Cyber Patriots have been hard at work in their training sessions these past few weeks, but that isn’t the only new thing going on within the cyber security club. Gerald McCaslin, last year’s photography teacher has taken over from John Carrera, who taught several cyber security classes, and coached the Cyber Patriot team.
“Mr. Carrera had actually come down and requested that I take over his class,” McCaslin said, “I have a background in cyber security and a certification in the field.”
The training for Cyber Patriots takes place before and after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, as well as training sessions for Linux on Wednesdays. In the previous few years, the team had won on the state and national level several times, a tradition set by Carerra.
“I’m going to rely on the kids who have previous experience to help out with the newer recruits as well as other mentors who have experience in the field of cyber security,” McCaslin said.
The team shares an enthusiasm to continue their winning tradition, and looks forward to a new season and the rigorous training.
“Cyber Patriots is a lot of fun. It’s like a family of geeks. Everybody is comfortable being who they are, it’s very competitive, but there is a lot of reward for what we do,” senior and Cyber Patriot veteran Jacob Townsend said.
Newer recruits also are excited to join and be a part of the team, such as Senior Jonathan Gonzales.
“I look forward to having fun in a club that will benefit my competence in the field I want to go into, which is cyber security,” Gonzales said.
McCaslin shares their enthusiasm, believing that the team’s assets are more than just their skills with computers.
“I have many kids who have a desire to learn cyber security and that really contributes to the team,” McCaslin said, “A desire to learn in this competition is a powerful asset.”