Cadets train for competition

Eight cadets from around the Mahoning Valley, including Jay Zaitzew of Canfield, have been spending training as the Youngstown ARS Composite Squadron’s first-ever CyberPatriot team.

The CyberPatriot National High School Cyber Defense competition is a nationwide competition between Civil Air Patrol, JROTC, and high school teams consisting of between five and 10 students who compete in a challenge to defend a virtual network against attack.

CyberPatriot began in 2008 and is sponsored by the Air Force Association, Northrup Grumman, Science Applications International Corporation, Institute for Cyber Security, Raytheon and Microsoft to help build interest in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields and build interest in the burgeoning field of cyber security.

Since the Civil Air Patrol is the civilian auxiliary of the Air Force and cyber security is a significant focus, it is a logical extension for Civil Air Patrol squadrons to field teams in this important area of technology.

The team from Youngstown consists of Leo Lindauer (McDonald), Seth Staudacher (McDonald), Anthony Spina (Newton Falls), Jessica Radcliffe (Newton Falls), Zaitzew (Canfield), Andrew Stoneburner (Diamond), Zachary Hogue (Newton Falls), and Spencer Campbell (Warren).

The first round of competition is in late October. Two more competitive rounds will follow locally before the team could compete in the semifinal round in Orlando, Fla., and the final round in Maryland next April.

The Youngstown ARS Composite Squadron meets at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station on Monday evenings. For information about the squadron and membership opportunities, visit www.youngstowncap.org.