MACF Grants Funds to Minot High School Esports

Posted: May 20 2024

Minot Area Community Foundation has granted $3,500 to Minot High School Esports. This grant was made possible through the Mike & Dorothy Dolan Fund.
 
The Minot High School Esports program has existed for three years as a school club open to students in grades 11 and 12 and in that time, club membership has grown to roughly 35 students per semester. With the expansion of Minot High School to a 9-12 campus in the 2024-25 school year, it is expected that number will continue to grow. The grant will be used to purchase additional computer equipment to build a Minot High Esports Lab.
 
“The Minot High Esports team thanks the Minot Area Community Foundation for awarding us a grant to build gaming PCs. This grant will finally allow us to play together in the same room during the upcoming 2024-25 North Dakota Esports season, a first in our three-year program history,” states Jacob Thomas, Minot High School Esports Advisor. “Gaming is often seen as an individual and casual activity, but at Minot High Esports, we emphasize teamwork, communication, and collaboration through competitive gaming. Playing remotely hinders our ability to develop these important skills. With our new Esports setup, having our team together physically will enable us to enhance these skills, benefiting our students in their high school education and future careers. We are grateful to MACF and its donors for their support, showing our students that the Minot community stands behind them.”
 
Many North Dakota universities currently offer Esports scholarships and teams. Minot High School Esports strives to foster teamwork, communication, and game knowledge so students can take advantage of these opportunities after high school.
 
“For many years we have been accustomed to more traditional extracurricular activities like athletics. The addition of Esports as a club and potentially a sanctioned activity allows additional opportunities for students to collaborate, compete and be a part of a team which is very important in their growth as young adults.” said Jason Zimmerman, President of Minot Area Community Foundation.