THUNDERBIRD ESPORTS

A Scholastic Esports & Holistic Education Partnership for Licton Springs K-8

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CrySword SAGA

WHBL Halfball

Building Admin & PTO Presentation • v1.2 • February 2026

School Day After School K-8 72 Students TEK8 Framework WA State Aligned

The Landscape

Small School, Big Opportunity Gaps

LSK8 serves ~72 students in K-8. Every student matters disproportionately -- in culture, in funding, and in outcomes.

Limited enrichment options vs. larger schools
Each absent/disengaged student = outsized impact
SpEd students need diverse strength-demonstration pathways
Budget constraints limit STEM, CTE, digital literacy access
Every student lost = ~$14,556 in per-pupil funding

WA State Priorities We Address

HEAL Act (SB 5141) -- Environmental justice & equity
Since Time Immemorial (SB 5433) -- Mandatory tribal curriculum
Chronic Absenteeism -- OSPI statewide priority
IDEA -- SpEd extracurricular access

Per-Pupil Funding Impact

Not just a gaming club.
A Peoples Arcade.

Esports is the hook. TEK8 is the curriculum. Physical sports, indigenous knowledge, gardening, music, and cooperative enterprise are the body.

CoinMusicGatherCraftQuestRestPlayMapYieldClose

"Play is older than culture... Animals have not waited for man to teach them their playing."
-- Johan Huizinga, Homo Ludens (1938)

Evidence Base

Research Says: This Works

7.34

More school days per year

NASEF/MVUSD 2022-23

33.5%

Lower absence rate

NASEF/MVUSD 2023-24

70.8%

Made & kept friends

Albuquerque PS 2025

3.3x

Girls gaming → STEM

NASEF Research

Special Education Research

Structured esports does not increase problematic gaming in ASD youth (Kawabe et al., 2022)
Gaming provides safe social spaces for autistic youth (Walsh et al., 2025)
Game-based learning improves inhibitory control in ADHD (Mohamed et al., 2024)

Academic Foundation

Huizinga (1938) -- Homo Ludens: play as culture
Gee (2007) -- 36 learning principles in games
Steinkuehler (2020) -- esports as education
Squire (2006) -- games as situated cognition
McGonigal (2011) -- Reality Is Broken

The Offering

School-Day + After-School Options

School-Day Integration

During School Hours

After-School Program

Mon-Thu, 2:30-5:30 PM

Cooperative Enterprise

Every Student Has a Position

Beyond athlete roles, every participant holds a specialized position aligned to their interests, goals, and TEK8 strengths. This is workforce development from day one.

Framework

The TEK8 Holistic Approach

Petal	Wellness	Program Activity
D12 Ether	Emotional/Arts	Music, podcasting, drums
D8 Air	Physical/Sciences	Farmcraft, garden, NYO
D4 Fire	Occupational/Ethics	Halfball, CJSR, coding
D20 Water	Environmental/History	STI, field trips, cooking
D6 Earth	Spiritual/Indigenous	Longhouse, slahal, garden
D10 Chaos	Social/Human Sci	Esports, lacrosse, group
D100 Order	Intellectual/Philosophy	Research, Zotero, mapping
D2 Wealth	Financial/Math	Co-op budget, market math

Frameworks: Roland & Landua (2013) 8 Forms of Capital; Swarbrick (2006) SAMHSA Wellness; Chandler & Lalonde (1998) Cultural Continuity.

Policy Alignment

Advancing Washington State Priorities

HEAL Act (SB 5141)

Requires 40% of environmental investments to benefit vulnerable populations. Our program:

Garden-based environmental stewardship
Farmcraft: sustainable agriculture
Community food production / food justice
TEK8 D20 Water petal = environmental ed

Since Time Immemorial

WA law mandates tribal sovereignty curriculum (SB 5433). We deliver:

STI curriculum via weekly Culture Day
All 29 federally recognized tribes
Duwamish Longhouse visits
NYO events, slahal, lacrosse

Special Ed & IDEA

IEP students have right to access extracurricular activities:

Esports as inclusive competition
20+ roles beyond "athlete"
Multi-modal 8-petal approach
Crystal Cycle sensory balance

One program. Seven state/federal priority areas addressed.

Game Selection

Core Titles: Education First

Competition Free STEM

NASEF Farmcraft

Minecraft Education agriculture simulation. Grades 3-12. National playoffs. Free.

Competition E-Rated

Rocket League

NASEF league. 3v3 = 6 stations for a match. Physics-based. Rated E.

Enrichment Creative

Fortnite Creative / Roblox

Educational experiences. Game design pathways. Content-filtered.

Physical $0 Cost

WHBL Halfball + NYO

Equipment covered via WHBL waste rescue / landfill diversion from local donors. Broomsticks, rubber balls, chalk -- all diverted from waste stream. Zero procurement cost.

Tabletop All 8 Petals

CrySword SAGA TTRPG

Dice + paper RPG. Math, literacy, strategy, teamwork. No screens. Ages 8+.

Digital Literacy Web

CJSR Typing Races

Browser-based at cjsr.quillverse.org. All ages. Zero special hardware. School-day ready.

Investment

Three Entry Points for
72 Students on Any Budget

Start where you are. Scale as you grow. Every tier delivers real outcomes.

Budget Tier 1

The Seed -- $2,500/semester

7ABCs Coordinator: 1 half-day/week	$1,800
NASEF Farmcraft & STI curriculum	$0
CJSR Typing Races (web)	$0
CrySword SAGA kits	$50
Halfball equipment (WHBL waste rescue)	$0 *
Garden seeds & starters	$120
Cultural field trip (1/semester)	$500
Semester Total	~$2,500

* Halfball equipment sourced entirely through WHBL waste rescue / landfill diversion program from local donors. Broomsticks, rubber balls, and chalk diverted from waste stream at zero cost.

What This Delivers

Weekly enrichment specialist in-building
Farmcraft on existing Chromebooks/iPads
STI curriculum (mandated by WA law)
Halfball & NYO physical play
Garden-based science intro
Tabletop gaming for SEL + math

Hardware: None New

Farmcraft runs on Minecraft Education (existing devices). CJSR is browser-based. CrySword + Halfball = zero tech.

Ideal: PTO-funded pilot. Activate immediately.

Budget Tier 2

The Sprout -- $8,000/semester

Coordinator: 2 half-days/week (school day)	$3,600
After-school: 1 day/week (3 hrs)	$2,400
All Tier 1 materials & activities	$200
6x Refurbished Gaming Stations @ $950	$5,700*
Network switch + cabling	$200
Cultural field trips (2/semester)	$1,000
Halfball equipment (WHBL)	$0
Semester Total	~$8,000

*One-time hardware; amortized = ~$570-950/sem over 3-5 years

Adds Over Tier 1

Dedicated esports stations
After-school Thunderbird practice 1x/week
NASEF Farmcraft season entry
Rocket League intramurals
Student co-op roles (4-6 positions)
Stations dual-use for STEM/CTE

ROI

Budget Tier 3

The Thunderbird -- $18,000/semester

Coordinator: 4 half-days/week (school day)	$7,200
After-school: Mon-Thu (3 hrs/day)	$6,400
All Tier 1 & 2 materials, hardware	incl.
Music instruments (25 Sacred Instruments starter)	$800
Broadcasting setup (OBS, webcam, mic)	$300
Expanded garden infrastructure	$500
Monthly cultural field trips	$2,500
Guest speakers & cultural practitioners	$800
Halfball equipment (WHBL)	$0
Semester Total	~$18,000

The Full Peoples Arcade

Near-daily 7ABCs in-building presence
Full Mon-Thu after-school Crystal Cycle
Complete competitive esports program
Broadcasting & content creation
Full cooperative: 15-20 student positions
Monthly field trips & guest practitioners
Full garden program + music
Community showcase events

Breakeven: ~1.2 students

Retaining 2 students = $29,112 in preserved funding. The program pays for itself while transforming the entire school experience.

Side by Side

Tier Comparison

Feature	Seed ($2.5K)	Sprout ($8K)	Thunderbird ($18K)
School-day coordinator	1x/week	2x/week	4x/week
After-school program	--	1 day/week	Mon-Thu
NASEF Farmcraft	Existing devices	Dedicated stations	Full season + playoffs
Esports stations	0 (use existing)	6 refurbished	6 + broadcasting
Halfball / NYO (WHBL)	Yes ($0)	Yes ($0)	Yes ($0) + interschool
STI curriculum	Yes	Yes	Yes + field trips
Garden program	Starter	Developing	Full seasonal
Student co-op roles	2-3	4-6	15-20
Cultural field trips	1/sem	2/sem	Monthly
Music / Sacred Instruments	--	Basic	Full + recording
Content creation	--	--	YouTube, podcast, stream
Breakeven (students retained)	<1	1	~1.2

Inclusion

Optimizing Outcomes for All Learners

Research-Backed Benefits

ASD: Structured esports safe for social interaction (Kawabe et al., 2022)
ASD: Gaming improves friendships & well-being (Walsh et al., 2025)
ADHD: Game-based learning improves inhibitory control (Mohamed et al., 2024)
Social: 70.8% report making & keeping friends
Confidence: 50.5% report building self-confidence

IEP Alignment

Activities map directly to IEP goals: social skills, executive function, communication, fine/gross motor, vocational readiness. We document via TEK8 petal assessments.

Multiple Pathways to Mastery

Sustainability

Attracting Resources & Revenue

Grant Opportunities

Title IV-A -- Well-Rounded Education
21st CCLC -- Afterschool programming
CTE / Perkins V -- Career pathways
USDA Farm to School -- Garden ed
VEF -- Videogames & Esports Foundation
PHNXGaming -- $5K micro-grants
Intel / Microsoft -- Ed tech sponsors

In-Kind Donations

WHBL: Halfball equipment via waste rescue
District ITAD: Retired device trade-in credit
Community: Garden supplies, instruments
Volunteers: Guest speakers, practitioners

Student Co-Op Revenue Streams

Content: YouTube, podcasts, livestreams
Events: Community game nights, tournaments
Garden: Seedling sales, farmer's market
Merch: Student-designed Thunderbird gear
Services: Tech support for local orgs

Revenue managed through cooperative governance -- students vote on allocation.

The Magnet Effect

A 72-student school with a nationally-competing esports team, indigenous curriculum, student co-op, and garden program is a story that attracts press, donors, and enrollment.

Infrastructure

Hardware: Smart & Scalable

NASEF x Regadget Bundles

Bundle	Per Station	x6
Starter Kit (full setup)	$950	$5,700
Performance Plus (streaming)	$1,200	$7,200

40-60% savings vs. new builds
Regadget = NASEF's official hardware partner
Standardized for easy IT imaging
3-5 year lifecycle, upgradeable

Safety & Policy

The Education-First Firewall

Absolute Guarantee

NO cryptocurrency, tokens, or web3 in any educational context
Educational program stands completely alone
Required by FARMCRAFT/NASEF + Minecraft/Mojang ToS
All NASEF materials are free

Student Safety

District content filters on all PCs
No voice chat with strangers
Digital citizenship embedded
Age-appropriate titles only
Adult supervision at all times

Crystal Cycle = Built-In Balance

Intention
Music
Gather
Craft
Quest
Rest
Play
Map
Yield
Close

Never "just gaming." Screens are one step of ten.

Program Design

The Weekly Rhythm

After-School (Tiers 2-3)

Day	Theme	Feature
Mon	Play	Esports, Halfball, NYO
Tue	Culture	STI, tribal visits, cooking
Wed	Create	Garden, music, Farmcraft
Thu	Knowledge	Research, co-op, mapping

School-Day Integration (All Tiers)

Subject	7ABCs Activity
Science	Farmcraft, garden data
Social Studies	STI, diaspora
ELA	CrySword SAGA, podcasting
Math	Co-op budget, stats, yields
PE	Halfball, NYO, garden
Tech	CJSR Typing, coding

Monthly Highlights

Sep	Duwamish Longhouse, intention setting
Oct	Indigenous Peoples Day, harvest
Nov	Native Heritage Month intensive
Jan	Hawaiian Kingdom, MLK
Mar	Farmcraft season, garden planting
Jun	NYO games, community showcase

The Integration Advantage

Unlike a single-purpose vendor, 7ABCs + TimeKnot Games delivers across every subject area. One contract. One coordinator. Eight petals of education.

Implementation

Launch Timeline

Phase	When	Milestones
0	Spring 2026	Admin/PTO approval. IT consult. Select tier. Identify space.
1	Summer 2026	Hardware (Tiers 2-3). NASEF registration. Coordinator onboard. WHBL equipment.
2	Fall 2026	Program launch. Student co-op formation. Farmcraft season. STI.
3	Winter 26-27	Community showcase. Grant apps. Halfball intramurals.
4	Spring 2027	Data review: attendance, engagement, IEP progress. Tier upgrade.
5	2027-2028	Scale. Inter-school competition. Broadcasting. Brisbane 2032 pathway.

The Ask

Four Steps to Launch

1

Choose a Tier

Seed, Sprout, or Thunderbird. Start small, upgrade with data.

2

Designate Space

Classroom or lab corner for 6 stations + outdoor access.

3

Engage IT

One meeting: game list, bandwidth, device management.

4

Sign the Contract

Semester or annual. Cancel anytime. We prove with data.

What LSK8 Gets

A research-backed, WA-priority-aligned holistic program that closes opportunity gaps, supports SpEd outcomes, delivers mandated tribal curriculum, builds STEM pathways, teaches cooperative economics, and turns 72 students into a nationally-competing esports team -- all while keeping them physically active, culturally grounded, and showing up to school.

Works Cited

Selected References

Play Theory & Game-Based Learning

Huizinga, J. (1938/1955). Homo Ludens. Beacon Press. 978-0-8070-4681-4.

Gee, J. P. (2007). What Video Games Have to Teach Us (2nd ed.). Palgrave Macmillan.

McGonigal, J. (2011). Reality Is Broken. Penguin Press.

Squire, K. (2006). From Content to Context. Ed. Researcher, 35(8), 19-29.

Squire, K. (2011). Video Games and Learning. Teachers College Press.

Esports Research

Steinkuehler, C. (2020). Esports Research. Games & Culture, 15(1), 3-8.

Reitman, J. G. et al. (2020). Esports Lit Review. Games & Culture, 15(1), 32-50.

Reitman (2022). Academic & SEL in HS Esports. UCI Connected Learning Lab.

NASEF (2022-24). MVUSD Attendance Studies. nasef.org/research.

NASEF (2025). Albuquerque PS Survey (n=212).

NASEF & Regadget (2025). K-12 Esports Hardware Playbook.

Special Education & Inclusion

Kawabe, K. et al. (2022). Esports & ASD. Behavioral Sciences, 12(6), 172.

Walsh, O. et al. (2025). Games & social skills for autistic youth. Autism.

Mohamed, A. M. et al. (2024). GBL for ADHD. J. Attention Disorders.

Washington State Policy

WA Legislature. (2021). SB 5141: HEAL Act. Ch. 70A.02 RCW.

WA Legislature. (2015). SB 5433: STI Curriculum Mandate.

OSPI. STI: Tribal Sovereignty in WA State. ospi.k12.wa.us.

OSPI. School Apportionment. RCW 28A.150.260.

Foundational Frameworks

Roland & Landua (2013). Regenerative Enterprise.

Swarbrick (2006). Eight Dimensions of Wellness. SAMHSA.

Chandler & Lalonde (1998). Cultural Continuity. Transcultural Psychiatry, 35(2).

LaDuke, W. (1994). TEK & Env. Futures. CO J. Int'l Env. Law, 5, 127.

Full bibliography: Zotero Group Library 6420794 • Tag: 7abcs-thunderbird-esports

72 students. 8 petals. 1 practice.
Thunderbird Esports.

CoinMusicGatherCraftQuestRestPlayMapYieldClose

"This is not a program. This is a practice. And practices grow forests."

v1.2 • February 2026 • skool.com/7abcs