E-sports at school? Take a look at Palm Beach County's newest tech-packed middle school

Hundreds of sixth graders buzzing with excitement and nervousness wandered through the doors of Palm Beach County's newest middle school Monday: West Boynton Middle School (home of the Stingerz).

There to greet them for orientation — and maybe filled with even more excitement himself — was Joe Peccia, the school's principal who expects about 650 students on Thursday, the first day of school. Sixth, seventh and eighth graders will attend the school built for up to 1,300 students south Boynton Beach Boulevard on Acme Dairy Road.

The campus will relieve crowding at nearby Christa McAuliffe and Woodlands middle schools, which were respectively filled to 80% and 96% capacity last year, according to district reports. Students will head to Park Vista and Boynton Beach high schools after their time in middle school is up.

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The three-story academic building is doused in orange and chock full of new technology. The school boasts a medical academy and an information technology program that incorporates coding, 3D printing, graphic design, e-sports and gaming.

"This school has been my dream for 10 years," school board member Karen Brill said. "When people think about this area, they think about the senior communities. Young people didn't have a lot for them out west. This is going to bring students back home and keep kids in the public school system."

E-sports in the classroom, mobile charging and broadcast studio make up tech-packed campus

Peccia, who is transferring from his principalship at Eagles Landing Middle School, was eager to show students their new home. He counts 250 sixth graders, 200 seventh graders and about 200 eighth graders registered for the upcoming school year.

The school's crown jewel, its information technology academy, is housed in classrooms that look more like video game arcades. Brian Doyle and Alexandria Solomon, teachers in the academy, plan to give students an overview of all aspects of IT science and let students choose their own paths.

Students will watch and learn from videos of college students coding, get access to graphic design software, examine popular games such as Animal Crossing and Mario Kart and create plans for an on-campus 3D printer.

But it won't be all fun and games, Doyle says.

"Not everybody is going to make a living playing video games," Doyle said. "But this shows that e-sports are not just an underground program or club anymore."

In a professional field known for being less than 25% female, Solomon said she was excited to see that girls make up about half of her IT elective students.

On the floor below, a massive media center with university-style sitting areas creates space for the middle school students to read and socialize. The media center also includes a broadcast studio that the school's journalism class will use for the daily news and school announcements.

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Peccia is equally excited about his staff.

"I can't build a room like this unless I have the teacher to drive it," Peccia said. "This means nothing without a passionate teacher."

West Boynton Middle students won't ever be caught with a dead laptop.

Each classroom is outfitted with mobile charging banks for students to use instead of stringing their Chromebook charging wires across the classroom floor.

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A courtyard sits in the middle of West Boynton Middle's campus, connecting classrooms, a cafeteria with outdoor seating and a gym.

The fitness complex includes a gymnasium outfitted in the school's signature orange and a functional fitness studio with dumbbells, ropes and medicine balls for working out. The school will have two indoor batting cages, Peccia said.

The bright campus and familiar faces fueled teacher Marjorie Soffer as she helped students get their schedules at Monday's orientation.

"I'm just so excited to be here. We have literally the most amazing staff," said Soffer, who came from Woodlands Middle.

Superintendent Mike Burke, who toured the campus during orientation, said the new school will encourage a new generation of Palm Beach County learners.

And it's inspiring him, too, as the district continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and navigate challenging education-related legislation.

"It's the people in the building. That's what gives me hope," he said.

Katherine Kokal is a journalist covering education at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at kkokal@amarra. Help support our work, subscribe today!

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: A look inside new West Boynton Middle School in Palm Beach County