Esports matches turn hobby into competition for some Fairfax Co. students
Staff, 2022-11-02 04:13:13,
In the first full non-pilot year, an esports program in Fairfax County Public Schools has six schools competing this fall. For many students, participation starts as a hobby and evolves into a competition that has the potential to earn them college scholarships.
During the school day, room 462 at South Lakes High School in Fairfax County, Virginia, is used for business, economics and personal finance classes. It features a traditional setup with computers laid out across the room.
But as soon as the school day concludes several times a week, anywhere from 15 to 20 high school students join Kevin Okeefe, who teaches history. The students are part of the school’s esports team, a program recently established at schools across Virginia’s largest school system.
At South Lakes, Okeefe sent out information about an interest meeting, unsure about the number of students who would consider joining. Last fall, the club had six students, and as of this fall has more than doubled in size. For many students, participation in esports started as a hobby and has evolved into a competition that has the potential to earn them college scholarships.
“My favorite part is just being able to compete, and really take what I love doing, what used to just be a hobby, and be able to take it forward for my school and compete against other schools,” said student Devin Burnell. “It’s such an amazing thing.”
Before the…
,
To read the original article from news.google.com, Click here