by Kate Shunney
Morgan County school officials have okayed a plan for Berkeley Springs High School to develop an ESports team in the coming months.
Berkeley Springs High School principal Mitch Nida and Social Studies teacher Jarrett Hildebrand presented the idea of forming the competitive gaming team at the school starting in early 2026.
Hildebrand told school board members that ESports is a great activity for “students who don’t normally participate in extracurriculars” and is a growing program in West Virginia.
He said there are 26 high schools in West Virginia that have teams, which compete against each other weekly on virtual gaming platforms. Playoffs at the end of a season are held in person, Hildebrand said.
He said he’s had 28 students already fill out interest forms, as he leads an ESports club already at Berkeley Springs High School.
“It builds teambuilding, appropriate online communications skills, and gives students a chance to earn scholarships,” Hildebrand told school board members.
The team would practice daily from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. for an eight-week season. There can be fall and spring seasons under the guidance of the West Virginia Scholastic ESports League (WVSEL), Hildebrand said.
Superintendent David Banks pointed out that the school had recently received a large grant to upgrade the school’s computer lab, and those computers would be able to handle the online gaming demands.
School board president Aaron Close asked if WVSEL was similar to the state’s official athletics commission.
Hildebrand said he didn’t think it operated under the West Virginia Department of Education, but was an organization of teachers who govern the sport.
School board member Laura Smith asked what kind of games students would be playing, mentioning a popular auto theft game.
Hildebrand said there are 8-10 games accepted for competition for high school students, including college football, “Super Smash Bros” and other general audience games.
“There’s no super violent games. There’s no blood and guts,” he said.
Nida said students in ESports often pick particular games they play the most, though they compete in several games with students at other schools.
Several colleges recruit E-Sports players from high schools, offering them scholarships based on their playing.
“This is pretty specialized. Kids get recruited for particular games,” said Nida.
Hildebrand said the team would appeal to students who are already spending a lot of time playing video games, but often at home or with people online.
“Instead of playing at home, they’re in community, playing with other schools,” he said.
Board member Chuck Bergen said he was in favor of forming the team.
“These kids are already doing it at home by themselves. This gives them community. I think it’s great and what those kids need,” Bergen said.
Laura Smith asked if ESports players would have to meet the same eligibility requirements as atheletes, like grade point averages.
“We want it ran with integrity, so there would be rules like that,” said Nida.
Hildebrand said the biggest demand will be setting the lab up in a way that student computer use is being monitored.
Superintendent Banks said in addition to policies to govern the team, he thinks the ESports team should be treated as a sport, with coaches receiving a stipend as other coaches do.
The goal will be to get the team in place for the spring season, said high school officials.
