Grapevine-Colleyville ISD is partnering with Belong Gaming Arenas at Grapevine Mills to “provide students with dedicated practice and competition space for competitive gaming,” according to a news release from the gaming company.
GCISD has an esports program with more than 250 student athletes competing in league competitions, according to the district. High school and middle school students are eligible to compete.
The partnership with Belong Gaming Arenas, effective May 9, will allow students to access high-end gaming equipment, including PCs and consoles, the release stated. The partnership will also help expand and support the district’s scholastic team, according to the release. The company was vetted by the school district to be established as a vendor and was not required to be approved by the board of trustees, according to a representative from Belong Gaming Arenas.
GCISD esports athletes have access to the same caliber of equipment in their computer labs and will still use those spaces for practicing, but this collaboration will give teams more room to compete and host gaming exhibitions, GCISD Chief Technology Officer Kyle Berger said.
"This way we can get the kids playing in an environment outside of our schools," Berger said. "We'll hold competitions and other things to drive the interest in esports in our community."
Berger also said that a portion of sales on Belong Gaming Arena's memberships will go to the district to fund its esports program. The district currently has two high schools and two middle schools with esports teams. The district plans to expand the esports program next year by starting esports teams at all middle schools as well as offer esports classes that teach students more about the industry, Berger said. Beyond that, Berger said the district has plans to start after-school clubs at the elementary school level.
Berger said the partnership with Belong Gaming helps support the values esports instills in GCISD students – leadership, problem solving, communication, teamwork and more.
"There is just a lot more to it than just playing games, and a lot of people don't realize that," Berger said.
Belong Gaming Arenas operates over 30 gaming centers across the United States and the United Kingdom, according to the company. It partners with elementary, middle and high schools. For more information, click here.
