June 12th, 2026

Students from Blue Heron Public School are celebrating a major achievement after winning the recent Girls Who Game Minecraft eSports Tournament.

On May 2, the school’s eSports team, the Pixel Pixies, travelled to Centennial College to compete in a live Minecraft build competition against teams from across the Girls Who Game community. The Girls Who Game program encourages students to develop science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), coding, collaboration, and leadership skills through gaming and technology-based challenges.

Over several weeks, students prepared for the competition by learning coding techniques and advanced Minecraft commands to help them respond quickly and creatively to timed build prompts. The event was livestreamed on YouTube, allowing family members and supporters to follow the action from home.

The Blue Heron team opened the tournament with a personalized territorial acknowledgement broadcast live from the eSports lounge commentary booth. Throughout the day, the students demonstrated impressive teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving skills while competing in a series of fast-paced design challenges.

One challenge asked teams to create an environmentally friendly race track where artificial intelligence (AI) could help racers compete more safely and sustainably. In less than ten minutes, the Pixel Pixies designed a detailed racing complex complete with solar-powered pit stops, a fan zone, an AI race coach, and a functioning race car.

In another highlight of the day, team members stepped into the role of “shoutcasters,” providing live commentary and analysis for tournament matches while sharing their experiences in the Girls Who Game program.

The final challenge brought all teams together in a large-scale collaborative build focused on celebrating girls in STEM, friendship, and gaming. The Pixel Pixies responded with energy and creativity, constructing a vibrant castle space featuring banners, meeting hubs, celebration areas, a healing garden, and interactive elements created using coding commands.

During the tournament, the team earned the Critical Thinking Award. Final results were announced on May 14 during the Girls Who Game Spring Cohort Celebration at Microsoft headquarters in Toronto. Students participated in networking activities, mentorship sessions with women working in STEM careers, and a celebration of student innovation and leadership.

The excitement was unforgettable when Blue Heron’s Pixel Pixies were announced as tournament champions.

The team showcased their championship flag, certificate, club information, and a large recreation of their final castle build during the school’s Art Night on June 4.