The paint will be fresh, the furniture will be new and the technology will be state-of-the-art. North East ISD is unveiling its newest magnet program in the fall that will be the first of its kind.
The Institute of CyberSecurity and Innovation (iCSI) will welcome 180 ninth-grade students to its inaugural class in August 2021, with plans to add students from 10th-12th grades over the next three years.
NEISD created the space to prepare students for the cybersecurity workforce and introduce them to an industry that has infinite potential. And there is no better place for it than right here.
San Antonio is home to the country’s second-largest concentration of cybersecurity experts with nearly 40 cybersecurity companies headquartered in the Alamo City.
Cybersecurity is the practice of defending computers, servers, mobile devices, electronic systems, networks, and data from malicious attacks.
We’ve all seen the headlines in the news. The global cyber threat continues to evolve at a rapid pace, with a rising number of data breaches each year, but there is a shortage of cybersecurity experts to fill the jobs needed.
The interactive instruction that NEISD students receive at iCSI will help prepare them for these careers. They’ll earn industry certifications and be able to smoothly transition into college.
“What’s unique about this program is the extensive level of hands-on instruction the students will receive,” said lead instructor Josh Beck.
Beck has been the lead cybersecurity educator in NEISD for the past several years. He previously taught at the Krueger School of Applied Technologies (KSAT) and the Engineering and Technologies Academy (ETA) magnet programs, at Krueger Middle School and Roosevelt High School respectively.
He will help train the instructors that come to the program, as well as work one-on-one with each of the students.
Local business partners will also play a key role in the instruction process.
“We will have expert speakers and trainers who can present to our students,” said Beck. “They can introduce new career paths, help us review and refine our curriculum, and provide internship opportunities for our students.”
Students will be able to test for industry certifications onsite at no cost. It will also be a place where students can lead.
iCSI students who follow all four years of the school’s curriculum, will take part in a Practicum course their senior year where they get opportunities to apply what they’ve learned.
For this first year, three senior students from the CyberPatriot program at the Engineering and Technologies Academy (ETA) will bring their expertise to the ninth-grade students.
Tristan Lee, 17, is one of those students. He is President of the CyberPatriot program at ETA, and he has loved robotics, rocketry and computer science from a very young age.
“I really began getting interested my eighth-grade year when I heard about the CyberPatriot program. Just the name sounded interesting. And I always liked working with computers. So that’s what got me first interested. What keeps me involved is the problem-solving aspect of it. Every challenge is like a different puzzle and the accomplishment that you feel when you actually finish that challenge is so rewarding.”
In addition to teaching, Tristan and his fellow Practicum students will help develop lesson plans and put the freshman students to the test.
“I’ll have the privilege to test out their security capabilities as they learn them,” said Tristan. “So, when they secure a system, I’ll have the privilege of attacking it and seeing if I can get in.”
Because it helps to start students on this path early, cybersecurity curriculum will soon become a part of middle school curriculum across the District.
“We hope to have CyberPatriot teams at each of our middle schools,” said Beck.
Middle school students can then explore the concepts before deciding if iCSI is right for them.
After students apply and are selected, they will attend classes at the campus for a two-period block each day, while still taking their core classes at their home campus.
Formally a neighborhood Wal-Mart location, NEISD purchased the building located next to MacArthur High School and completely renovated and designed it to be the District’s new hub of cybersecurity instruction.
While final construction will likely take place right up until early August, the District is confident doors will open to a facility ready to welcome students on the first day of school on Aug. 16.
When completed, the facility will feature eight classrooms, a large competition arena, two network labs, a robotics workroom, authorized testing center and administrative offices.
It will be a phenomenal springboard for generations of students interested in this field.
“I’m really interested in doing government-based cybersecurity,” said Tristan. “I’d like to work as an information security officer.”
With the instruction, mentorship and certifications from iCSI, Tristan is well on his way.
For more information on iCSI, visit: neisd.net/cyber.
