Plain Dealing CyberPatriot Team Brings Home the Silver
Plain Dealing High School’s CyberPatriot team made its mark in the ninth season of CyberPatriot -- the National Youth Cyber Defense Competition, outscoring other teams in the state to win the Open Division’s State First Place Silver Tier Award.
Established by the Air Force Association, CyberPatriot’s core program -- the National Youth Cyber Education Program -- was created to excite, educate and motivate students toward careers in cyber security and other science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines critical to our nation’s future. Teams of two to six students compete from across the United States, Canada and schools abroad to find and resolve cybersecurity vulnerabilities in simulated environments.
Led by coach Nichole Nuccio, the team of PDHS students excelled in the CyberPatriot IX qualifying rounds, demonstrating teamwork, critical thinking skills and technical knowledge key to a successful career in cybersecurity. The team’s first place performance earned it a spot in the Regional Silver Tier Round, which was held in early February. Based on the results of two preliminary rounds, the highest scoring high school teams categorized as Platinum Tier teams advance to the National Finals in April.
“Cyber education is becoming a necessity as we move toward a technology driven society,” said Nuccio. “Students need to understand the value of protecting their information and personal safety by comprehending all of the risks of using technology. Participation in the CyberPatriot competition has been a valuable experience for our students. The program has taught our students to become aware of threats on their personal information, safety from digital predators and their social responsibility of being good digital citizens.”
Top teams from the preliminary online rounds earn an all-expenses-paid trip to Baltimore, MD for the live National Finals Competition, where students compete for national recognition and scholarships. It is where the Plain Dealing team plans to be next year -- vying for the National Finals title. And they are well on their way, winning the Open Division’s State first place Silver Tier Award.
Congratulations to the PDHS team!