The James A. Garfield eSports program has made an exciting debut this school year, launching from the ground up to directly support the district's vision for student engagement and success. As part of the district’s goal of ensuring 95% of students participate in a co-curricular, extra-curricular, or mentorship opportunity by 2028, the eSports program played a pivotal role. This year, over 35 students across grades 6-12 joined the program, many of whom had previously not been involved in any co-curricular or extra-curricular activities here on campus. The addition of the eSports program helped increase middle school participation numbers along from 85% to 90%, reflecting the growing engagement in co-curricular and extra-curricular opportunities within the district.
A huge thank you goes out to Shannan Jursa and Shannan Jursa State Farm Insurance, whose generosity made the creation of the eSports program possible. Donating over $5,000 to kickstart the program, her enthusiasm and commitment to student success helped turn this dream into a reality. Her support will continue to impact the district and move the needle on our district’s vision as the program continues to grow over the years. Mrs. Jursa’s enthusiasm and willingness to support the students here at JAG are a true reflection of the District’s Core Values of Kindness and Engagement.
This inaugural season has already proven to be an exciting one, with teams competing across several nights of the week. The eSports week starts out on Tuesday nights with Chess coached by Mr. Frato-Sweeney. Three teams—Garfield Mates, Garfield Rooks, and Garfield Kings—faced off this season with a combined 21-8 record. These young competitors not only demonstrated their strategic thinking in weekly matches but also traveled to the Akron and Cleveland areas on the weekends for over-the-board tournaments, where they earned several impressive awards.
On Wednesday nights, the high school teams showcased their skills in Super Smash Bros. The Garfield Motherboards and Garfield Keyboards, coached by Mr. Cutlip, were just shy of making the high school playoffs this season but are excited to expand their roster and explore new games in the coming year. These teams are looking forward to greater success and growth in the upcoming fall season.
Back to the middle school on Thursday nights, our Super Smash Bros. teams—the Garfield MegaBytes, Garfield RAMs, and Garfield Modems—competed alongside the Garfield Bots, a Rocket League team. All of these teams held their own this season, forming strong bonds as they spent time in the eSports arena, further solidifying their commitment to the program and to each other. The teams were coached by Mr. Rado and are looking forward to continuing their growth and development next year.
In closing, the inaugural season of the James A. Garfield eSports program has proven to be a resounding success. We are incredibly thankful to our sponsor, Shannan Jursa, for making this dream possible. While the seasons are coming to a close it is not over yet. Best of luck goes out to the Garfield Rooks as they compete for the Play VS Eastern League Championship on the chessboards on Tuesday, May 13th. The Eastern League stretches from Maine down to Florida and across to Tennessee, and we’re excited to see how far our teams will go and how far this new and exciting program can expand here on campus. It’s a great time to be a G-Man!
Go Mates / Go Rooks / Go Kings / Go Boards / Go Bytes / Go RAMs / Go Modems / Go Bots…
Go G-Men!