Belknap. “We are doing stuff on our own without going through an actual program.” Despite this, he noted that they have been taking advantage of the gaming equipment and conducting in-house tournaments.
The esports program began as an after-school club in the 2022-23 school year, mostly teaching students how to play strategy games such as chess. The school board last spring approved the purchase of gaming equipment to officially start esports programs at both the middle and high school.
So far this year, the games the middle schoolers have competed in include chess, Smash Brothers, and Mario Kart. At the high school level, students have competed in a game called Valorant. Belknap said about 10 to 15 students participate in each in-house tournament.
The program has been a good motivator for students who are struggling academically, noted Belknap. In order to participate, students must have passing grades.
Board member John Wilson asked Belknap what his expectations for the program are for next year. Belknap said arranging competitions with other schools tops the list.
Growth has been key. “When it was just an after-school program, we only had seven or eight students participating,” he noted. On average, the program sees around 18 students participating. “Getting these students involved in something where they can be a part of a team is important,” he added.
SPEAKING ON behalf of high school esports sponsor David Daugharthy, Prasko said the program started strong with a win during the fall season. This got the students excited for the winter season. He explained that Valorant — the game the students play — has five Iola students competing against five students from another district.
“We had a bit of a rocky winter season,” said Prasko. “They were down pretty significantly, but got excited because they started to make up the point difference in their final game. Unfortunately, they lost 15-13 but they were able to force overtime and force more games.” The IHS team went on to finish their season with a second place finish in a small tournament, losing to a team from Wilmington, Calif.
“Looking forward, they are going to continue to compete,” said Prasko. “Hopefully, we’re going to start a several month spring season.” The only obstacle in the way is finding a coach who’s schedule allows for it. “Daugharthy coaches track, so we’ll have to work around that,” he added.
In addition to the afterschool gameplay, the students also have a class during the day. This includes coursework, which Prasko noted is important to having a balance of quality curriculum along with the gaming. “They learn more about computers, technology, college and career opportunities,” he said. “They’re actually learning some stuff here and will get into some real applicable stuff soon.”
One student involved in the program is dually enrolled at Allen Community College and taking a Computer Aided Design (CAD) class.
Prasko said esports is helping with school attendance, pointing to an example of a student who once was habitually absent and is now consistently showing up. He added that strategies and content included in the course can help with regulating emotions.
“One student in particular was having a huge problem dealing with his anger,” he explained. “The student is improving his ability to control and recognize his emotions. It’s great to see that these kids are becoming a bit more emotionally aware.”
Taking initiative has been another benefit. Prasko pointed to an incident where students approached Daugharthy about doing a presentation on game strategy. There have now been two student-led lessons. “Unprovoked, unprompted — just out of a desire to do better, these students wanted to give these presentations,” he said. “They’re learning teamwork, problem solving, problem identification, and communication with their peers.”
