Activities

Looking for a deep dive into Esports? Read this 4-part article published by the Harvard International Review in 2020: "What are Esports?"

More of a visual person? Watch this 40-minute documentary about a local team and player and what esports has meant to them: Next_Gen on YouTube, produced by Wisdom Gaming Group and Acowsay Cinema.

Additionally, take note from one of our Alumni: Frida Santos Castillo, an alumni of the AVHS Esports program, had a long history of experiencing how video games created positive communities within groups before helping to start our program. “When people play in esports competitions it is just as much me having to be the best version of myself as it is needing to be better than my opponent. I can only play as well as I had the day before, and the day before that. As an esports athlete, you need to push yourself to find your own weaknesses and work to make that not a failure but an opportunity for growth.” Frida pushed the other students in the program to find their own opportunities and helped each one to do better, tomorrow and the day after that. 

At Apple Valley High School...

We celebrate our Esports Athletes, from a student picking up a controller the first time competitively to those who have filled our trophy cases with awards.

We give opportunities to our players to create their community within AVHS, and beyond.

We foster success and grow out of our failures

"These are kids who have been traditionally underrepresented," said Jake Utities, a former computer science teacher at St. Louis Park who stepped away from teaching to become the director of the Minnesota Varsity League (MNVL). "Kids come to me all the time and say, 'Nobody ever paid attention to me.' They've always been excluded. They don't get noticed at pep rallies. They were often in the halls alone. Now, with e-sports, you see them finally feeling like they belong. They're feeling validation for their hobby and their passion."

...esports sometimes gets a “bad rap” but the esports industry offers many categories of jobs beyond game development or being a player. “There’s just a lot of benefits that people don’t think about when they look at these the esports and esports athletes and the opportunities that are starting to arise from this whole industry,” he said. “There are millions of people that watch these tournaments, and they ... paid subscriptions. Somebody has to put that all together, publish the video; that takes all kinds of technical skills and organizational and management skills.”

Santiago Lala, an Apple Valley High School sophomore, has not only been part of a state championship team, he now has his own trading card. The accomplishments of Apple Valley High School graduates and students who have been part of the school’s esports program were commemorated on trading cards from the Walter Day Collection, like this one for Santiago Lala. Seventy students, coaches and clubs from six states were honored for their contributions to esports at a ceremony in Iowa Feb. 18. He’s one of five current AVHS students and recent graduates who were among a select group of high school and college students recently honored for their accomplishments in esports during a ceremony in Iowa.

“I am grateful to be honored at something like this,” Lala said.

As a school and a community of competitors we are actively looking to expand our facility. The esports program at AVHS is at a point to take a leap but we will need key partners to help us grow beyond where we currently are. We are working to build the best esports program in the United States, bar none. In the last two school years our teams at AVHS have brought home five state championships across two games because of our drive, determination and leadership.

As we research how the esports experience is formed professionally, we want our players and community to have that full immersion at the high school level to introduce them to the field. We are looking for sponsors to help build out an “Esports Experience Lab” for our school, our players, and our community. Ideally, we plan to retrofit a computer lab to make a top-tier facility with a dedicated space for VOD review and game study. In this Experience Lab our players could practice with their teams, compete in online tournaments, and host competitions that bring in other schools and players.

In return, you may be able to advertise on the wall in the facility, on all player jerseys, and be recognized as a key partner to our success on a regular basis with our, and the players, select social media accounts. We have had success with our online presence in the past to get our message of community within esports, one example being a pepfest for our esports team was highlighted by Full Squad Gaming.

Isaac Johnson, our school’s Esports Coordinator, would really appreciate an opportunity to further discuss what we are doing with our program and answer any questions you may have about our vision. He can be reached at isaac.johnson@district196.org or called at (952) 431-8239. From a donation of a single mousepad to funding our wildest dreams, we embrace all instances of this conversation and appreciate your interest in the building of our program. We understand that there may be schools closer to your location with an esports activity, but as our building was constructed in the center of residential neighborhoods in the ‘70s, we ask that you consider our proven program over our proximity.

Contact Us  

AVHS Esports Team Lettering Policy - In order to be eligible for a letter, the following criteria must all be met annually:

1. Students must actively participate in no fewer than 90% of the matches offered each season by game, including preseason games. These will be viewed at the end of each season and checked for game completion through scores entered in the league’s database. Forfeits by the other team count as participation and not against the student’s record.

2. Students must participate in a majority of scrims, practices and meetings posted by the AVHS Esports Team throughout each season. Practices/scrims will be established by the captains of the games registered for, and meetings will be called by the Esports Coordinator. Any absences should be preemptively notified to the corresponding organizer.

3. Students must accumulate at least 6 wins throughout each season. Any forfeit losses will count against their wins in the regular season.

4. If a team or an individual is invited to the state tournament, they will attend and participate.

5. Students must cooperate with the Esports Coordinator, Coaches and Advisors. They will make the final determination as to who will receive letters.

6. Students must represent themselves in a dignified, mature manner. Their citizenship in school, LANs and practices must be honest and respectful.

Esports patches will be available for team members to purchase. Lettering and Participation certificates will be awarded to those who qualify.

Need more information? email isaac.johnson@district196.org, or leave a voicemail at (952) 431-0101