Esports is Latest Example of Student-Led Initiatives at SC

From the International Program to Beach Volleyball, our founders, administration, faculty and students, are no strangers to dreaming big and making it happen. The latest example of this unique brand of vision can be seen on the first floor of the Upper Campus in the updated Publications Room, where sophomore John Branca has been hard at work, before the first bell of the year chimed.

Over the summer, Branca worked with members of the administration to create a space which would accommodate a new SC Esports Team. Esports teams at the high school level are an exciting component of an emerging industry demonstrating important links to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) skills and learning. However, putting together a space where a program like this could thrive was no easy task. Branca explains that everything had to be designed from scratch, and he felt the collaboration with the administration was very free-flowing, and “super easy” from the beginning.

John, who has been playing video games since he was in 3^rd grade, says although he has never worked on a project of this size before, he was grateful to have this kind of opportunity and saw it as a personal challenge to undertake. Over the summer, he spent an average of 1-2 days a week on campus planning the computer builds, selecting which games would be played, learning the requirements for different esports leagues and deciding which league the team from SC would join.

Director of Facilities, Jay Miller, expressed “John’s standards for the room and equipment were nothing short of the best. He had a real gamers’ knowledge of the equipment – like a professional at the highest level. I think we achieved his goal for the space because he showed a real appreciation for what we accomplished together.”

Even after spending all that time on campus during the summer, you will likely find John in the gaming space after school enjoying the fruits of his labor and practicing with the new SC Esports Team. They are now officially part of the High School Esports League (HSEL) and are playing games against other teams every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.

Pushing boundaries is part of the Sierra Canyon tradition and we thank John Branca for his vision and leadership in this process, and the Branca Family for making it all possible.