Monty Tech CyberPatriot Team Wins 2nd Place Award in Massachusetts

FITCHBURG – A team of students from Montachusett Regional Vocational technical School in Fitchburg, MA recently concluded an exceptional round of competition in the twelfth season of CyberPatriot – the Air Force Association’s National Youth Cyber Defense Competition.

Established by AFA in 2009, CyberPatriot is designed to educate and motivate students toward careers in cybersecurity and other science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines critical to our nation’s future.

CyberPatriot’s core program – the National Youth Cyber Defense Competition – challenges teams of students across the United States, Canada, and other schools abroad, to find and resolve cybersecurity vulnerabilities in simulated environments. Top teams from the online rounds earn an all-expenses-paid trip to Rockville, Md., for the in-person National Finals Competition, where students compete for national recognition and scholarships.

From 6,760 teams registered for the competition season, the CyberPatriot field is divided into three divisions – the Open Division for public, private, and home school teams; the All Service Division for JROTC, Civil Air Patrol, and Naval Sea Cadet Corps teams; and the Middle School Division for middle school-aged students. Based on the results of two preliminary rounds, CyberPatriot XII high school teams were categorized within their divisions as Platinum, Gold, or Silver Tier teams, with Platinum Tier teams representing the highest scoring teams.

Led by Coach Richard Duncan, the team of students from Monty Tech excelled in the CyberPatriot XII State Round held in December, demonstrating teamwork, critical thinking, and technical skills needed for a successful career in cybersecurity. The team’s performance earned it Massachusetts’ 2nd Place Award in the Platinum Tier and a spot in the Semifinal Round held this week. Team members Kyle Boudreau (Gardner), Riley Conrad (Gardner), Christopher Ovalle (Fitchburg), Robert Ovalle (Fitchburg), Damian Sutton (Templeton), and Joseph Taubert (Sterling) placed 2nd, missing the gold by only 1.2 points.

“I’m particularly proud of this team for coming together and performing so well at this level. The team is comprised of students from a variety of programs here at Monty Tech, and in different grade levels, as well. Their ability to work together as a team and problem solve is outstanding,” remarked Coach Richard Duncan.

Following the Semifinal Round, top teams in the Open and All Service Divisions’ Platinum Tier and the top three Middle School Division teams will advance to the CyberPatriot XII National Finals Competition in Rockville, Md., in March.

More information is available at www.uscyberpatriot.org or from the CyberPatriot staff at info@uscyberpatriot.org.

"Basketball was healing me and I didn’t even know I needed healing."
Sizer Senior seeks to inspire others to believe in themselves

When Sizer School senior and Ashby native Sebastian Rodriguez sat down to plan his Senior Project, he knew he wanted it to go beyond the basic. Sebastian Rodriguez is making HIS story, the product he presents to the world – in the hopes of changing it.

“Initially it was going to be a physical product. I’ve been a camp counselor for [over] four years and thought I could organize a ‘sports day’ and run through activities. Then I stopped and thought to myself, ‘I want to try something I haven’t done. I want to make myself uncomfortable because that’s when you learn best in my opinion,” said the 19-year-old varsity basketball captain.

A meeting with his senior advisor gave him the idea he needed.

“I had a meeting with Mrs. [Pam] Sweeney and she said to me, ‘you have a story, share it’ and that opened my eyes. The answer was in front of me the whole time. I did have a story and wanted to share it – just didn’t know how.”

Before attending Sizer School and before moving to Ashby, Sebastian lived in the Boston area with his family. In his speech, Sebastian recounts growing up in Lynn, a boy in love with basketball.

He also talks about the day his family became homeless.

“We slept on the living room floor, practically forced our mom to sleep on the couch. My baby brother slept in his car seat. That hurts to see,” he says. “One night I woke up and looked around the room and I cried. I missed having a bed. I missed not waking up stiff from sleeping on the hard wood. I said to myself, I’m going to change all of this.”

At the time, he tried out for the basketball team where he lived.

“I was the kid who didn’t see a purpose to school. I used to always question, what was school gonna do for me?” Sebastian shares in his speech. “At my age kids were going down the wrong path and I was too. Skipping school, being angry all the time being mad because the world was somehow at fault.”

But instead of continuing down that path, Sebastian made his life about basketball instead.

“In my speech I talk about what basketball really means to me. It was more than just a sport or a game, it was a way of life, an anchor, a way out, and a distraction from what was going on in my life, especially all the negativity I was around. Basketball was healing me and I didn’t even know I needed healing,” he said.

Sitting down to write his story, Sebastian said he struggled to find the right words.

“It was difficult limiting what to share …. Yes it was a personal story, maybe even a tear jerker, but I did not want people to start feeling sorry for me. I just wanted them to understand why I am the way I am,” said Sebastian.

With help from his Senior Advisors, Sebastian not only wrote a moving speech, he created a YouTube video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDfpIV6PTJ8&feature=youtu.be in order to present it to the whole world.

“I want the audience to take away that everyone has a story. It’s not about how hard yours is, it’s not about how tough life gets – it’s all about how you fight back, it’s all about how you push life right back,” he says. “I hope my message is clear and that I inspire others to share their story. I’d love to be a part of a trend to change the world, even if it’s one life: that’s still one more life changed than before. I just want to make a difference, no matter how big or small.”

Senior Project is a graduation requirement of Sizer School. It is an opportunity for a student to independently explore a topic of their choosing. Senior Projects demonstrate a personalized learning experience and are designed as a “spring board” into life beyond Sizer, allowing students to move beyond the limiting, often stifling world of high school.

Going forward, Sebastian hopes to take his story on the road.

“I would love to keep sharing my story or help be an advocate for someone else to share theirs or even both. … I love the idea of going out to elementary schools or even middle schools and sharing my story with the youth,” he says.

Check out Sebastian’s video on YouTube. Or look for it on www.sizerschool.org – search Sebastian’s Story.

Sizer School, a North Central Charter Essential School, is a free public charter school located in Fitchburg serving students in grades seven through twelve from 25 local towns and cities. At Sizer School students are known personally, challenged intellectually, and participate actively in their learning. Guided by its commitment to diversity and inclusiveness, the school seeks to send graduates into the world who THINK for themselves, CARE about others, and ACT creatively and responsibly. To find out more, visit www.sizerschool.org.

Sizer School Senior and Ashby native Sebastian Rodriguez is captain of the varsity basketball team.

Basketball helped Sebastian overcome many obstacles throughout his life and now he wants to share that story with others.

Sebastian and his mother sharing a few laughs from the sidelines.