CA BOCES Scholastic Esports League will offer learning and gaming opportunities in partnership with the North America Scholastic Esports Federation 

(Orange County, Calif., – August 17, 2020) – The Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES in Olean, NY, is launching a program to leverage the appeal of esports for meaningful career education connected to regional and national video game tournaments. The CA-BOCES Scholastic Esports League (CASEL) will be an affiliate of the North America Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF). 

The esports industry is booming, and students are excited to play in video game tournaments and to pursue related STEM careers. NASEF’s programs, curriculum, and expertise are offered completely free to enable educators to tap that student excitement for meaningful learning. 

Through NASEF, students learn about possible career pathways, enter Beyond the Game™ creative and analytic challenges, manage clubs and events and fundraising – and yes, compete in tournaments. There is strong demand from schools to develop an official esports program, and Cattaraugus-Allegany leadership carefully evaluated options to provide students with a meaningful opportunity.

Educational Focus the Key to New Program

“When our component school districts asked us to help them get involved with esports, we weren’t really sure what we were getting into. After a quick search, we found ourselves looking into HSEL and PlayVS. Honestly, if you just want to get involved with organized gaming, those leagues aren’t necessarily a bad choice; however, NASEF is so much more,” said Mary Morris, Program Manager for Student Programs. “Much like our approach at CA BOCES, NASEF is all about the student experience, and scholastic esports is the means. Whether we’re talking about the standards-aligned curriculum, the Beyond the Game™ challenges, or the organized game play, we couldn’t be more excited about the affiliation between NASEF and the CA BOCES Scholastic Esports League.”

CASEL will kick off its affiliation by sharing NASEF scholastic esports curriculum with its 22 component school districts to help the formation of esports clubs. The Student Programs team will coordinate and schedule scrimmages and regular game matches for each season, and they plan to host regional tournaments in Rocket League and League of Legends and will include “Beyond the Game™” challenges as well. 

CASEL will support component school districts through an “Esports Coach Forum” with a regional coach provided by NASEF. They will also offer professional development to teachers in the region as they implement this novel esports scholastic curriculum. The first session was completed last week, with a second training scheduled for August 28.

“Scholastic esports offers a unique opportunity to reach students in the heart of their interests. Our top-notch staff has helped schools across North America implement scholastic esports. We’re thrilled to extend our philanthropy and offer that same opportunity, at no cost, to students in the Cattaraugus-Allegany region,” said Gerald Solomon, founder of NASEF and executive director of the Samueli Foundation. 

CASEL has an impressive roster of local leaders who will collaborate with NASEF to bring this innovative program to schools and educators in its 22 districts:

• Tim Cox, Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Support Services at CA BOCES 
• Mary Morris, Program Manager for Student Programs 
• Jean Oliverio, Arts & Extra Curricular Events Coordinator 
• Mark Beckwith, Professional Development and Curriculum Coordinator 
• Sara Benjamin, Keyboard Specialist 
• Maggie Redmond, Keyboard Specialist

To learn more about CA BOCES programs, visit caboces.org. Contact Mary Morris for information on the CASEL: [email protected]. 

About the North America Scholastic Esports Federation

The North America Scholastic Esports Federation is working to ensure that ALL students possess the knowledge and skills needed to be society’s game changers: educated, productive, and empathetic individuals. NASEF is on a mission to provide opportunities for ALL students to use esports as a platform to acquire critical communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills needed to thrive in work and in life. The Federation’s core values are intertwined through all aspects of education and play: learning, opportunity, community, diversity, and respect.

Learn more at the NASEF website. See matches streamed live on our Twitch channel, and join online conversations on Twitter @NASEFedu, Facebook, and Instagram.

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Media contacts: 

Claire LaBeaux                                     Mary Morris

[email protected]                                  [email protected]