HONOLULU - Three Maui schools and organizations will be participating next school year in the Hawaii Air Force Association's CyberPatriot program, a national cyberdefense competition.
Kihei Charter High and Maui High schools will be competing in the open division and Civil Air Patrol Kihei Composite Squadron in the CAP division.
Thirty high school teams have joined the program in Hawaii, led by the AFA Chapter 138, which includes Hawaii and Guam. This is the second year of the competition.
CyberPatriot is a national cyberdefense competition created by the AFA to inspire high school students toward careers in cybersecurity and other science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines critical to national defense and security.
A CyberPatriot team consists of two to five students and as many as five alternates. Competitors must be at least 13 years old and enrolled in grades 9 to 12.
Practice rounds are held online in August, September and October, with competition rounds in October, November, December and January. Semifinals will be held in February in Orlando, Fla., with the finals in the Washington, D.C., area in March.
More teams may be accepted, with registration to close Oct. 8. Adult coaches and mentors are required to form teams. For more information, email cyberpatriot@afahawaii.org.
The AFA is a nonprofit, civilian education organization promoting public understanding of aerospace power and the role it plays in the security of the nation.
