Emerald Esports recognizes the positive impact gaming has on a community as a whole. In this series, Outside the Lines of Code, we highlight the individuals, teams, and clubs affecting change, building community relationships, and spreading the positivity of utilizing video games in education. Venture outside the realm of gameplay and join “in real life” relationships, stories of inspiration, and the results of utilizing video games as a vehicle for learning, teamwork, and collaboration. This month the spotlight is on Rayne Clinton, a talented educator and a master of adaptability in the world of technology/gaming. He believes that to reach the future, we must first teach the future.
As the technology teacher at Liguori Academy, Rayne Clinton helps his students find their authentic creative voices. His life experiences have all fed into a teaching position sharing his expertise in multiple career skills, entrepreneurial skills, programming, app development, and game development. His students are leaving Liguori prepared for careers and secondary education. Seniors at Liguori are accepted into the tech programs of schools like the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, and Temple University. These students not only want to pursue jobs in the tech industry but also have aspirations to start up their own tech businesses one day. Rayne’s teaching opens students’ eyes to the possibilities of what their future could hold with his individualized and adaptable instruction. He says having state-of-the-art tech lab tools at their fingertips is the key. His background in coding, software development, coaching, and working odd jobs has given him the tools he needs to impact his students positively.
How did Rayne get to Liguori? He started playing video games as a kid back in the day when playing video games was considered uncool. Rayne had all the video game systems, Sega, Nintendo, PlayStation, etc. Today, he proudly sports his Sonic the Hedgehog sweatshirt and laughs about how big-time this video game character is, having been the subject of two major motion pictures in the last few years. As a kid, he remembers how difficult it was to balance his love for video games and his need to fit in with his peers, a struggle that continues for kids today. Rayne, through his experience, is empathetic to the tricky position kids face. He guides his students to be true to themselves in their endeavors, just as he stays true to what made him light up inside. Though challenging and painful, this life experience has become a valuable lesson in teaching his students. His life after high school encompassed working as an Apple employee, coaching a tennis youth group, and feeding students at Linton’s Managed Services while he kept building his tech skills in his off hours. He landed a position at BSD Education as an Afterschool Instructor for a Gaming Club. BSD (Build Something Different) Education is a company that empowers educators to bring digital skills to the classroom. Rayne was awarded the 2022 CARE Award for Adaptability for his ability to adapt his teaching methods in a fast and ever-changing tech world. This position with BSD ultimately vaulted Rayne into the teaching job he has now at Liguori Academy. Liguori Academy is a private high school in Philadelphia with an education program that is individualized, flexible, and technology-driven.
In addition to being an educator at Liguori Academy, Rayne, in collaboration with Emerald Esports, has also created its esports club. Like other Emerald Esports clubs, this club allows students to develop real-world skills through team-oriented video games such as League of Legends, Valorant, and Smash Brothers. His students learn critical thinking, problem-solving, leadership, communication, collaboration, and teamwork. Esports gives students of all backgrounds equal playing ground. This sport promotes an all-inclusive environment and can empower even the shyest students to emerge from their shells to become great teammates and communicators. Liguori Academy’s Esports club is what Emerald Esports hopes to accomplish with many more schools in the Lancaster Area and beyond. Rayne has genuinely built something incredible for the students of Liguori Academy. It is not only an environment to play competitively in video games but also a place to go outside the lines of code and develop skills that will carry them through the rest of their careers.
The Emerald Foundation & Emerald Esports are looking forward to the continued growth of his club and the result of his dedication to helping the next generation explore their pathway to many career opportunities.
Thank you, Rayne, for sharing your story and inspiring other gamers like you.
Find Rayne on streaming platforms, Steam, Playstation & Xbox under the gamer tag, Suntotem.
Interested in launching an eSports club at your school or community center? Visit the Emerald Esports Club Registration page to get started: https://esports.emeralde.org/esports-clubs/registration/
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