This time last year, George Kahnbauer, a teacher at Forbes Road Career & Technology Center, was keeping an eye on three students giving a cybersecurity presentation, needing to clarify or explain something. Whenever I felt like it, I would interrupt.
Last month at Juniper Village in Monroeville, Ms. Kahnbauer was in the audience as third-year students Matthew Goss, Larson Bloom and Aiden Gerhart watched a new group of students give a presentation to fourth-year students. I was sitting in
“The boys did my part, which is just awesome,” Kirnbauer said.
The group delivered cybersecurity presentations, one of many community service options available to Forbes Road students, to groups that are likely to be targeted by scammers, such as seniors, children and PTAs. The presentation earned them third place at the Future Business Leaders of America state competition, and they plan to bring it to the national competition in Orlando at the end of June.
“Not many people from Forbes have made it to the national competition, so everyone is really excited,” said Goss, a Monroeville resident. “For the nationals, we'll be showcasing our projects and how we've used them to help our community.”
The group has set up a GoFundMe to collect donations to help cover travel costs.
“They're seniors in high school, so this is kind of their last big high school performance,” Kahnbauer said.
Group members Larson Blum of North Versailles and Aiden Gerhart of Monroeville also teach digital literacy at the Homestead nonprofit Computer Reach.
“Different nonprofits around Pittsburgh will be sending people to the training sessions,” Kirnbauer said. “One of our students taught a group of guys who had been in prison a long time and computers had passed them by. The skills they learned as part of their community service helped them when they got up to the real classroom. So not only has the community benefited, but the boys are growing up and becoming part of the community.”
Kirnbauer's “Tech Caregivers” community service program is entering its second generation.
“If they pass the certification, they will start going out into the community with us. If they continue to do that, we will give the group members a T-shirt.”
Although Goss will be leaving the program after graduation, he is excited about the program's future.
“Juniper Village's presentations were almost entirely by new teams,” he said. “The national conference will be a great opportunity to showcase not only our resumes, but also the importance of volunteering and cybersecurity.”
To donate to the group's trip, visit GoFundMe.com. Search for “Help PA Students Reach National Competition in Orlando” in the search box.
The Future Business Leaders of America national leadership conference will be held June 29-July 2 in Orlando.
Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He's a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Tribe in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor for the former Dover Post in Delaware. He can be reached at pvarine@triblive.com.
