Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

PA District Opens Middle School eSports Arena

Duquesne City School District in Pennsylvania has formally opened an eSports arena on its K–8 campus in the Pittsburgh area. The space, designed for use by middle schoolers, will also double as a computer science/makerspace lab.

According to the school, the arena, previously a school board meeting room, will be available to students who sign up for an elective computer science course, as well as an after school gaming club.

The space houses several Xbox gaming systems, displays, gaming chairs and other gear. Images can be seen in a tweet from the district below.

According to local reporting, funding for the arena "came from Robert Morris University, the Penn State Readiness Institute and the Heinz Endowments, as well as from the district’s federal COVID-19 relief funding."

The school, like so many in the Pittsburgh area, is heavily geared toward STEM and STEAM education. Pittsburgh has one of the highest densities of makerspaces and fablabs in the nation. (See partial map of makerspaces below. A partial list of Pittsburgh-area fablabs can be found here.)

Duquesne itself, aside from the new eSports arena/computer science lab, has five distinct makerspaces, is part of the First Lego League, and offers a STEM/STEAM-focused curriculum for its students.

About the Author

David Nagel is the former editorial director of 1105 Media's Education Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal, STEAM Universe, and Spaces4Learning. A 30-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art, marketing, media, and business publications.

He can be reached at [email protected]. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrnagel/ .


Featured

  • Image courtesy of Kahler Slater

    UW–Madison Announces Completion of Morgridge Hall

    The University of Wisconsin–Madison recently announced that construction is complete on Morgridge Hall, a new academic building, according to a news release. The facility opened September 3 at the start of the fall semester, consolidating the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences into a single facility for the first time.

  • Indiana Wesleyan University Schedules Grand Opening for New Welcome Center

    Indiana Wesleyan University recently announced that it will soon open a new Welcome Center on its campus in Marion, Ind., according to a news release. The facility will serve as the home base for prospective students and their families to learn more about the university and student life there. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for February 19.

  • Rhode Island Boarding School Completes Student Dorm Renovations

    St. George’s School in Middletown, R.I., recently announced the completion of a $26-million renovation project on Arden-Diman-Eccles Dormitory, according to a news release. The school partnered with Voith & Mactavish Architects (VMA) on the new space, which places a new focus on collaborative community spaces open to both boarding students and day students.

  • Photo credit: Elkus Manfredi Architects

    University of Virginia Selects Design-Build Team for New Residential Complex

    The University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va., recently announced that it has selected a design-build team for a new upper-class residential development on campus, according to a news release. Capstone Development Partners—in partnership with Elkus Manfredi Architects and the Hoar Construction/Hourigan construction team—will move forward with the three-building, 310,000-square-foot housing facility.