OG North Nation and E-Sports Club

Rewind time to the opening year of Liberty North High School almost 12 years ago

written by: Violet Richards

The year is 2010. The up and coming rapper Drake is still (relatively) married and hitting the top of the charts, Blockbuster Video is at it’s peak, and Apple just released their first iPad. Amidst these pop culture milestones and utter chaos, LNHS starts its first year. The core of the building was there, but many of North’s more recognizable features came later. According to teachers, North’s first year was quite different. “The main difference between now and then is the students. We didn’t have seniors or freshmen here, so it was a lot smaller,” ELA teacher Sara Turner said. The lack of freshmen and seniors put a dent in North sports. “We didn’t do too hot that year in sports. There wasn’t women’s wrestling that year either, that’s pretty new to LNHS. It was a bad year for sports,” Turner said. The smaller student body had its benefits. “Everyone knew everyone. I could recognize all the students and teachers. I remembered all their names,” Turner said. Sophomores and Juniors mingled considerably more that year because of mixed classes, due to the lack of seniors and freshmen. “A lot of the classes had multiple years in them, because we didn’t have enough teachers or rooms. The foreign language classes especially, such as Latin 3-4-5 all in one class,” Turner said. Many elements of North have changed since its opening, but Turner believes one core aspect has stayed the same. “What never changed was the focus on innovation. It was such a small school when it started, and we grew along with it,” Turner said.

Misty Black Jeff Braden Kimberly Brownlee David Chatlos Doug Davis Kurt Gates Stefan Frank Shane Fuller Brian Hartman Tara Harvey Jennifer Higgins Shianguu Hsieh Jamie Jacob Connie King Sean Nicewaner Steve Person Lindsey Plaster Chablis Sanchez Martin Laura Sorens Ronna SparksWoodward Stephanie Taylor Sara Turner Mark Warner Jessica Williams Barbara Williams Roselynn Zicarelli

*photos from 2010-11 Ayrie

OG teachers reminice on the first year at North. OG North Nation

“The first basketball game was ‘cozy’. We didn’t have a field house and we played in the AUX gym. I kept hearing the visiting team say ‘Isn’t this a new school? Why is the gym so small? Why are there no bleachers?’,” teacher Stephanie Taylor said. “We had a fire that year in a dryer, but we didn’t know it. And one of the boys disappeared. They were looking all over for him because they didn’t know if it was a real fire or not. Turns out he got in his car and went to Quik Trip,” teacher David Chatlos said. “By the time Homecoming came around, most students knew what a wonderful place North was. There was a lot of spirit and excitement. We were all crammed into the AUX gym, and it felt like each student knew they were part of something new and special,” teacher Ronna Sparks-Woodward said.

E-Sports is finally being recognized globally and it has reached Liberty North

Written By Justin Scott

Esports is a global gaming phenomenon that has taken the world by storm over the past decade, and it has made its way to Liberty North, esports club led by club advisor Jeff Knold and senior club captain John Harris. The esports club competes in different video games like League of Legends and Rocket League. “League of Legends is known as a MOBA game, and it’s a team of five, and they all come together work together to defeat the other team, Rocket League is a game where you pass the ball between each other while driving cars and try to score it into the goal similar to soccer,” Harris said. One of this year’s starters on the Rocket League team is Kiefer Bratcher, a junior who has been playing Rocket League for years and has achieved the rank of Champ 1. “What I enjoy most about Rocket League is just being able to play as a team. I like the team aspect, and all the passing plays that you can do in the game. I just think it’s really fun to see like different play styles,” Bratcher said. For Bratcher, the esports Club has given him the opportunities to show off his skills, and make an impact here at Liberty North. “It has given me the ability to show that video games have an impact on people and that people have talent while playing video games. In that, I’m able to show like what talents I have while playing video games.” Bratcher said. The club’s teams have been competing virtually through the live streaming platform Twitch but with lightened restrictions, they plan to play in-person and hold in-person competitions. “In the springtime, we’re planning on putting together an in-person tournament in the Fieldhouse, with League of Legends and possibly Rocket League,” Knold said. While most of the club is centered around the Rocket League and League of Legends teams, they plan to create opportunities for people who aren’t on one of the teams. “We’re trying to build an Esports community. And what that is, is online presence. So on our Twitch page, LNEagleEsports, you now have the opportunity to come to me or come to John and say, hey, I want to put a show up on your twitch channel, and you can make your own twitch show and become a content creator. The second thing is we’re teaching amateurs how to put together their own tournaments,” Knold said. But most of all Esports club is here to give students who share the same interests the opportunity to collaborate with each other. “We want to give kids the opportunity to compete competitively with video games with teamwork, and just other abilities that they could use in life. And we support that wholeheartedly,” Harris said.

Club members watch a Rocket League match on September 3. They meet every Thursday at 4:00pm. “The community grew up playing video games. I like the fact that you you can participate anywhere,” Gabriel Santiago said.