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District highlights Career and Technical Education month; PACE High’s varsity eSports wins regional gold
Summary
At its Feb. 4 meeting the Santa Rosa County School Board recognized Career and Technical Education Month, discussed plans for a district innovation center, and honored PACE High School’s eSports team for winning the Central Region Valorant championship.
Santa Rosa County School officials used the Feb. 4 school board meeting to highlight Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month and to recognize students and staff who have expanded career-pathway opportunities across the district.
Sharlyn Knight, director for workforce education, told the board February is CTE Month and invited families to the Santa Rosa Career Pathways Expo that will highlight high-school and middle-school CTE offerings. Knight described district-industry partnerships and advisory committees that support workforce-aligned programs and said the district expects to put the planned Innovation Center out for bid this month with occupancy targeted for early 2026.
The board also recognized the PACE High School eSports team. Sarah Hess, computer science teacher and eSports team manager at PACE High, and coaches described eSports as a competitive environment for video games and noted the industry’s size and scholarship opportunities: she said the U.S. video-game industry is worth roughly $214,000,000,000 and that more than 200 North American universities now offer varsity eSports programs with more than $16,000,000 in scholarships available. Generation eSports (the league used by PACE) supports competition and coach training, Hess said.
PACE High’s varsity Valorant team — Jason Lee Ruiz, Casey Gunter, Aidan Lamkins, Brandon Ross and James Stougerer — won gold in the Central Region of the United States, competing against about 70 teams. The program currently fields three titles this season (Marvel, Valorant and Rocket League) and has about 28–30 active players across grade levels.
Why it matters: The district said CTE and STEAM expansions aim to provide students with industry credentials, hands-on skill development and better workforce readiness. The Innovation Center bid and the eSports program were presented as examples of broader efforts to diversify student pathways into careers and postsecondary opportunities.
Board response: Board members and administrators congratulated the PACE team and thanked staff and IT support for building the program’s labs and infrastructure.
Ending: The board asked the public to follow district CTE programming on district social channels and to attend the Santa Rosa Career Pathways Expo and other CTE events scheduled this month.
