North Putnam unveils new esports program

With a “break room” already in place in which students could enjoy board games and video games, North Putnam Middle School recently converted the space into an esports room. When administrators had the idea to start an esports team, they were surprised to attract 145 students.

Banner Graphic and courtesy photos

ROACHDALE ­– There’s no secret that the world of esports is growing in popularity at a staggering rate in the last five-plus years here in the United States and even worldwide. Now students at North Putnam are getting a rare opportunity as the Cougars have built a full-fledged esports room and have teams that compete just like any sports team does.

The room sits inside the middle school at North Putnam and the idea of getting a room set up came from North Putnam Middle School principal Bucky Kramer. The school had a room dedicated to just being what they call a “break room” that had everything from board games to small video games where they could go and feel relaxed and not have to worry about the everyday pressures of being a student.

“We wanted something different that no one else had and also where kids could just come in and be themselves,” Kramer said. “We got the funding all from grants thanks to Dr. (Dustin) LeMay, our superintendent. He then asked me ‘How can we grow this?’ That’s when I told him about how big esports was getting and how many kids we have that are interested in it. From there we got the ball rolling on starting this esports team and club.”

The actual space inside the middle school has 10 gaming stations with all the latest consoles such as Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch, along with having six gaming PCs. Some of the games that the kids get to play include Fortnite, Rocket League, Super Smash Bros, Mario Kart, NBA 2K, Madden, Valorant, Overwatch, Hearthstone and Chess.

LeMay and Kramer got the idea started back in May and received the grants through Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds and social and emotional learning grants. Kramer also went around to different schools such as Mississinewa High School as well as Trine, Purdue and Ball State universities to get some background on how those schools were building their esports programs.

When the announcement was made to the students that North Putnam was starting an esports team and program, the number of kids that showed up was more than anything that they could have imagined.

“We had around 50 or so kids at the high school who attended our call-out meeting and we had 145 show up (for the first session),” Kramer said. “What’s so great about having this space and having that many kids interested in what we’re doing is that we know and so do the kids that we can’t have 145 on our competitive teams. So what we’re planning to do is host some in-school tournaments and also have a community gaming night where people can come in, get a look at this space and see what we’re doing and also just have fun.”

The school uses the PlayVS platform which, as Kramer noted, is extremely school-friendly while also giving the students a great beginning and understanding of how esports works and operates.

Along with Kramer and LeMay, another individual who is helping with this new state-of-the-art esports program in Cougar head basketball coach Vince Brooks. Brooks serves as the coach and mentor for the group and is himself an avid gamer.

“We feel we are really able to maximize this space because the interest level was awesome,” Brooks said. “Almost every single time, there are kids at each station and then one or two more standing behind them just watching. What’s great about this group is just like any sports team we have practices, we have subs and alternates. Gaming has evolved into something that people can almost master now and both Bucky and I have seen our middle schoolers and high schoolers just do things we didn’t even think was possible in some of these games. Some of these kids have been playing these games for five or six years and you can tell when they come in here.”

Just like any other sport or club, there’s strategy and communication involved with the gaming world and that’s a skill that the kids on the team are getting to develop.

“That’s one of the main goals with starting this is skill development,” Kramer said. “We’re trying to expose kids to tech development and some different professions that they may not have thought about. The online communication that these kids have and the collaboration skills that they gain from this. It’s honestly in some ways a lot more effective than how we were taught growing up.”

The team has a full practice schedule and season schedule that is posted on the door as they walk into the room each day after school. The Cougars fall season consists of eight weeks of competition in a variety of games that go until Nov. 11. There’s then two weeks of playoffs followed by the championships if the teams advance that far.

“These kids have to trust one another and communicate with each other their different roles in whatever game they might be playing,” Brooks added. “We’ve had kids set some records on some games and then turn around to some others and tell them exactly how they did it. The sharing of information and seeing these kids just have fun in an environment like this makes it worth it all. There are so many transferable life skills that they’re learning and that’s the main thing we’re trying to teach them.”

Of course kids do have to maintain academic eligibility just as any sports team does so their school work always comes first.

To learn more about the esports program and how you might be able to get involved you can reach out to Kramer at the middle school. He does note that if any business would like to create a partnership with the esports program to reach out.

In the ever-changing world of technology, North Putnam is standing at the forefront and leading the charge with its state-of-the-art esports program.