Christian Peterson
reporter@riverbendnews.org
On Wednesday, July 19, and Thursday, July 20, the Suwannee Middle School (SMS) esports team and the Sunshine State Esports League (SSEL), run by Suwannee Middle School (SMS) teacher Tammy Neil, made waves at the Southern Regional Education Board Making Schools Work Conference.
The setup for the event actually began on Tuesday, July 18. The SSEL joined forces with a Full Sail University team to begin setup. The Full Sail University team generously provided the equipment the students would need for the gaming eshow. They turned a regular conference room into an esports arena for the ensuing two days of eshow events.
Wednesday, July 19, was the first day where SMS, SSEL and the Full Sail Armada team took the stage. The SMS Shoutcasters worked with Full Sail to stream and commentate on the day's games, while other students played the games. They also helped discuss different aspects of esports in school over the next two days. This included sessions like, setting up an esports tournament; inside an esports club; esports for non-gamers and careers in esports. The students participated in panels and helped inform hundreds of educators about the value of esports in the education system. “To say I was proud today is an understatement,” said Neil in a Facebook post. “These kids not only represented SMS, but they made the Sunshine State Esports League look amazing. They made a huge impact on hundreds of educators and possibly their students.”
Thursday, July 20, was a continuation of day one, but with an extra surprise for SMS. A former SMS student, Dusty Vickers, showed up to the Super Smash Brothers tournament and made it all the way to the second round. The SMS shoutcast team continued their exceptional job, and SMS continued educating attendees about the value of esports. “I am so thankful to be in a district that supports esports,” Neil said. “These kids truly understand why they spend the time not only in the game, but also behind the scenes. They are seeing a path that didn't exist when I was their age.”