Attitudes - and opportunities - are changing when it comes to video gaming.

“I’d discouraged my sons from playing video games because I thought there was no future in it,” said Hennessey School Board President Luke Lough at last Monday night’s board meeting.

That was before esports (competitive multiplayer video games) was sanctioned by OSSAA in 2021 for high schools and before high school principal Josh Faulkner was getting it started in Hennessey.

Faulkner told the board he has 10 to 12 students interested in competing and they plan to start the extracurricular program this fall.

“Who is the coach?” Lough asked.

“Me, for now,” he said. Lough also asked about scholarships and Faulkner said, “Yes, most of our state colleges offer esports scholarships.”

There are off-campus and state competitions, but they’ll use remotes to start in late August and state competition is in December, Faulkner said.

“We’re using Xboxes now and plan to start with Madden NFL 23, NBA 2k23, Super Smash Brothers and Rocket League,” he said. Some are for one-on-one competitions and others are two-on-two and/or threeon- three.

Faulkner said he’s familiar with all those games and they are age-appropriate and have OSSAA approval.

Lough asked how much money they’ll need.

Faulkner said they’d “already invested $7,000.”

He said they’d purchased monitors and “I got a good deal on Xboxes at Christmas, $275 each.”

“When are these competitions?” asked Dr. James Matthew Matousek, board member.

Since esports won’t be during class time, Faulkner said, “We’ll not conflict with other (after-school) events, such as football.”

“I’ve heard that before,” said Matousek. “Not from you, but there are always conflicts with other events.”

“I should have said we’ll try.”

Drainage Plan Didn’t Float

Enid Engineer Geoffrey Brueggemann’s plan fell flat to improve drainage and prepare ditches in front of the school campus on the west side of Mitchell Road for future parking.

“I think we’re moving a problem from one side of the road (west) to the other side (east),” said Patrick Griffin, board member, after looking at the plan.

“Open drainage on the east side won’t work,” said Lough.

It could also flood the football field and ag barn and all agreed the plan wouldn’t work.

Brueggemann said there must have been some kind of miscommunication about what was needed and he’d redo the plan and costs.

Superintendent Jason Sternberger told him to also include lighting costs for elementary and early childhood parking.

The engineer had estimated the project at $630,000 and that would’ve given the school 66 new parking spots on the east side.

“Are those parking spaces car-door-opening size?” asked Matousek.

“They are 9 feet wide,” said Brueggemann “and some are now using 8 1/2 feet for more parking spaces.”

Brueggemann is the vice president of Holtzen Engineering and had worked with the school on drainage issues during Eagle Event Center construction.

Ag Classroom Damages

Water damages have been estimated at $50,000 to the ag classroom, said Sternberger.

The damage was due to the freeze before Christmas, said the superintendent. The school’s insurance deductible is $5,000.

Annual Audit

Ad valorem tax income for the 2021-22 school year “was down a little,” Evan Blasingame with the school’s auditing firm of Angel, Johnston & Blasingame, P.C., told the board during his annual audit report Then he continued to hit the highlights of the 35plus page document which included: gross production taxes were up $1.7 million over the previous year and expenses were up $1.1 million (that included work at the new track).

Copies of that report are available through the school, or auditing firm.

Other Action

The board approved the school calendar for 202324 as presented and will soon post it on the school’s website.

After an executive session, board members hired former HHS coach/teacher Mark Cox as the HHS head football coach and assistant principal at the middle and high schools. A story on his hiring was in a previous issue.

The board also discussed a replacement for resigning board vice president, Cristopher Choate, during the closed session, but took no action. Members have until March to appoint someone.

At the Meeting

The four board members present were Lough, Clerk David Tillman, Griffin and Matousek.

Also at the board table were Sternberger and Administrative Office Manager/ Minutes Clerk Timberly Jech.

Staff in the audience were principals Faulkner (high school), Barry Crosswhite (elementary) and Stacey Mack (early childhood center).

Other staff there were Todd Cameron, technology director; Rae Fuksa, tech assistant and sixth grade math teacher, and Amy Shelite, high school special ed and English Language Learner teacher.

Also in the audience were Cox, who will go on the coaching and administrative staff this fall, and Dylan Hatchell, a parent and standout athlete when Cox previously coached at Hennessey.