Tokay High offers competitive online gaming to students

Tokay High has created and launched Lodi Unified School District’s first esports teams.

Kicking off their official season last week, esports offers students the opportunity to play games online against other esports teams. It also teaches students about teamwork, logical thinking, problem solving, and the development of leadership skills.

Tryouts for Tokay High’s esports teams took place in early October. The 12 students who made the teams were assembled into junior varsity and varsity teams, each consisting of five starters and two backups. This season, students compete while playing the “League of Legends” game during which they work together to capture the opposing team’s bases. Each competitive game lasts approximately 45 minutes.

“Tokay High encourages opportunities for students to learn leadership skills and teamwork building. Competitive sports are a great way to do that,” Tokay High Principal Erik Sandstrom said. “We want all of our students to have the same opportunities to compete in their fields of choice, including online gaming,”

Students echo these sentiments.

“Being part of the esports team (gives) me an opportunity to be able to showcase my skills in gaming, bond with my teammates, and develop leadership skills,” said Kevin Keith, a senior and member of the varsity esports team.

Allyis Martinez, a senior and member of the varsity team, agreed. “This experience has been a great opportunity for me to develop my skills working within a team environment,” she said.

Recently, both teams competed in their first games, with the JV squad narrowly losing to Benjamin Holt Academy while the varsity team secured a win against Langston Hughes Academy. “I was thrilled to see my students play for the first time. The teams were prepared and worked well together, despite playing together for a few short weeks,” said John Medina, who is a math and advanced placement computer science teacher at Tokay High as well as the new esports coach. “They are learning a lot about strategy and teamwork. Esports has opened doors for my students to compete while playing something they love.”

A number of colleges, such as the University of California, Berkeley and the University of California, Irvine. now offer scholarship opportunities for esports. According to a recent Forbes article, college scholarships for esports have grown by five times over the last year.

“Our foray into the new space of digital competitive gaming is exciting,” said Dr. Cathy Nichols-Washer, LUSD Superintendent. “Technology is a priority for our Board of Education and a major part of our students’ everyday lives. With the implementation of esports, our students can compete and enjoy sportsmanship online, which is a huge feat.”

Tokay High’s esports teams will compete in one more game before the playoffs, which will take place during the week of Thanksgiving break. Finals will be held the following two weeks.

LUSD plans to expand esports in the district in the next year so that all students will have the opportunity to pursue and secure esports education institutions.

Spectators can follow and watch the live games on Tokay High’s twitch channel.