White Plains High School students cash in on cyber skills with strong finish

A group of White Plains High School students turned digital defense into a real-world reward Wednesday morning, earning a $300 prize and second-place honors in a cybersecurity competition hosted by the College of Westchester.

The six-student team — freshmen Eleanor Ingram, Craig Arscott, Siddhart Kappettu, Jayden Chen and David Soh and senior Caeli Cruz — was recognized during a brief ceremony in the College and Career Center.

Joining the presentation were Matt Curtis, VP for Enrollment Management at the college; Michelle Brown, the college’s Assistant Director of High School and Community Partnerships; Principal Emerly Martinez; Assistant Principal Sara Hall; Rocco Varuolo, the district’s Instructional Technology Coordinator; White Plains Youth Bureau Executive Director Frank Williams Jr.; and computer science teacher Llesh Miraj.

Mr. Martinez praised the students’ effort and the broader growth of technology education in the district.

“This is really about you — the work that you guys did this past winter,” he said. “You stood out, and that speaks to the work that’s being done in growing our IT programs, which are so needed.”

He pointed to expanding opportunities in the field, including a new AP cybersecurity course and future Career and Technical Education programs tied to an upcoming school addition.

Mr. Curtis said that what made the team’s performance particularly impressive was its relative youth.

“They were really the youngest team there,” he said, noting that most competitors from other schools were juniors and seniors in more advanced programs. “But you guys held your own and did really well.”

The competition, held four months earlier, challenged students to complete a series of cybersecurity tasks under time pressure, simulating real-world scenarios such as protecting networks from intrusions. Teams also competed in a Jeopardy-style round that tested their knowledge of cybersecurity terminology.

Ninth-grader Eleanor Ingram said the event offered a valuable glimpse into the field.

“The tasks kind of imitated what someone who worked in cybersecurity would have to do,” she said. “Based on how quickly and how well we did, we got points.”

Preparation included reviewing cybersecurity concepts in the weeks leading up to the event, even for students not yet formally enrolled in cybersecurity courses.

“I think it’s really cool,” Eleanor added. “I’m glad that the school was able to get some money for this stuff.”

For Caeli, who has been involved in the program for about a year, the experience reinforced both the challenge and the excitement of the work.

“We were one of the first to complete the hardest task,” she said. “It feels great.”

Mr. Varuolo, who helped organize the team in partnership with the Youth Bureau and the college, said the competition emphasized both technical skill and teamwork.

Students worked through staged scenarios, including defending simulated networks against attacks, before tackling the fast-paced quiz round. The White Plains team excelled in the hands-on defense portion, he said, holding its own against more experienced programs.

“You can’t be in a cybersecurity team without collaboration,” Mr. Varuolo said. “They did extremely well, especially for ninth-graders.”

The second-place finish marks a strong debut for the program, with plans already in place to expand offerings and return to the competition next year.

“We’re excited to come back,” Mr. Curtis said. “We hope to see White Plains High School compete again in the fall.”