Chris Starke, an IT and Business teacher at Briar Woods High School, and Jacqueline “JJ” Ragan, a 2024 Briar Woods graduate, were recognized for their commitment to cybersecurity education at the Virginia Cybersecurity Education Conference, held at Virginia Tech University in July. Starke won the 2024 Cybersecurity Educator Award in Secondary Education, and Ragan received the Cyber Signing Day Award for her achievements in cybersecurity.
The Cybersecurity Educator Award highlights the achievements of educators who have significantly contributed to advancing cybersecurity education in Virginia. Starke, entering his 19th year as an LCPS educator, said he first became interested in teaching cybersecurity seven years ago when he learned that LCPS would begin offering cybersecurity courses and immediately volunteered. “I didn’t have an IT or cybersecurity background, but I felt we needed these courses for our students. Cybersecurity is a big part of our world, and there are so many opportunities for our students in the cybersecurity and tech realm.”
From that initial expression of interest, Starke has taught Introduction to Cybersecurity and Cybersecurity Operations. He also sponsored the Briar Woods’ CyberPatriot team and the Briar Woods Cyber Club. Both the CyberPatriot team and the Cyber Club have grown significantly over the years, with the CyberPatriot team advancing to the semifinal round of the CyberPatriot competition, which is a national youth cyber defense competition sponsored by the U.S. Air and Space Force Associations, last school year.
In 2022, Starke acted on his commitment to cybersecurity and, with support from fellow LCPS cybersecurity and IT teachers, helped coordinated Cyberslam. This one-day conference connected students from across the region and national cybersecurity experts and leaders to inform students about opportunities in the cybersecurity field. Held for the past three years, this annual event, which includes hands-on cybersecurity demonstrations, has grown to attract over 500 students.
Starke nominated Ragan for the Cyber Signing Day Award for her achievements in the classroom and extracurricular activities. The Cyber Signing Day Award, similar to signing day recognitions for high school athletes, commends graduating high school students pursuing careers or further education in the cyber field.
“JJ is just a phenomenal student. She showed a great interest in cybersecurity from the first days I met her. She went through the Introduction to Cybersecurity and Cybersecurity Operations courses, and she made significant contributions to the Cyber Club and CyberPatriot team. More impressively, she honed her cybersecurity skills outside of class and did a lot of self-learning, which says a lot about a student’s commitment to the subject,” said Starke.
Ragan is attending George Mason University and plans to major in Information Technology with a concentration in Cybersecurity.