Montpelier, Vt. – Governor Phil Scott today recognized eight Vermont high school teams who participated in this year’s CyberPatriot XI competition, part of the nation’s largest youth cyber education program.
“Congratulations to all the teams who represented Vermont this year,” said Governor Scott. “This competition, and others like it, help spark young Vermonters’ interest in cybersecurity, which is so important as we work to give our young people the tools they need for good careers and look to develop the next generation of professionals in this field.”
In the annual competition, teams act as the IT Departments of small companies or organizations to find and resolve vulnerabilities on virtual images, tracking their progress on a live score board. This is the seventh year Vermont schools have participated with competitors, including Champlain Valley Union High School, Champlain Valley Homeschoolers, Green Mountain Civil Air Patrol Composite Squadron, Harwood Union High School, Northfield High School and South Burlington High School.
The Vermont CyberPatriot program is sponsored by the Green Mountain Chapter of Vermont’s Air Force Association, which hosted several cyber training days in conjunction with Champlain College. Champlain College and Norwich University provided mentors and other resources to this year’s teams.
“Seeing the students in action, you could really tell that this curriculum was engaging for them and has taught them problem-solving skills in cybersecurity,” said Vermont’s Chief Information Security Officer Nicholas Andersen. “This is exactly the type of opportunity that our students in Vermont need today and I hope to see other schools join this program soon.”
The South Burlington Cyber Wolves claimed victory at the Vermont State Championship in January and advanced to the semi-final round on February 1. The top 12 of more than 6,000 competing teams from across the nation win an all-expense paid trip to the National Championships in Baltimore, Maryland in April.
“If you want to engage students in their learning, make it a game,” said South Burlington coach Steve Barner. “The CyberPatriot competition has done just that for us, providing focus and excitement that is difficult to generate, otherwise. Our five seasons with CyberPatriot have raised student interest to the level where we have been able to spin off a high school cybersecurity course, in which we focus on broader topics and issues related to this important career field.”
This program is part of a broader initiative to grow Vermont’s cybersecurity workforce and bolster the state’s cybersecurity posture, including a newly announced digital alliance with Microsoft and the upcoming release of the state’s cybersecurity strategy.
For more information about the CyberPatriot program, visit www.uscyberpatriot.org.
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