Students from Dutchess BOCES’ component districts honed cybersecurity and leadership skills through The Digital Defenders Program and shared what they learned with their respective district’s Board of Education and some younger classmates last school year. On July 23-24, a group of students from Beacon High School will present the program to the New York State School Boards Association at its Leadership in Education Event in Albany.
“Duchess BOCES was selected to pilot this program because BOCES has already been working on a similar student focused initiative, creating a natural opportunity for collaboration,” said the New York State Education Department’s Chief Information Security Officer Marlowe Cochran.
In this pilot program, a partnership between Dutchess BOCES, component districts Arlington Central School District and Beacon City School District and New York State Education Department, 19 students worked collaboratively to learn about digital safety, online threats, and responsible technology use. Then, they designed lessons and campaigns based on the grade level expectations of the Computer Science and Digital Fluency Standards. This culminated in the students teaching the lessons to the grade level classrooms for which the lessons were written. This is part of a broader commitment to support innovative and future-focused learning experiences for students.
Dutchess BOCES Director of Technology Mark Stein and Educational Resources Professional Development Specialist Cara Braun collaborated, designed and co-facilitated the pilot program after District Superintendent Dr. Jodi DeLucia met with Cochran.
“The program is an innovative opportunity aligned with the Portrait of a Graduate attributes intended to equip participating students and their peers with the essential skills they need to navigate the digital world,” shared Cochran.
“This program stood out as a unique way to empower students to become leaders,” Braun said. “It is one of the first programs of its kind in New York State, positioning students not just as learners, but as creators and advocates for digital safety within their school communities.”
Stein noted that the program educates students about cybersecurity at a very young age in the form of detailed presentations created by student leaders.
“We start with foundational concepts at the K-1 level and build upon them at every grade level,” Stein explained. “The students are very excited to be involved in a pilot program that could be adopted in other counties across New York State, if successful.”
Braun found that students were engaged, enthusiastic, open and creative, proudly taking ownership of their work. Braun hopes students take away the impact they could have as leaders within their school communities.
“Students recognize that they have the ability to create meaningful change by educating their peers about cybersecurity and digital responsibility,” Braun said. “This experience empowers them to take on leadership roles and reinforces the idea that their voices and actions matter.
The Beacon team, advised by Math and Computer Science Teacher Frances Vakirtzis, gave presentations on how to detect fake news, how cyberattacks occur and detailed how the program could grow. They even had their own T-shirts with students’ faces digitally imposed on the bodies of superheroes. They presented the importance of the program to BOCES’ Board of Education on June 10.
Beacon junior Isaac Tschang wants to teach people about the growing dangers the Internet presents, adding that he knows people who have fallen victim to cyber scams. His team’s project focused on how to ensure information on the internet is accurate with artificial intelligence (AI) and deepfakes, fabricated digital representations that seem realistic, on the rise.
“Newer generations are getting exposed to the Internet and computing devices at younger ages,” Tschang said. “With that comes new risks associated with being on the internet and just like how young kids are taught not to trust random strangers to take them home, kids also need to know about ways to protect themselves in the digital realm.”
During an April 23 meeting of the Digital Defenders, second-year Dutchess BOCES Computer Networking student Marlow Jacobs’ presentation focused on keeping students safe from phishing emails. He presented participants with a phishing email and a real one and challenged them to detect which was real and which was fake. “You have to verify the sender, if it’s someone you know, contact that person and say ‘Do you know about this?’”
Jacobs finds people are not aware of the extent of phishing and hopes they become more educated through Digital Defenders. “If we could teach this, people could use their detective hats to really look more into it than just go along with it,” Jacobs said.
DeLucia is thankful for the work the students did as part of the program.
“You really took it (student cybersecurity) to heart,” DeLucia said after the students presented to the BOCES board. “You are pioneers in developing this program, and your work is truly making a difference. I hope it serves as a model that can be expanded across New York State, helping to lead the way toward safer and more responsible online engagement.”
Board Trustee Gully Stanford, who asked if the students would present on a larger scale someday, praised them for an excellent presentation. “I thought I was in the presence of doctors of philosophy and science,” Stanford said.
If you are interested in bringing the “Digital Defenders” program to your district, please contact Janet Bisti, Director of Educational Resources, at janet.bisti@dcboces.org.
