TOPTON, Pa. – A new sports team is available for Brandywine Heights Middle School students, but interested kids won't be hitting baseballs or throwing footballs.
With a snip of the scissors, Brandywine Heights Middle School's new lab for its new esports league was unveiled Monday.
"Super cool. All of the stuff is super nice," said Jack Eisenhart, a seventh-grader who has been looking forward to the lab's opening. "I get to play with new people and learn some things from other people that I don't know — how to better play the game."
"New computers, new monitors, keyboards, mice, chairs, headphones, controllers — the whole shebang," explained Assistant Superintendent Thomas Voelker.
District officials say the goal is to ensure every student within the district feels connected — somehow, someway.
"Throwing a football really far is cool, hitting a baseball really far is cool, and it is cool, but STEM is cool, too, and STEM is really employable," said Ryan Hinkle, a 1999 graduate.
Hinkle, who invests in technology for a living, donated a significant amount of money to buy the computers.
"When I grew up, I loved math. I loved science. I love puzzles," Hinkle said, while pointing out different classrooms where he learned about those subjects.
"Once you have those powerful computers, what else can you do with them?" Hinkle said. "Any intense graphics design coursework, any intense video editing coursework, any intense architectural coursework."
"I want to create an obsession with learning and these puzzles to create career outcomes for the entire community," Hinkle added.
The team will practice twice per week after school in preparation for a weekly match against other participating districts in Berks and Pennsylvania.
The main game they will play is Rocket League.
Students check out the new equipment at Brandywine Heights Middle School's esports lab.
"There are a couple other possibilities: Minecraft builds, chess," said esports Coach Dan Mark.
Mark hopes to teach the students teamwork and collaboration through something many already do once they're at home.
"And hopes to realize there are avenues in their future to pursue esports and gaming in college and beyond," Mark explained. "I've done a lot of research: There is over 175 universities and colleges that are offering full-ride scholarships for esports athletes, so there is definitely a future out there for students pursuing gaming."
"At the end of the day, it's about learning sportsmanship — how to collaborate and really build that unity within the school community," added Voelker.
Eisenhart says he plans to spend as much time in the lab as he can.
"Yeah. I'll try. Yeah," laughed Eisenhart.
So far, 16 students have signed up for the team. If there is enough interest, district officials say the league could expand to Brandywine Heights High School.
