A North Point High School’s Cyber Patriot team recently placed in a national competition designed to test students’ knowledge of cybersecurity vulnerabilities in virtual operating systems.
The Air & Space Forces Association’s National Youth Cyber Education Program was developed to stoke an interest in the field of cybersecurity and STEM fields among students in kindergarten through 12th grade. A North Point’s team — NPHS Eagle B Team — took eighth place out of 206 teams competing in the open division of the semifinals gold tier of the CyberPatriot Competition, or CP-17. During the competition, student teams are asked to identify and fix cybersecurity issues in operating systems. Teams work together to secure the systems while necessary service remains operational.
In addition to placing in the Top 10 in its division, the Cyber Patriot team of Eric Chen, Amari Edwards, Devin Kelley, Tristan Roby, Speedjay Rialubin, Victoria Rosado Reyes and Aidan Scott earned first place among teams from Maryland. The team is coached by Sandra Rivas, a cyber security teacher at North Point and Cyber Patriot co-sponsor.
“Our team was successful in the competition due to their strong collaboration, effective communication and deep knowledge of the subject matter,” Naquai Roundtree, Ph.D., a CTE cybersecurity teacher and co-sponsor of the school's Cyber Patriot team, said.
The team members meet after school and during the Flight, North Point’s activity period, and are assisted by Jeff Rivas, a volunteer technical mentor. “The team spent a considerable amount of time practicing, learning from one another and leveraging each team members strengths,” Roundtree said. The North Point team is made up of students in the Cisco Networking and cybersecurity Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs.
The association, a nonprofit organization that advocates for the Air and Space Forces, has been holding the CyberPatriot competition for middle and high school students since 2009. The first competition featured eight teams; more than 5,100 students took part in this year’s contest. It is the largest cybersecurity competition open to middle and high school students in the country with teams from around the world joining.
About CCPS
Charles County Public Schools provides 28,162 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 38 schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.
The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Mike Blanchard, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (students) or Nikial M. Majors, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (employees/ adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, MD 20646; 301-932-6610/301-870-3814. For special accommodations call 301-934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event. CCPS provides nondiscriminatory equal access to school facilities in accordance with its Use of Facilities rules to designated youth groups (including, but not limited to, the Boy Scouts).