School Board 9.24.15

SMA prepares to battle 

Captain Frederick Farmer and a cadre of his CyberPatriot cadets at the Sarasota Military Academy began preparations for their competition in CyberPatriot VIII, which begins in October. The cadets came in on their own time during the summer to be better prepared for the upcoming competition and will be soliciting new team members during the school’s orientation day. They hope to field four or five teams of five or six cadets for the upcoming school year.  

CyberPatriot is the National Youth Cyber Education Program created by the Air Force Association (AFA). There are three main programs within CyberPatriot: the National Youth Cyber Defense Competition, AFA Cyber Camps and the Elementary School Cyber Education Initiative. CyberPatriot was conceived by the AFA to inspire high school students to pursue careers in cyber security or other STEM disciplines. CyberPatriot is the brainchild of Sarasota resident S. Sanford Schlitt and the first competition was held here in Florida in 2009.  

Leveling the tablet 

Wilkinson Elementary second grade teacher Ashley Najjar was one of 24 winning applications for the Sarasota County School District's Trailblazer program for advanced technology in the classroom. More than 100 teachers applied with proposals demonstrating the need for Microsoft Surface 3 tablets in their classrooms. 

Teachers were asked to apply by writing a proposal about why they felt the technology would be useful in their classrooms. The 22 selected by committee are part of a pilot program being led by Cameron Parker, ‎instructional technology specialist for the district. 

Najjar received the tablets, but they didn’t have cases, which she says are crucial for preserving their condition. Purchasing the cases would cost her more than $1,000 out-of-pocket, so she reached out to local business for sponsorships. Cool Today/ Plumbing Today owner Jaime DiDomenico agreed to cover the cost for the 18 cases.