That was her 12th-grade son's first award for something he was interested in and good at in his entire education career. These interactions motivate Ms. Noyes to keep growing Jurupa Unified’s Esports league.
The Riverside County Office of Education recently awarded Ms. Noyes the Way-Maker Award. She was nominated by coaches, principals, and Education-Information Technology staff for helping the District’s league overcome challenges and obstacles. “Through her efforts, Amy exemplifies her ability to be a Way-Maker in JUSD and the county,”
said Director of Education-Information Technology, Veronica Gonzalez.
“Not only (am I) impacting the students’ lives but the families’ lives also,” said Ms. Noyes.
Ms. Noyes oversees JUSD’s Esports districtwide at all secondary schools. She coordinates tournaments, orders team jerseys, plans events and handles everything in between. Ms. Noyes has made strides in JUSD to make Esports a sport for all students with a shared love of gaming, Ms. Gonzalez said.
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“Running an Esports program on multiple campuses, and bringing everybody together for that shared vision and goal of getting our (students) involved… has been one of the reasons that our Esports (program) has been successful,” said Ms. Noyes. She meets monthly with coaches to plan and strategize to ensure the teams have all the resources they need to succeed and recruit new members.
Ms. Noyes has opened her Esports players to new possibilities after they graduate high school. Recently, she coordinated a field trip to the University of Redlands that opened students’ eyes to a future in Esports and video games. Students who believed college wasn’t for them when they first got there, were asking for an admissions application after learning about their Esports program and touring their arena. Without JUSD’s esports program and this field trip, students would not have known they could pursue their video game interests after graduating.
“Being involved in a program that gives these students an opportunity and a place where they can be successful in life is why I do this,” said Ms. Noyes.
