CUSD STEAM Administrator Brito Featured on LACOE's Ed Buzz
Media Release
Esports programs are expanding, with school districts setting up their own programs nationwide. Within Los Angeles County, Compton Unified School District has been working hard to expand its award-winning Esports program throughout all the district’s schools.
In the latest episode of the Los Angeles County Office of Education’s (LACOE) Ed Buzz show, Alvaro Brito, STEAM Administrator with the Compton Unified School District, joined Dr. Chris Hoang, LACOE’s Interim Assistant Director of Technology Innovation and Outreach, and host Elizabeth Graswich, LACOE Executive Director of Public Affairs & Communications, to discuss the rise of Esports. They talked about how Esports can affect socio-emotional learning and how playing video games can help build skills for future careers.
“We (Compton Unified) started with just four high schools,” explained Brito. “We got the students in one room and we started with an Overwatch tournament. From there it has grown into having Esports in all of our high schools, middle schools, and we're delving into the elementary schools. We've also had Esports and our STEAM camps during the summer. Our students in the lower grades are also doing Minecraft Esports, which was very successful. We had a lot of students attending summer school because they were excited to come to camp.”
Brito also explained the benefits of Esports to the district scholars: “One of the biggest reasons why we wanted to bring this program to Compton Unified is to provide an opportunity for our scholars to look at different types of STEAM pathways that Esports can open up. The competition part of it is amazing. The students love competing and participating.”
“But we also provide a safe space where the students can also grow emotionally,” he said. “Then there’s the collaboration piece, the communication piece, and bringing awareness to different types of careers that Esports can bring up.”
During the show, the panel discussed how Esports has helped increase school attendance and academic performance, and given students who aren’t interested in traditional sports a different opportunity to join a team and compete.
“We’ve seen these students feel like they're part of a program that they're heavily invested in, wanting to be part of something,” added Brito. “Something that really excites me is seeing the students wear their Esports team shirts to school.”
Esports can help scholars develop numerous skills, such as quick-thinking skills, confidence, and communication. Esports also provide numerous career pathways, not only to playing video games, but also in game design, video and audio production, sports broadcasting, and sports journalism, to name a few.
If other school districts want to develop an Esports programs, Brito’s advice is to start small and build slowly.