Esports continues to grow in Wichita Public Schools
Esports continues to grow in Wichita Public Schools and the high schools in our district are putting themselves on the map nationally.
In the district’s third year of esports, the majority of our nine high schools competed in the High School Esports League (HSEL), a league with teams from all over the United States. Wichita teams compete in the central region and have a chance to go to the national tournament if they win the central region. Each school typically competes in two or three different games in the fall and the spring. Some of the most popular games are team-based games including Rocket League, Overwatch, and Valorant.
The district holds a city league championship each year for those three games.
This year, Southeast High School won the district Valorant championship and the fall HSEL central region championship for Valorant. That punched their ticket to the national Valorant tournament in Kansas City. They lost two close matches but ended up in the top 5 in the nation..
West High School won the district Overwatch championship, and finished second place in the nation in Overwatch. They lost a very close battle in the championship match. Heights High School won the annual district Rocket League Championship.
Northeast Magnet had a great year finishing third nationally in the fall in Overwatch, and making top 8 in the spring.
East High school had a great year with a second place finish in the game Smash Bros. in the Midwest PlayVS league. They also finished in the top 5 in the central region this spring in the game Valorant.
Heights, North, and Education Imagine Academy also had a lot of success this year in the central region.
All WPS middle and high schools have gaming labs. The district hosts gaming events at their 60-seat gaming arena at Education Imagine Academy where students compete in esports tournaments and the city league championships.
Students can take a Gaming Concepts class at all WPS high schools and most middle schools. More than 1,400 students took the class this semester and that number continues to grow each year.
Schools that don’t offer the class have other ways for students to engage in esports such as lunch and after school clubs which allow students the ability to learn about esports and compete in the middle school esports league for the game Rocket League.
The district held its annual middle school Rocket League Championship on May 5.
Allison Middle School won the championship for the second consecutive year.
