WHS Junior Annan Karim Makes Esports History

Westmoore High School junior Annan "Glory" Karim was honored with induction into the Oklahoma Scholastic Esports Hall of Fame last month for establishing and growing the first esports team at Moore Public Schools, the fourth-largest district in the state.

OU Director of Esports and Co-Curricular Innovation Mike "Moog" Aguilar presented the award to Annan and spoke of his uncommon energy and vision, like finding and connecting with him when he was a WHS freshman to get guidance on how to get esports started at MPS.

Today, high schools at MPS are moving forward to develop membership, generate funds and teacher sponsors for the new teams and they have already brought home top rankings at competitions. Through Annan's leadership and kickstart of esports at WHS, the MPS district has earned Oklahoma Educational Technology Trust (OETT) Grants through the OU K20 Center to continue to build esports opportunities.

DID YOU KNOW? by Schoolyard Online

It may seem like all fun and games, but esports growth has been aided by growing research showing benefits to cognitive development for students. Even beyond gaming, these studies are crucial to providing parents with more info on how to allocate screen time effectively. When comparing three types of screen time: watching TV or online videos, socializing over social media, text, or video chat, and gaming, it was found that “gaming positively impacted the amount of change in intelligence so that children who played more video games at 9–10 years showed the most gains in intelligence two years later.”

Dr. Constance Steinkuehler, Professor of Informatics at UC-Irvine notes that esports in education opens numerous pathways resulting from skills developed by event participants. She said gaming is a cerebral, smart activity that uses high-end theory crafting and data science. It applies advanced STEM concepts that require discipline, teamwork, and leadership.