Mount Vernon STEAM Academy has been a high school in the city since 2018.
One unique after-school activity is the STEAM Knights Esports Club. The program will involve around 60 participants and will begin in October 2023, led by coaches and advisors social studies teacher Ian Smith and mathematics teacher Peter Parisi.
“Esports is a great way for students to get together after school and participate in non-traditional sports because it's treated like a competitive sport,” Smith said.
Students form teams and compete against teams from another high school somewhere in the country (mostly on the East Coast), essentially playing in a competitive manner. They strategize, communicate, collaborate, and the results of the matches are recorded. Students have the opportunity to qualify for playoffs and national level tournaments.
“This is a great outlet for a lot of students who aren’t normally interested in traditional sports,” Smith said.
Senior Zuri Jackson said, “I had never been active in a video game like this, so it was a great opportunity to experience an environment like this, work with teammates, plan spikes, and help other teams. It's fun to be able to work together to annihilate them.” This is another way for students to coordinate with each other and build more communication skills. ”
