Students present 'Digital Defenders' cybersecurity pilot to Beacon board
June 08, 2026 | BEACON CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT, School Districts, New York
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Desmond McGrath and a team of high‑school students presented the Digital Defenders pilot at the Beacon City School District Board of Education meeting, outlining a student‑led cybersecurity curriculum they said aligns with New York State computer science and digital fluency standards.
The students described the program as one in which high schoolers ‘‘work in teams in coordination with [advisors] to create cybersecurity lessons that are taught throughout the different grade levels,’’ and said the curriculum is scaffolded for elementary, middle and high‑school bands so lessons build on prior knowledge.
Why it matters: presenters said the program addresses real‑world threats. They pointed to a phishing email sent to teachers and students in the district that led to compromised accounts and argued peer‑to‑peer teaching can reduce click‑throughs and improve student resilience online.
What they presented: students explained elementary lessons focus on basic concepts (public vs. private information, simple passwords), middle‑school lessons teach threat recognition and authentication basics, and high‑school lessons cover encryption, ransomware and AI risks such as deepfakes. Students demonstrated an interactive activity asking attendees to distinguish AI‑generated images from real photographs to highlight how hard it can be to spot manipulated content.
Advisor Franis, a computer‑science teacher who advised the teams, added anecdotal context about email hacks and described the Digital Defenders pilot as a low‑cost model because students create and deliver the lessons. He said the district participated after outreach from a regional BOCES and that the pilot began in April; students were later invited to present at regional and state events in July.
Board response and next steps: board members praised the student presentation and suggested the team offer workshops for the broader community, including older adults. Presenters asked for feedback via a QR code and said they plan to expand the pilot within the district next year.
The board moved on to other agenda items after the presentation; no formal action on the program was recorded during the meeting.
The students described the program as one in which high schoolers ‘‘work in teams in coordination with [advisors] to create cybersecurity lessons that are taught throughout the different grade levels,’’ and said the curriculum is scaffolded for elementary, middle and high‑school bands so lessons build on prior knowledge.
Why it matters: presenters said the program addresses real‑world threats. They pointed to a phishing email sent to teachers and students in the district that led to compromised accounts and argued peer‑to‑peer teaching can reduce click‑throughs and improve student resilience online.
What they presented: students explained elementary lessons focus on basic concepts (public vs. private information, simple passwords), middle‑school lessons teach threat recognition and authentication basics, and high‑school lessons cover encryption, ransomware and AI risks such as deepfakes. Students demonstrated an interactive activity asking attendees to distinguish AI‑generated images from real photographs to highlight how hard it can be to spot manipulated content.
Advisor Franis, a computer‑science teacher who advised the teams, added anecdotal context about email hacks and described the Digital Defenders pilot as a low‑cost model because students create and deliver the lessons. He said the district participated after outreach from a regional BOCES and that the pilot began in April; students were later invited to present at regional and state events in July.
Board response and next steps: board members praised the student presentation and suggested the team offer workshops for the broader community, including older adults. Presenters asked for feedback via a QR code and said they plan to expand the pilot within the district next year.
The board moved on to other agenda items after the presentation; no formal action on the program was recorded during the meeting.
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