Host Joy Walczack from Kent ISD speaks with Jonny Rapelje, 2024 Kent County Cup winner and Lowell High 12th grade student, Jeffrey Rapelje, Jonny’s dad, teacher, Forest Hills Public Schools, and Ryan Graham, Director of Workforce Development, Kent ISD
Full Transcript:
Joy Walczak (JW): Welcome to the Your Dream Is Our Dream podcast where we celebrate student success one dream at a time. This program is made possible by Kent ISD in partnership with WGVU. I'm Joy Walczak and today I'm joined by Jonny Rapelje, a 12th grade student at Lowell High School, and his dad, Jeffrey Rapelje. Also with us today is Kent ISD Director of Workforce Development Ryan Graham. Thanks to all of you for joining me today.
Jonny & Jeffrey Rapelje: Thank you, Joy.
Ryan Graham: Thank you.
JW: I'm really looking forward to getting into this conversation, but I want to start by saying to you, Jonny, congratulations! You recently won the second annual Kent County Cup, a Mario Kart competition in esports. Tell us about that experience and why you joined this event.
Jonny Rapelje (JR) The experience of Kent County esports Mario Kart tournament, it was a very fun and, well, interesting experience is a light way to put it. I wanted to participate in it because I play a lot of games in general. Mario Kart happened to be one of them. I happened to play a lot of Mario Kart on previous consoles, previous Mario Kart games. So when our very high budget school announcements came on, like our announcement video, and said that on Saturday there'd be a tournament, I was very intrigued. And I thought it'd be a fun opportunity to just see both what Kent Career Tech Center (KCTC) looked like because I have not been there and to participate in a fun tournament with other people.
JW: Well, we're really glad that you made that happen because it had a terrific outcome for you. And I'm sure your parents are really proud of you. And we're going to get to talking to dad in just a minute. But first, Ryan, can you tell us a little bit more about the Kent County Cup and how that actually ties into your work in workforce development at Kent ISD?
Ryan Graham (RG): Yeah, from the workforce development perspective it's about career pathways and we knew that esports was a 200-billion dollar industry worldwide and it has many aspects that are broader than simply playing the game; broadcasting, HR, marketing, the other types of aspects that go into these games. So last year we ran Smash Brothers or Smash Cup and so we had an opportunity to really learn how to run a tournament. For many of us, it was our first time doing something in esports. And then this summer, we thought about running a Mario Kart tournament. Sometimes that's the entry level into gaming, or it's maybe a little less intimidating than Smash Cup. And so the ability to run Mario Kart we knew would bring out maybe some other esport gamers and really let them play the game and learn how to do that at KCTC.
JW: And it really ties to careers. Can you tell us a little more about the career development?
RG: Yeah, so from a career perspective, you know, digital animation and game design, the marketing, the HR aspects of it, the broadcasting aspects of it. You know, you look at YouTube broadcasting, you look at Twitch, which is the platform that many of these games are broadcast on, there is career paths available to those. Colleges are offering esports scholarships much like an athletic scholarship where these young men and women are able to go to college, participate in the games, also earn a bachelor's or a degree alongside playing these esports. And so it's an ecosystem all of its own and I think sometimes it takes the parents or directors like myself to learn about it and better dive in. And so that's what these tournaments have allowed us to do as the adults and as the young men and women that are playing it, to learn more about these pathways.
JW: And Jeffrey, this was an education for you as well. What do you think about what Ryan's saying about these career paths? And I know you and Jonny had an opportunity to visit a college that he's interested in.
Jeffrey Rapelje (JeffR): We did a college visit up at Ferris State University, and they have an amazing
esports facility and amazing esports program up there. So he was clearly interested. His eyes really lit up when we saw the esports facility there at Ferris State. And I had always, I think his mom and I have always, been really supportive of him playing video games, right? I mean, you always have to set limits, you know, and time zones and that sort of thing about when to be on and when to be off. And I'm not saying that's always not been a struggle sometimes. But you know, years ago, I read a book called Everything Bad Is Good for You. And I forget the name of the author, but basically the premise was there's a negative stereotype towards video games and other things. They actually teach problem-solving skills. And that has really evolved into this esports scene, where just like you said, he watches them on TV and I can see the competition. There's so many different aspects of the production aspect of it and the human resources. They have to have so many people there setting up the esports competition and handling the competitors. So, to me, when Johnny showed an interest in esports, and really the first time to be honest with you that I'd seen him really get passionate about anything related to school, or you know, other than music, it was the only time I really saw him get passionate about something. Then I was like, okay, thank goodness, because, you know as a teacher, so many times they just struggle with this idea of what am I going to do when I go to college? It's really kind of a crazy question to ask a 16 or 17 year old. So when he won this competition and that light bulb kind of went off over his head, it was just really exciting as a father to see him like, oh yeah, now he's got a thing. He's got a thing he's really going to want to go after. And he got accepted into Ferris State yesterday officially.
RG: Congratulations!
JW: Yes, congratulations!
JeffR: So, and that's the direction we're headed right now.
JW: So Jonny, tell me in your words about your dream and how it may have evolved through esports and your music.
JR: I can't say I ever really had one. I just always had a bit more interest with video games and gaming in general. At first, I tried to get into esports with our school, but I sort of lost interest after a while. And then maybe I thought that because I'm not exactly the most athletic person or best with my hands and feet in a working job, admittedly, I thought that maybe something like computer programming would be a good suit, be something similar to what I'm doing right now, which is typing and staring at a screen. But I suppose my interest for esports, it was always there. I always felt like it was something that someone else was doing. Something at a high-level of play for specific games. Many that I did play, but these people are just on another level above me. And I never really thought that I'd be someone who could have a chance of winning or have a chance of participating in these high-level scenes.
JW: Well, clearly with this big trophy sitting in front of us on the table, and also the lanyard with your beautiful medallion, you can tell us how did it feel to win the Kent County Cup?
JR: I think I was in disbelief for at least two hours. I seriously had admittedly not as much, a very, I guess, average expectation. I wouldn't call it low, but you don't really know what to expect other than I guess what they show you during these televised esports competitions. But when someone showed this trophy, I was in a lot of shock. And then they showed that last year's Smash Bros. Tournament had an actual title belt on it. And I was a little jealous.
JW: Well, this is very impressive. And your parents shared with me that you've actually been gaming for quite some time, besting some older siblings and other people, your friends perhaps at gaming.
JR: All the gaming.
JW: It has to feel really good to also be validated in an esports arena. When you think about your pathway to Ferris State University coming up, how has your school and your education, even your musical interests - I know you're part of orchestra - helped prepare you for what you'll do next?
JR: I suppose I'll start with orchestra. Orchestra itself, it's been a very… probably one of the best parts about school from middle school to now. Being able to play music, which is something that I've always had a little bit of interest towards, with other people, it taught me a lot about practicing and playing in front of a crowd, which are two very important things if I want to go into esports.
JW: Absolutely, and also that collaboration that you must feel as part of the orchestra and part of a team.
JR: Absolutely.
JW: I'd like to learn more about what you see yourself doing in let's say five or ten years. Where will your dreams take you?
JR: I hope to a financially stable place at the very least. I think on the road that I'm going on now or going down now, it'll likely be esports related. I might have an own official team that I'm a part of, but that is the hope that five years down the line, maybe I have like my own home, own apartment, maybe a cat or two.
JW: I think that all sounds achievable. And Ryan, what do you think of the world of esports, the career pathways that are emerging? Where do you see things in five or ten years? Because five or ten years ago, we were not talking about this.
Ryan: Yeah, I think you’re seeing this really grow past, even emerging with, the rate at which it is growing. And I think for the ISD to bring on these tournaments, and being a part of this conversation today reinforces that. You know, here you have a proud father, you have a proud mom here and siblings. And I think it's important for us as parents to understand how we can support maybe a gaming industry that we don't always know everything about, but we're seeing some positive interactions between students, we're seeing healthy competition. To your point, you know, it was the setup. It's all the production that goes on behind it. And I think, you know, Jonny, for you to go up and see
behind the scenes of the production is really important. So I think awareness, I think these career pathways are there, they're viable. And when I hear you talk about wanting an apartment, a house, maybe a couple pets, that's awesome. That is the American dream, right? And being part of maybe a sponsored team, which is extremely viable. These are college scholarships that are offered by Michigan State, Aquinas, Ferris, you name the institution, they have an esports team. And so for many of our younger students, this isn't a foreign concept. So I think it's training parents in the community as well, and breaking any stereotypes that might be out there. They're well-lit, they're well done. There are phenomenal opportunities postgame to meet other gamers and talk. Oftentimes what you'll see is off over at a table, “Hey, I really like that strategy that you deployed”, “Yeah, you threw that mushroom at me, I think I want to combat that in a different way”. So, you see this kind of fraternity, if you will, start to grow or interaction of students. So I'm super proud of the ISD for really engaging this. I'm thankful for parents for supporting it. I'm thankful for players like Jonny for coming out. There's a reason why the trophies are so big. We want it to matter, you know, and we want for students to feel that success and be proud, and they should be, and Jonny should be proud. He earned it, and it was a great competition on that day.
JW: Absolutely. And dad, I know you're proud of Jonny also, but from a teacher's perspective and also from your coaching history, how does this new area of learning align with what you know about students in their futures?
JeffR: I guess, just to draw a line between I'm a football coach and what Johnny did, one of the things that sticks out to me is that when Jonny's mom came home from the competition and they were both walking on air, one of the things that Jonny's mom said was she could not believe the sportsmanship between all the competitors. It's just like what you said where it wasn't, even when things didn't go their way, there was handshakes and there was nice jobs and there was discussion about, that was really cool. So supportive and when you think about coaching more traditional sports, at the end of the day it's really about building young people into the human beings that we want them to be and that handshake at the end and saying good job and it's the most important thing at the end of the day. And that's one of the things I was most pleased to hear was that not only did he excel but he did it in a way that we want. It's collaborative, it's being a good sport, having good sportsmanship.
JW: And also, do you have advice for other parents, as Ryan alluded to, that might be skeptical, and perhaps are trying to not necessarily encourage their students from being gamers?
JeffR: Sure. Yeah, like I said, there's that book. I wish I could remember the name of the author. Everything Bad is Good for You. I'll have to Google it after this. There are some stereotypes about video games, and I just would encourage, whether it's esports or whether it's something else that you don't know a lot about, it's just really important to support your kids when they do have a passion about something. And just as Ryan said, it's a viable thing now. So it's not maybe what you think. Find out more about it and really the only way to find out more about it is actually to attend and actually watch and see what happens. That's what that would be. My advice is showing interest. It's okay to be skeptical. You know, it's okay to be skeptical, but really after that day, I don't think there was any skepticism left in my body. If I had any, right? I was again, just really super excited. Jonny is not as overly demonstrative young man. So when he came back and was that, like I said, that, that switch had been flipped for him.
It was really, I was like, okay, that's, that's…we got something we can work with now.
JR: I do have some trouble showing interest in things.
JW: Jonny, why do you think it's important for us to ask students like you what your dreams are?
JR: It's important to ask us students what our dreams are because, maybe there are other students, or other people out there who might feel some validation from these questions. They're very important. It's important to try and accomplish what you want, chase your dreams. You might even accomplish those as well.
JW: Well, you certainly have accomplished some at an early age, and we're very much proud of you, and also congratulate you on your win and also your future.
JR: Thank you.
JW: You're welcome. And thanks to you, Ryan, for your input today on our workforce development. It's important for us to know there are new pathways emerging all the time.
Ryan: Without a doubt. And I think this is one of those, esports ventures. If you were to tell me five years ago that we would be running esports events, right? I would have shaken my head. And Jonny, it's great to hear that this is one of those dreams that's viable. And it sounds like Ferris is, you know, first on your list of a great opportunity and love that that has happened for you. And you light up when we talk about it so it's good to see that smile.
JW: Absolutely. And thank you to Jeffrey for supporting Jonny and to all parents out there who are supporting their students as they are working toward achieving their dreams. And I also want to thank everyone who is listening today. If you know a student of any age who is a big dreamer, we would love to share their story. You can share your ideas and hear more dream stories at KentISD.org/YourDream. The Your Dream Is Our Dream podcast is presented by Kent ISD in partnership with WGVU.
