Rockwell fifth grader creates hit card game inspiring peers

At Rockwell Elementary, creativity is thriving thanks to fifth grader Ishanth Maheshwaran, whose original card game, Battle Beasts, has become one of the most popular activities in the school’s Extended Day program.

What started as a personal project has grown into a phenomenon among students. Ishanth not only designed the gameplay but also illustrated every card using digital art tools. His realistic fantasy style brings each creature to life, making the game visually stunning and fun to play. Students at Rockwell Extended Day now gather daily to challenge each other in Battle Beasts matches, and nearly every student owns a copy of the game.

The journey to Battle Beasts began in 2023 when Ishanth was in third grade. While drafting his first fantasy novel, The Fire Keeper (published in April 2025), he also started brainstorming ideas for a card game that would combine strategy, imagination and art. By April 2025, the first deck of Battle Beasts was complete and quickly captured the attention of his classmates. Just five months later, Ishanth released an expansion deck, further fueling the excitement.

By fifth grade, Ishanth had published a novel, designed two versions of his own card game and began drafting a second book. This is a great example of a Lake Washington School District student engaging in the Strategic Framework’s organizational principle of innovation.