A $7 million blue diamond is missing – stolen from an auction warehouse. Police have a suspect, but no diamond. They only have the suspect’s backpack with a USB drive. So, the police turn to you. You’re a member of a digital forensics team.

Actually, you’re a student at Windsor Central High School, but when you take the Project Lead the Way Cybersecurity course, this is the exact scenario you and your classmates need to solve.  

“Kids will have a problem, then they’re going to ID the problem, create report on how to find the problem, how to fix the problem, then brief students and me on how they found it and fixed it. They act as if we hired them as an outside cybersecurity firm,” said WCHS cybersecurity teacher Kevin Smith.

The four units of the course are personal security, system security, network security, and applied cybersecurity. Students use a digital textbook that has self-assessments, a glossary, highlighting, and its own notebook which automatically saves student progress. Digital labs allow students to resolve or simulate cyber attacks.

“The pace is pretty quick, things build in complexity. The kids who take really good notes can say, ‘ok here’s what I did in a previous lab,’” said Smith.

Their work throughout the school year leads students to learn about cryptography, digital forensics, criminal justice, and more computer science in order to solve the simulated diamond heist in the fourth quarter of the school year.

“It’s a very good class to take. It’s a competitive field. I was talking to my brother about this who’s in the field and he said he wished he had this opportunity in high school like I do,” said WCHS junior Nicholas Pisano. “There are things you take out of this course you can’t get anywhere else.”

According to the Bureau for Labor Statistics, jobs for information security analysts will grow by 33% from 2020 to 2030. This rate is four times faster than the average employment growth rate of all occupations nationwide.

“Cybersecurity is a quality addition to the computer science pathway. It allows students to apply their coding experience in a real-world context. More importantly, it gives students insights into one of the fastest growing career opportunities,” said Windsor CSD Assistant Superintendent for Instruction, Scott Beattie.

The course has value for tech-driven students, and just the digital consumer.

“I’m not a computer guy but it’s nice to have and know how to do it. But it’s definitely difficult. Even for a not-a-computer-person type, you get it eventually,” said student Ryan Sansom.

“I’m learning general cybersecurity tips that will help me in everyday life, and specific tips that will help me with future employer,” said Pisano.