Alaska Tech Leader to Support Mat-Su Valley Students’ Success Through Innovative Partnership
Palmer, Alaska – Dec. 9, 2019 – MTA, Alaska’s best choice for technology and communications products, announced today it will become the official “Esports Partner” of Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District (MSBSD), the second-largest school district in Alaska and home to 46 schools with a district-wide enrollment of over 19,000 students.
Through the partnership, MTA will provide strategic support to MSBSD technology staff and students, enabling them to prepare, train and compete in the esports arena. MTA will also staff its office with two esports-related student interns selected from the district, provide students with free access to gaming equipment and supply jerseys for the MSBSD esports team.
This formal partnership with MSBSD illustrates MTA’s long-running commitment to giving back to the communities it serves alongside its efforts to grow Alaska’s Matanuska-Susitna Valley into a major hub for esports. MTA’s eUnlimited™ Gaming Tournament has been an annual hallmark of this commitment, and the MSBSD partnership will build on that success by incorporating a student tournament within the annual eUnlimited™ tournament.
“We’re proud to be leading the charge in establishing esports in Alaska, not only as a fun, modern form of competition but also as a valuable educational tool,” said Michael Burke, CEO of MTA. “As with MTA’s network, our goal with esports is to minimize the impact of distance on Alaskans to each other and to the Lower 48, and this partnership’s ability to align the cooperation and talent in esports with academic achievement serves as a promising step forward for the students of the Mat-Su Valley.”
“We’ve seen the promising potential of esports in terms of educational benefits for our students, and we are proud to solidify our partnership with MTA so those benefits are able to blossom even further,” said Reese Everett, Director of Instruction of Mat-Su Borough School District. “Bridging competition, discipline and teamwork through esports will improve engagement and boost students’ enthusiasm for academic success, and we’re excited to watch these results play out this school year, and into the future.”
The focus on esports from both MTA and MSBSD reflects the tremendous growth that esports has seen across America in recent years, with more than 427 million viewers expected to have watched or participated by the end of 2019. Within Alaska, more and more schools continue to incorporate esports into their curriculum; 35 high schools across the state participated in Alaska’s inaugural esports season during the 2018-2019 school year.
Media Contacts
Chris Guizlo or Kyle Wall
The Fearey Group for MTA
MTA@feareygroup.com, (206) 343-1543
Jillian Morrissey
Public Information Officer
Jillian.Morrissey@matsuk12.us or (907) 746-9251