Bluffs creating computer science courses, e-sports team – Jacksonville Journal-Courier
High school students at Bluffs will be able to get more hands on with computers and start an e-sports team after the district received a grant to establish a computer science program.
BLUFFS — High school students at Bluffs will be able to get more hands on with computers starting this year after the district received a grant to establish a computer science program.
Bluffs received $20,000 from the Tracy Family Foundation to help with purchase of computers and programs for its computer science class.
Social studies teacher Zack Morrissey said the grant will cover most of the startup costs.
While Bluffs has a program through which each student has a school-issued Chromebook, Morrissey said those laptops do not have the capabilities needed for some of the more advanced computer science programs. Projects like coding and making 3D creations can take a lot of computer power.
Morrissey said he and teacher Jordan Mueller discussed buying desktops, but decided against it because of lack of space and because laptops could also be used for an e-sports team for the West Central co-op.
The team will allow students from Winchester and Bluffs to become participants in competitive gaming, including League of Legends, Fortnite and Apex Legends.
“This will help teach the kids teamwork,” Morrissey said. “Competitive gaming is very team-based. Each team they face is different, so they get a different challenge.”
Morrissey said students will also learn communication, problem-solving and sportsmanship.
There will also be a communications or streaming aspect to it for students that may not want to play the games, but want to get practice with video streaming.
Both programs are expected to start this year.
Morrissey said it will take some time to receive the new laptops so the computer science course will get started with basic computer skills before moving on to more advanced lessons.
The e-sports team will be established once the computers arrive.
“We have been working with the National High School Sports League,” Morrissey said. “They have tournaments all year, so as soon as we have a team and the equipment, we can jump right in, playing competitively.”
Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree has been a reporter for the Journal-Courier since May 2014. She joined the staff after graduating from Eastern Illinois University. The Cahokia native worked with her school newspaper in various editor roles.