Students from Wando High and Several CCSD Middle Schools Participate in Palmetto Cyber Defense Competition

Students from Wando High and Several CCSD Middle Schools Participate in Palmetto Cyber Defense Competition

The Palmetto Cyber Defense Competition (PCDC) is staged each spring by volunteers from SPAWAR in collaboration with the South Carolina Lowcountry Chapter of the Armed Forces Communications Electronics Association (AFCEA).

The goal of the event, started in 2013, is to energize middle and high schools, colleges, and their students to focus on the development of technical skills in the area of networking and cyber security that will help in preparations for exciting careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

This year’s PCDC event was held April 8th at Trident Technical College.

  • Eight teams of six members each operate a live network and protect it from real hackers with the help of a SPAWAR mentor
  • Mentors work with students in the areas of networking, risk mitigation and operating systems
  • Creates awareness of the Information Assurance/Cyber Security profession
  • Fosters teamwork and opportunities for leadership and crisis management
  • Creates an opportunity for SPAWAR Systems Center Atlantic and its Corporate Partners to see South Carolina’s finest STEM students in action

“Students from Wando’s Cyber Defense Team 1 truly enjoyed the event”, reported team adviser and cyber security teacher Rae Ellen Greenberg.

Eric Holmi won 1st place in the high school PCDC-CTF individual high school competition!  The following Wando HS students competed in thePCDC Team and PCDC-CTF Individual (Computer Forensics) competition:

WHS PCDC Team
  • Noah Wright
  • Matthew Pitts
  • Hunter Ross
  • Morrison Baldwin
  • Alex Emory
  • Taylor Horst
WHS CTF Competitors
  • Justice Davis
  • Eric Holmi
And, this year’s event also included middle school students for the first time. Middle school students got a chance to see the event up close, meet professionals from supporting organizations, and participate in their own interactive activities.

Check out these pictures of our participating middle school students in action from the following schools:

  • Cario Middle School
  • CE Williams Middle School
  • Military Magnet Academy
  • Buist Academy
  • Laing Middle School

Thanks to all the volunteers that made this event possible again this year, especially SPAWAR volunteerss and AFCEA members, and to Trident Technical College for hosting! Thanks to ECPI University for supporting the teachers that chaperoned this event the Saturday before spring break! Read more about the event here on the PDCD website and in the excellent Charleston Regional Business Journal article.

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