Jefferson County Public Schools is keeping up, with the e-sports trend becoming more popular at colleges, universities and high schools around the country.

The district recently cut the ribbon on a new EA Sports arena at Western High School, making it the first school in Kentucky to have one.

This is the first EA Sports Arena and classroom in JCPenney's, and it is the first one of this inside of a school in the state of Kentucky.

This is a vision we had many years ago when we were first talking about our change in our student assignment plan and which was bringing more opportunities to students really around equity across this district so that students all across the district would have access to real new STEM programs in a magnet setting, meaning that every single student in the school gets the opportunity to really dive deep into this type of work every single day.

I started games when I was around five.

First game was X-Box 360.

Ever since then, I've been so into gaming.

I've been into digital stuff all of that.

So this is just I'm I'm loving doing it.

It's a very good opportunity for me.

This used to be a large meeting space and turned it into a 4300 square feet of high tech screens, computers and software.

You can see this new space is filled with technology that's going to be used by students every single day during EA Sports competition, but also during classes each and every day.

Back when Western wasn't a magnet school, we had a stem program called Digital.

And then we had we were introducing the new ones like gaming digital design, which is what this is this a gaming design?

And one of the counselors came up to me and they asked me if I wanted to be a part of this.

And obviously playing games, the thought of playing games during class, that struck a nerve in my head.

So obviously said yes.

But being a junior, I've seen this like progress.

I've seen all of this present itself.

I've seen it all build up to what it is now.

And it was an amazing process.

And so students that are in our computer science program will have classes in this space as well as students in the digital design, in gaming development program.

In this space, we will have the opportunity to also have broadcasting components, production components.

Students will serve as shout casters describing the action.

We have a tremendous camera system that will allow us to stream during competitions.

So the goal is that we will be hosting statewide tournaments in this space.

We also will be collaborating with universities.

We already have plans in the works with Valorant's E-sports program.

We will be hosting a tournament for them in the coming year.

So many, many great opportunities ahead for our students and future students here.

I think it's very important because kids these days are growing up.

We're getting told technology is a bad thing and you shouldn't be around technology.

But with programs like this, technology is bringing people together, bringing it to you, teammates skills, squash skills, teach you personal skills, is giving you education and values.

As the technology market is growing and changing.

Those at Western High School hope their new arena will help their students grow along with the industry and prepare them for the future.