CyberPatriot Designates Spokane School District "Center of Excellence"

ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Air Force Association's CyberPatriot program has announced Spokane Public Schools of Washington state as its third CyberPatriot Center of Excellence.

CyberPatriot, the nation's largest and fastest growing high school cyber defense competition, is AFA's flagship science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) program dedicated to strengthening cyber skills among American youth. Competitors also gain valuable knowledge from the expertise of CyberPatriot's many supporters, including the Northrop Grumman Foundation, CyberPatriot's presenting sponsor.

The Center of Excellence designation refers to districts and communities that provide leadership and support to further the educational experiences of their students through the CyberPatriot program. CyberPatriot established the Centers of Excellence program in 2011, and thus far, two other communities – the Los Angeles Unified School District and the city of San Antonio – have been recognized.

In the 2011-2012 school year, Spokane Public Schools registered 20 schools to participate in the CyberPatriot IV competition, which was powered by SAIC's CyberNEXS. Seven of the teams made their way to the National Finals Competition, held in the nation's capital.  But Spokane did not just stop at registering teams; they facilitated a network of mentors, using an array of specialists to cover different topics of cybersecurity. Throughout the competition, some teams attended weekly (and sometimes biweekly) meetings, having mentors address different operating systems with the goal of giving their students the knowledge to build servers from the ground up.

"CyberPatriot's designation of Centers of Excellence recognizes communities and school districts that have raised the bar in their participation with this exciting national program," said Bernie Skoch, CyberPatriot Commissioner. "These areas have made big efforts and strong initiatives to create the supportive environment to further their students' learning experiences. We realize that these communities have truly embraced the cyber competition concept, and we are pleased to be able to recognize them for their dedication."

To see more about CyberPatriot's Center of Excellence Certificates, go to http://www.uscyberpatriot.org/about/Pages/CentersofExcellence.aspx

The Air Force Association is a non-profit, independent, professional military and aerospace education association. Our mission is to promote a dominant United States Air Force and a strong national defense, and to honor Airmen and our Air Force Heritage.  To accomplish this, we:

• EDUCATE the public on the critical need for unmatched aerospace power and a technically superior workforce to ensure U.S. national security.
• ADVOCATE for aerospace power and STEM education.
• SUPPORT the Total Air Force family and promote aerospace education.

AFA has 200 chapters nationally and internationally representing more than 108,000 members.  Visit AFA on the internet at www.afa.org.

SOURCE Air Force Association

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