CTE Month Spotlight
CyberSecurity & Networking at New Bern High School
The CyberSecurity & Networking class is new this year to New Bern High. This class deals with computer vulnerabilities that face our technological society every day. It is engaging through hands-on activities to ensure students have a thorough understanding of the cyberworld. Mrs. Parks’ students shared that,
“Mrs. Parks is so sweet. She really cares about her students and their well-being. Works with you, is extremely helpful, and is just an all around magnificent teacher.”
“Because she cares about me getting the best grade and getting my work done.”
“Mrs. Parks never fails to show enthusiasm when teaching, always showing passion for her job, and makes sure that all of her students are engaged with the content she teaches. Mrs. Parks makes learning online flexible and enjoyable for her students!”
“Ms. Parks works hard to make every student understand a difficult subject. As someone who struggled with the complexity of this class, it was very helpful to have a teacher that could explain.”
“I like Mrs. Parks because she was a very helpful teacher and was good at communicating with me and helping me when I struggled.”
Students at New Bern High have a choice of two Career Pathways in the Information Technology cluster, Network Security and Computer Science Principles. The two classes for Network Security are CyberSecurity & Networking I and II. To complete the Computer Science pathway a student must take Computer Science Principles I and II.
Some of the main objectives of our CyberSecurity program is to:
- Identify the CyberSecurity Landscape and how vulnerabilities impact IT infrastructure
- Evaluate cyberattack types and techniques
- Distinguish between security and compliance
- Explain the difference between physical data security and virtual data security
- Discuss Cloud Computing Security
- Compare network security devices like VPNs and firewalls
- Examine cybersecurity landscape environments, attack threat vectors, vulnerabilities, and exposures
- Apply knowledge and skills to plan, design, implement, troubleshoot, and maintaining network infrastructure
- Formulate industry-standard design to protect infrastructure from cybersecurity threats
- Describe the basics of cryptography
- Demonstrate ability to access and harden endpoints based on security policies
Ms. Parks is currently collaborating with East Carolina University Department of Technology Systems and the U.S. Department of Defense to offer an enrichment program for students to gain hands-on experience and compete in the CyberPatriot program. This program is the National Youth Cyber Education Program created by the Air Force Association (AFA) to inspire K-12 students toward careers in cybersecurity or other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines critical to our nation's future.
CyberSecurity jobs are numerous because companies have to keep their data safe. According to CyberCrime Magazine, the current unemployment rate for CyberSecurity jobs is at 0%. Six out of ten jobs have cybersecurity in the job description. There is a 94% growth rate since 2013 and North Carolina is in the top five states for CyberSecurity jobs. The top industries for a CyberSecurity professional are in Banking/Finance, Information Technology, Government, or Consulting Services. The top jobs are CyberSecurity Manager, Consultant or Engineer, Network Engineer, Forensic Investigator, or Security IT Director.
For more information about the CyberSecurity program at New Bern High School, please visit our NBH Webpage.
