Board of Education recognizes Santa Fe Esports OSSAA "Super Mario Kart" State Champs.
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Santa Fe Esports Club. Courtesy The Howler Santa Fe News
The Edmond Board of Education Monday recognized the Santa Fe High School Esports team that were crowned OSSAA State Champions “Super Mario Kart” in 2023.
Esports is a blanket term used to describe all forms of video game-based competition.
“I just wanted to say thank you to our school board and our community for allowing us to have this program in our schools,” said Santa Fe High School Principal Jason Hayes. “Esports has been an incredible, incredible activity that our schools participate in that have 30 students that take it for an elective. They practice their game skills, but they also practice teamwork, problem solving. It is such a cool environment.”
Hayes told the school board that Santa Fe’s technology department had set up a special technology connection in their Esports room that was renovated a few years ago and that allowed them to play all their matches leading up to the state tournament.
“When I would walk down there, they would even play against teams from the other side of Oklahoma and usually we would win,” he said. “It was a lot of fun to watch them and I just have so much appreciation for them and also for their Coach Brady Bieri who built a great program in just a short period of time.”
Bieri, a Santa Fe science teacher, also addressed the school board.
“Our program is still relatively young, but it's growing all the time,” he said. “There's always interest. I had spent a few years coaching high school football, and also middle school baseball for a short while. I found that no matter what you coach, the skills translate from sport to sport.”
In other matters, Superintendent Angela Grunewald told the school board that Feb. 5-9 is Counselor Appreciation Week.
“Our counselors do more than just meet the needs of our students," she said. "I don't know how many times when a student is in crisis, usually the entire family is part of that crisis. They all need help. And our parents, our counselors, spend time working with parents, helping them get resources, helping them find the support they need to support that child at school and at home. I just can't thank our counselors enough for what they do to make just our community better and all the emotional work that they put into their job. I want to thank them and make sure they are appreciated and celebrated on this special week of Counselor Appreciation Week.”
Grunewald reminded the school board of the Tuesday, Feb. 13 bond election.
Voters are being asked to approve $147 million in bond funds to meet current and future needs of the district. This proposal includes funding for construction of a new elementary and the start of a new middle school among many other projects impacting all EPS students.