Attention all gamers, Nixa High School now has an esports team.
Esports is the term used for competitive multiplayer video games, and after many challenges, Nixa High School is getting a team.
The idea of an esports team began as an independent project for a few students in the gifted program at the junior high.
“We started with fundraising and general research into the high school esports team to get familiar with what we needed to do,” said Owen Walczyk, one of the original students who worked to form the esports team.
Along with writing grants, the students on the team would work the concession stand at the junior high to raise money. A grant was awarded to the esports team by the Nixa Educational Foundation.
After the initial idea, the esports team quickly found out that the road to getting a team wasn’t always going to be an easy one.
“There were many times I wanted to give up,” said Kelly Carney, a secondary gifted education teacher. “As soon as we got one thing done we would run into another wall.”
Carney said that to form the team, she and her students had to get approval from the school board, administrators, athletic directors, and the technology department.
Scott Dunn, a team sponsor, said that Acer Inc. donated two new computers to Nixa for the team.
Dunn arrived at the esports scene by chance when Carney came into his room and asked to use his computers.
“I want to see the students get something that they are really interested in,” Dunn said.
Even though some of these students are not on conventional sports teams, esports still gives them a team learning environment.
“It’s like any other team,” Carney said. “These kids are true gamers, this is important for them, and it really teaches them great concepts like any team does. There’s lots of teamwork, strategy and the kids are wanting it so we got to give them what they want.”
Walczyk agrees with Carney.
“It feels good to know that the high school is going to gain something from this,” Walczyk said.
Even after all the challenges this team has faced to be formed, there was one takeaway for Carney.
“This was a great lesson in perseverance,” Carney said. “The kids love this so, in the end, it’ll be worth it.”