How CDW Helped Loyola School Turn a Defunct Lecture Hall into an Esports Arena

The transformation of Loyola's old lecture hall into a modern esports arena shows how technology can help shape secondary education. It provides an innovative, high-tech learning environment that meets student needs and aligns with HCDSB’s strategic priorities.

• Several rows of high-end desktop computers with multiple monitors for gaming and educational activities.
• A TV solution for broadcasting classroom sessions or esports events.
• Four split screens that can be used by other sports coaches, such as reviewing football game films.
• The capability to integrate consoles into the room, alongside other technology, to support both learning and extracurricular activities.

The STEAM program, spearheaded by the HCDSB, aims to bring multidisciplinary learning to schools while boosting student collaboration and critical thinking. Matt Kovacs, STEAM and Science Curriculum Consultant for HCDSB, noted that integrating esports and robotics was already part of their STEAM strategy.

Kovacs views the esports arena as a “perfect opportunity to have a space that could be an innovative learning hub but also work as a community space where we could have events or tournaments for different styles of learning.

“The STEAM program prioritizes breaking down barriers that enable higher levels of learning and engagement with kids, and I feel like this space just encompasses all of that.”

The arena is designed to serve as a high-tech teaching space, fostering a different style of teaching where the teacher can become a facilitator and the students work on projects. It allows students to work on creative activities like designing interactive gaming experiences, machine earning, AI and media arts productions.

Additionally, the arena is also expected to support existing Specialist High Skills Majors (SHSM) programs, including Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Mechatronics. Co-curricular groups such as the Firehawks FIRST Robotics team, for example, can run simulations, produce marketing material and leverage CAD software to manufacture parts.

Apart from esports competitions, the arena will be used for hosting various community and school events. From student clubs to extracurricular activities and events for parents, the arena offers multimedia features for a rich participant experience.

Halycz mentioned that “Parents really love the equity and inclusion part of this. Because now all students, regardless of their background or abilities or financial situations can access these tools and use them for their development.”

This ambitious project required a partner capable of not only supplying technology but also providing expertise and consultation. With ongoing engagements in place and a strong reputation in building esports hubs in Canada, CDW emerged as a top choice for the Loyola High School project.

“When Matt and I were at conferences and were hearing presentations around esports arenas, CDW seemed to be at top of the list for us with their experience in the field and developing these spaces,” said Cripps.

“The diversity of what CDW and its partners can provide long term for us just aligned and made sense for the project,” Kovacs added.

CDW was able to help Loyola High School in the following areas.

Consultation and design inputs

CDW provided consultations to holistically design the room for an optimal student experience, considering potential streaming and event needs. Our K-12 education technology teams offered constructive feedback on design elements and the kind of products that would work for the school.

This simplified the architecture for the esports arena, allowing Cripps’ team to move from idea to implementation quickly. “Their consultation skills on how to holistically build a great experience for students in space were instrumental to the success of this project,” Cripps commented.

Enabling seamless procurement

CDW’s expertise and experience in delivering previous successful projects across North America shone through in making procurement recommendations.

Our account managers and technical teams facilitated a seamless process, outlining product and service offerings from our partners and recommending options that aligned with the school’s budgetary requirements.

“CDW was very helpful in bringing technology vendors to us to outline the products and services they offer,” Cripps mentioned. “To that point, I was very happy with the products that they were recommending to us. We were easily able to move forward without having to look at other alternatives.

“So, it was a very seamless process for us to see and stick within our own budgetary requirements,” he said.

This helped Loyola High School meet their esports technology needs all at once working with CDW. They were able to obtain the tech they needed with ease, while staying within their allocated budget.

Cripps says, “We do not want to have a one and done space here.” Instead, they anticipate that CDW will help the arena continuously follow modern approaches for integrating technology into the curriculum.

Kovacs hopes that CDW can help them find a solid footing for their STEAM plans. “Having other school boards to look at this as a template, I think one of the biggest things about this is to have allies because it also validates our vision,” said Kovacs.

Future curriculum plans include leveraging offline AI tools and models for generating video, audio or designs and using tools like Unreal Engine for video game design at the arena.

Halycz concluded by saying, “I think what students can create with technology is incredibly important, but in my opinion, what is more important is how it enables collaboration, the ability to work in teams, co-creating, making changes and seeing what the impact would be.

“Here, the arena plays a critical role in helping teachers engage with their students in refreshing new ways, while students stay excited about what they’re going to learn.”