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I'm a Junior High School teacher and I want competitive League for my students

the0kid·4/27/2015, 10:00:15 PM·161 votes·16,683 views

I currently teach at a junior high school, and have been working to try and start a competitive League of Legends club at my school. My dream would be to make a competitive league much like your standard after school sports. This league would reach students that are not typically involved with school because they are not interested in the traditional extracurricular activities schools offer, but would definitely participate if a video game was added to the mix. My students, parents, and school faculty are completely supportive of the idea, but my school district IT is getting in the way. They will only allow the program to run if Riot comes up with a plan to allow schools to play LoL on a closed school network, or if Riot has found a way to work with other schools and this issue. Riot, I need your help to get this going. I am in touch with some other schools that want to implement this same idea but are running into similar problems. I have been working on this for months with my school administrators, but it has come to a point where we can't accomplish anything else without your help. Please help me get this going.

89 Comments

DrCyanide4/27/2015, 10:10:32 PM16 votes

I know the LCS tournaments use a local LAN server, which would meet the IT departments requirements. I don't think Riot would have a school only network, but if they do the NACC would be the group to use it.

Ultimately, you'll have to open a support ticket to get much further.

Has the IT department been made aware of the Custom game option, where you can choose every player in the game? This would keep students interacting with students, which I think is their goal here.

rtbf2112795184/28/2015, 2:56:29 AM8 votes

I would totally join a club like this, it promotes teamwork, good communication, as well as good reflexes and the need to study. Or something.

RiotZwill4/29/2015, 12:43:56 AM7 votes

Hey THEoKID!

First off, wow. I wish we had teachers like this when I was in middle school...although when I was in middle school, most kids were playing PC Games like Ultima 6.

Let me ask some questions and get back to you. I'm not sure what, if anything, that we can do, but I'll try to find out.

Sarah Ashley4/28/2015, 1:20:19 AM6 votes

Absolute Gaming is sponsoring/affiliated with a high school in Texas as well as University of Texas. Our goal is to be able to network League of Legends, high schools that offer the League of Legends e-sport, and Colleges that also offer it as well. We have a teacher from the high school on our teamspeak as well. Please feel free to add me and we can show you how we worked it with LFHS and Absolute Gaming.

Earthlord Jazz4/28/2015, 12:51:47 AM6 votes

Now I wish I was back in Jr. HIgh

Mango Loco4/28/2015, 1:55:46 AM6 votes

Im in highschool right now and I would definitely join this club if they had it in my school (I dont play sports that much so i just go home after school)

DeusVult4/28/2015, 2:37:41 PM3 votes

No offense, but junior high is grades 6-8. That means the kids are on average between the age of 11 and 14.

I have played with enough kids that age to know how incredibly toxic and immature they can be, especially over the internet, when they can say that they are anything

The Soulforged4/28/2015, 12:41:40 AM3 votes

Better do it in a highschool where a lot more people play, and the District might not be as strict.

Raptorspls4/28/2015, 5:33:17 PM3 votes

Can you post what Riot says because I am currently having the same issues here at North Fort Myers High School. I am a student that has created a League of Legends club, but I was hoping for the capability to play League of Legends at school. In my instance the district claims that the chat of League of Legends would violate the Child Internet Protection Act. I really want Riot to consider having a programmer focus on making a school friendly version of League of Legends. This would need all forms of internet chat stopped. Teams can communicate through pings so I don't find this to be a large issue. Sadly I don't know how the chat coding is connected and how attempting to remove the chat from both in-game and out of game might cause issues with other things. I apologize for any errors in my typing.

the0kid4/27/2015, 10:09:09 PM2 votes

I didn't think there was a LAN option for LoL

Dranul54/28/2015, 12:51:22 PM2 votes

I am also a middle school teacher and love this idea. I think LoL could be a great after school activity for students who would normally not have an activity to be involved in.

DONT NEEEED TEAM4/28/2015, 7:32:24 PM2 votes

Y would they stay after school when they can go home and play

Catrysa4/29/2015, 1:24:30 AM2 votes

Hi there. I'm a high school teacher on the (hopefully) final legs of having a League of Legends club fully approved by my school board. The principal has been supportive and I've been giving them lots of information. I've been working hard with SarahAshley of Absolute Gaming to create the EDU portion of that community's Team Speak Server.

As for CIPA concerns, I've expressed to my principal that RIOT's in game system hosts a language filter and all students will be asked to turn this on during game play in affiliation with the school. In addition, my principal has been informed of RIOT's Tribunal system and how negative behaviors are reportable for consequences. With assurances that I or any other faculty member wishing to join in will be monitoring student activity while online during school sanctioned practice and tournaments (and other LoL Online events), the principal knows that we have the students' safety on the fore front of our minds. With Sarah's help, the Team Speak Server can help make the real-time voice communications safer and more secure (only faculty, server admin, and students will be given the password to the EDU side of the community).

I'm eager to help any other school teachers in making gains toward having LoL at their school, as I believe this MOBA helps promote teamwork, communication, and a host of other very important soft skills that are offered by the physical sports but in a format which is accessible to a wider range of students, from the special education student to the physically uncoordinated to everyone in between who has a passion and enjoyment of the playing of video games. In addition, RIOT's LoL game is a potential eye-opener to the STEM fields for many students who would have otherwise not thought themselves interested in science, math, engineering, or technology. (A video game is a blend of all of these aspects.)

I'm also happy to discuss further with RIOT regarding any EDU applications of their platform.

Kindest regards, Catrysa, AbsoluteGaming.net

ValuedCustomer4/29/2015, 3:27:22 AM2 votes

Whatever this becomes, I hope it starts casual and stays that way. When a school sport starts "professionalizing" and money/bets/fame starts changing hands, expect more scandals like the 146-word Rosa Parks essay to hit the press. All those well-intentioned "exams first", "pass or you don't play" and "homework before practice" policies mean nothing with that kind of atmosphere.

DarkFaun Fortes4/28/2015, 2:54:09 AM1 votes

My question. How dose this actually relate to school? I know many have a chess club, and while both are very strategic I dont think thats enough.

DONT NEEEED TEAM4/30/2015, 12:39:41 AM1 votes

Making special needs kids play video games at school will make them more anti social there not gunna play league when there adults for freinds