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Building Community, Creativity, and Connection Through K12 Zone Gaming Club and Guild with English Teacher, Mrs. Erin Casey

Community & SocialStories & Spotlights
A photo of a white woman with brown hair wearing pink headphones with cat ears on them.

For Insight School of Washington (ISWA) English Language Arts teacher, Erin Casey, community isn’t just something that happens in a classroom, but instead something she builds with intention, care, and a whole lot of creativity. Now in her fifth-year teaching at ISWA, Mrs. Casey has become a cornerstone of connection for high school students across Washington, both in her English courses and as the advisor for the ISWA Guild / K12 Zone Gaming Club.

From New Orleans to Seattle: A Journey Toward Purpose

Mrs. Casey’s story starts far from the Pacific Northwest. Originally from New Orleans, she and her husband were part of a slow, steady “Louisiana migration” of five dear friends who relocated to Seattle, Washington. Before joining ISWA, Mrs. Casey taught brick-and-mortar schools in Louisiana, but at that time, she wasn’t fully sure teaching was her long-term path.

When she moved to Seattle in 2018, she shifted gears and became an Executive Assistant at a private Waldorf school. But once the pandemic hit and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) updated its teacher certification pathways, teaching called her back. Mrs. Casey joined ISWA in 2019 and quickly discovered that virtual education allowed her to teach in a way that felt meaningful, adaptable, and deeply aligned with her values.

Today, she teaches English 2.08 (10th grade) and lives in Seattle, WA, proud to call the Pacific Northwest her home.

Creating Space for Students: The Evolution of the ISWA Guild

One of Mrs. Casey’s greatest passions is helping students find belonging. That passion led her to become the advisor for the ISWA Guild. Over the years, the club evolved into a broader diversity club, and eventually into a welcoming social and gaming community that gives students a space to be themselves.

This year, ISWA’s K12 Zone initiative, an interactive virtual campus that turns online school into an open-world experience, inspired Mrs. Casey to expand further, blending ISWA’s long-standing social club with K12’s interactive online “Zone” experience. This created a dynamic space where students can connect, play games, collaborate on projects, and build meaningful friendships.

Mrs. Casey’s club consistently draws an average of twenty students every Tuesday, with more than forty students connected through the club’s extended social channels.

Championing Student Leadership Through the K12 Zone

While the Guild and Gaming Club has traditionally been teacher-led, Mrs. Casey is ready for the next phase, one she remembers fondly from her own high school experience.

“When I was in high school, clubs were student-run. I’d love to see our students take the lead again,” said Mrs. Casey

The K12 Zone is opening doors for exactly that. Mrs. Casey has teamed up with ISWA staff like Hannah Munford who started co-coaching esports for grades eight to twelve this year. In addition, Mrs. Casey has worked closely with fellow English Arts Teacher, Andrea Teske, and Diana Figula, ISWA’s Student Support Administrator, to learn the new system and understand how to customize the platform for her club’s unique needs.

She’s even learned how to update links, fixed dead pages, and improved puzzles inside the Zone becoming a self-proclaimed “guinea pig” for helping create mini-zones and the exciting possibilities for all.

Building Community One Game at a Time

Cartoon animals on purple backgrounds show student usernames and ranks between 1st and 3rd place.

For Mrs. Casey, the secret ingredient to connection is play. The club runs weekly Blooket tournaments, and she said, “…It’s my favorite platform, and I like it better than Kahoot.” Often themed around student interest topics like video games. Students compete, steal gold, and strategize together, all while learning informally through the game’s built-in educational structure. Mrs. Casey hosts the sessions live each Tuesday, creating an energetic, welcoming environment that keeps students coming back.

She’s also experimenting with K12 Zone’s puzzles and challenge rooms, weekly updated art and video features, and mini activities to make the new virtual space feel like a real-world hangout

Her dreams don’t stop there. She would like to create a schoolwide Club Day, building classroom zones for other teachers, and even offering in-person meetups for tournaments or collaborative events.

Committed to Animals, Advocacy, and Real-World Impact

A photo of some farm animals outside.

Outside of school, Mrs. Casey volunteers at Pasado’s Safe Haven, an animal sanctuary dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating animals. Her husband volunteers with her, and they’re often found caring for pets, supporting adoption events, or helping with sanctuary operations.

Mrs. Casey’s compassion for animals, for kids, and for community shows up in everything she does.

This year, Mrs. Casey is working to elevate her club even further by:

  • Surveying students to drive club decisions
  • Merging former Guild and Gaming club traditions with K12 Zone enhancements
  • Encouraging student takeover and student-led leadership
  • Exploring ways to incorporate the Guild into ISWA’s Eagles Newspaper
  • Helping support big-school events like prom and graduation, where teachers take the first step, but students make the experience come alive

With more than 3,000 students statewide, ISWA thrives because of teachers like Mrs. Casey, educators who infuse innovation with heart and build spaces where students feel seen, welcomed, and empowered.

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