The Delaware Department of Education has announced the recipients of four state merit scholarship programs for the 2018-19 academic year. Merit scholarships are competitive and awarded based on a student’s academic performance, participation in school activities and service to the community. Students may apply for Delaware merit scholarships in their senior year of high school. All four awards are renewable. Three of the programs are memorial scholarships that honor state legislators and provide full tuition, fees, room, board, and books at the public colleges in Delaware. Those scholarships are:

• The B. Bradford Barnes Memorial Scholarship, in honor of the former Speaker of the State House of Representatives, is awarded to one student each year enrolling full-time at the University of Delaware. Dana Wilkins, a graduate of Newark Charter School, is the recipient of the B. Bradford Barnes Memorial Scholarship. Wilkins will major in biomedical engineering.

• The Herman M. Holloway, Sr. Memorial Scholarship, in honor of the first African-American State Senator in Delaware, is awarded to one student each year enrolling full-time at Delaware State University. Carissa Thorne, a graduate of Caesar Rodney High School in the Caesar Rodney School District received the Herman M. Holloway, Sr. Memorial Scholarship. Thorne will major in kinesiology.

• The Charles L. Hebner Memorial Scholarship, in honor of the former Speaker of the State House of Representatives, is awarded annually to one full-time student at the University of Delaware and one full-time student at Delaware State University who are majoring in the humanities or social sciences. (Preference is given to political science majors.) Caroline Klinger of private Padua Academy, is the recipient of the Charles L. Hebner Memorial Scholarship at University of Delaware. She will major in political science. Malia Brittingham, a homeschool graduate, is the recipient at Delaware State University. She will major in history.

• The Diamond State Scholarship assists full-time students attending regionally accredited, nonprofit colleges in any state. Winners of the Diamond State Scholarship receive $1,250 per year. For the 2018-19 academic year, 35 students were awarded Diamond State Scholarships. They are listed below by high school:

Media Contact: Alison May, alison.may@doe.k12.de.us, 302-735-4006

Online cybersecurity training offers scholarship opportunities for Delaware high school juniors and seniors, and college students

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney announced on Friday a new, innovative cybersecurity training partnership between the SANS Institute and the State of Delaware that provides Delaware high school juniors and seniors at least 16 years old, and college students interested in a cybersecurity career, the opportunity to learn basic cybersecurity skills and test their aptitude through a no-cost online game of discovery called CyberStart.

“Delaware’s future is an innovation economy where technology takes center stage, and our state needs a pipeline of talented cybersecurity professionals,” said Governor John Carney. “I am excited that Delaware is able to partner with an organization like the SANS Institute to engage our state’s high school and college students, and encourage them to explore the field of cybersecurity.”

An introductory practice version of CyberStart will be available online from July 14-28, 2017. Participants who complete five of the eight practice modules will be invited to compete in the full-scale program that will run from August 1-28, 2017. The practice round is mandatory for those who would like to compete.

Participants do not need prior cybersecurity knowledge. Students from Delaware who excel in the CyberStart game will have the opportunity to share in $150,000 in scholarships for further cyber-education, and ultimately for $500,000 in scholarships for college and graduate-level training in preparation for highly sought-after industry certifications.

Delaware students will be competing with students from Virginia, Michigan, Rhode Island, Iowa, Nevada, and Hawaii for scholarships sponsored by the SANS Institute.

“I applaud the SANS Institute for working to ensure the cyber workforce of tomorrow is available to protect our information and systems. The CyberStart program is an excellent and fun opportunity for students who think they may be interested in cybersecurity to determine if they have the passion and aptitude to pursue it as a career,” said Delaware Chief Information Officer James Collins. “I hope young people all across Delaware take advantage of this great opportunity.”

Each player in CyberStart begins as a “cyber protection agent” responsible for protecting an important operational base.  The student chooses and solves challenges, earning points along the way. A cyber protection agent field manual provides answers to questions that may arise and hints help when players get stuck. When the player has solved a sufficient number challenges at one level, a new level opens up and new challenges appear – for a total of 31 levels.

When asked why SANS is making this investment, SANS Director of Research, Alan Paller, said “Because the nation desperately needs more highly-skilled cyber professionals, and we have new evidence that CyberStart will radically improve the quality and preparation of people entering the cybersecurity field.  SANS trains more than 30,000 advanced cybersecurity professionals each year for military and intelligence organizations and for large high-tech companies in the U.S. and its allies. We discovered that those who have mastered the topics taught and measured in the CyberStart program do far better than others in the advanced cybersecurity courses that prepare the critically needed people. By opening CyberStart to hundreds of thousands of students we may be able to help the nation identify the next generation of talented people who will excel in this critical field.”

For more information and to get started playing CyberStart, please visit DigiKnow.DTI.Delaware.gov.

DOVER – Students from around the state will meet Thursday, April 27 at the University of Delaware’s Webb Farm in Newark to compete in the 22nd annual Delaware Envirothon – sponsored by the Delaware Association of Conservation Districts (DACD). This year, 120 students representing nine high schools and one 4-H Club will compete for more than $5,000 in college scholarships and cash awards.

“We are excited to host the event since the farm is a perfect complement for the 2017 special environmental topic, Agricultural Soil and Water Conservation Stewardship,” said Webb Farm Manager Larry Armstrong.

The Envirothon is a team-based outdoor academic competition which challenges high school students’ knowledge and practical application of aquatic ecology, forestry, soils/land use, wildlife, air quality, special environmental topics and public speaking. The teams come from the following high schools: A.I. DuPont High School, Archmere Academy, Delaware Military Academy, Charter School of Wilmington, Middletown High School, MOT Charter School, Peach Blossom 4-H Club, Polytech High School, Smyrna High School and Sussex Tech High School. During the school year, DACD held Saturday workshops to provide in-depth training.

Sponsored by the Delaware Association of Conservation Districts (DACD), the Envirothon offers students monetary awards for higher education and commendable effort. Twenty-three teams, consisting of five students each, will compete for one of the top four spots, which offer students more than $3,000 in college scholarships and special team awards combined. In addition, cash awards totaling approximately $2,200 are given to the top seven teams.

The goal of the Delaware Envirothon is to prepare students to be future leaders in environmentally-related careers, and provide knowledge about our environment. The competition provides experience in real world situations, which fosters sound decision making, problem solving and critical thinking skills. Teams will be tested at outdoor eco-stations located throughout designated areas of the event site.

The DACD is a voluntary, non-profit association that coordinates conservation efforts statewide to focus on natural resource issues identified by Delaware’s three local districts. For more information on the Delaware Envirothon and the North American Envirothon, please contact state Envirothon chair Rick Mickowski at 302-832-3100 ext. 8979 or 302-602-2664, or visit www.delawareenvirothon.org.

Media contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 47, No. 86

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DOVER – The Delaware Diabetes Coalition in collaboration with the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) is currently accepting scholarship applications for the 2017-2018 school year, from high school seniors who have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. The scholarship program, established in 2008, provides much-needed financial assistance to youth living with this chronic disease.

“Living with diabetes isn’t always easy for teenagers or their family,” said DPH Director Dr. Karyl Rattay. “Between keeping their diabetes under control, managing schoolwork and after-school activities, recreational play, stress and all the other daily life issues a teenager must cope with, it can be challenging. Additionally, families often face ongoing medical expenses related to their conditions. This scholarship program is an important tool to help alleviate the financial burden facing families and assist these young people in furthering their dreams.”

Eligible applicants must be residents of Delaware, currently enrolled as high school seniors, have diabetes, a GPA of 2.5 or higher, and plan to pursue education in an accredited higher education program. The student is required to write a 500-word essay entitled: “How Diabetes Has Impacted My Life Choices.” Two letters of support from non-family members are also required.

Two $1,000 scholarships are awarded annually. The scholarship is payable to the institution the student will be attending. For application criteria, procedures and the application form, visit www.dediabetescoalition.org. Awardees are required to attend the Delaware Diabetes Wellness Expo, which will be held at Dover Downs Hotel and Conference Center on Tuesday, November 14, 2017, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The 2016 scholarship recipients, Mary Lemma of Clayton and Clinton Rumley of Milford, say they are grateful for the scholarships.

“With the help of the coalition, I was propelled one step further so I can achieve my goal of becoming a health care professional, and to work towards a cure of Juvenile Diabetes”, said Mr. Rumley, Lake Forest High School graduate attending Delaware Technical and Community College. “This scholarship helped me with the costs of college and reminded me to be thankful, even for my type 1 diabetes,” said Miss Lemma, a Smyrna High School graduate attending the University of Delaware.

The deadline for applications with all required backup documentation is May 1, 2017. Notification of awards will be made no later than June 15, 2017. Submit all documents by email to: info@dediabetescoalition.org or call 302-388-9728 with any questions.

A person who is deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind or speech-disabled can call the DPH phone number above by using TTY services. Dial 7-1-1 or 800-232-5460 to type your conversation to a relay operator, who reads your conversation to a hearing person at DPH. The relay operator types the hearing person’s spoken words back to the TTY user. To learn more about TTY availability in Delaware, visit http://delawarerelay.com.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware’s citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations. DPH, a division of DHSS, urges Delawareans to make healthier choices with the 5-2-1 Almost None campaign: eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables each day, have no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time each day (includes TV, computer, gaming), get 1 or more hours of physical activity each day, and drink almost no sugary beverages.