Hackley Gaming Presenters at Historicon

Hackley History teacher Jared Fishman and Dillon Schaevitz '19 ran a one hour seminar and game at Historicon 2019, talking about Hackley’s gaming program, how it evolved, its impact on student well being, and presenting Dillon’s senior project which focused on games.
Mr. Fishman says, "Dillon stole the show. The kind of pride I feel right now, for what he was able to accomplish and the way he worked that room, and the way he talked about our school and how it has impacted his growth--I don’t have the words. We actually ran a game of his design later that afternoon."

Also participating from the Hackley community were students Carter Hogg, Will Gannon, and Max Bryant. Upper School English teacher Mike Canterino '03 assisted in all areas.

Mr. Fishman particularly enjoyed the "fly on the wall" opportunity to overhear the comments of passers-by about the student work.  "Every time convention attendees walked by the game we ran I kept hearing over and over that, 'Those kids are from Hackley. They are the game design hub.' I heard another group walk by and say, 'Man, that school must be great. I can’t believe students that age are running this game.'"

The group looks forward to presenting at more such events in the months to come, and to expanding partnerships with schools and universities who also use gaming as a learning strategy.

Hackley is already running gaming conferences for teachers every 12-18 months.  We look forward to finding more ways to expand these learning opportunities for students and adult gamers alike.

Through the ongoing efforts of Jared Fishman and his partners, Hackley is becoming THE hub for game thinking.  He notes, "The more we get out into the community across the US and beyond, the more students will benefit".
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