10 May 2023 Shawnee Mission teams shine in cybersecurity competition

Fourteen Shawnee Mission students participated in the inaugural Heartland Cybersecurity competition hosted by EnterpriseKC and sponsored by local cyber industry partners.  The competition was held at the new IDEA Space KC. Thirteen teams from the metro area competed for cash prizes and the title of champion.

After three and a half hours of battling through the gamified competition where players solve information security-related challenges to earn points, there were two SMHackIT! teams at the top of the leader board. The final hour of competition saw both teams swapping positions for first and second as they battled to the end.

When time ended, SMHackIT! Team-1 members, Owen Laippel, Hudson Rupp, and Abdulaziz Ali, had solved the most challenges earning the most points and placed first, winning a $300 cash prize and the championship. SMHackIT! Team-2 members, Griffin King, Luke Kounkel, and Charlie Moren, were right behind them and placed second, winning $225 and second place.

Other participating students included Hudson Boldt, Owen McGlynn, Wolfgang Sell, Efren Torres, Noah Kochan, Sam Wilson, Luna Burgess, and Lester Vasquez Molina. These students attend the Center of Academic Achievement and represent all five of the Shawnee Mission School District high schools. Their Project Lead The Way Cybersecurity instructor is Jessica Tickle.

A special thanks to the Sponsors – SOFTwarfare, Choice Solutions, RAVENii, BARR Advisory, Digital Data Solutions Plus, Cyber.org, and Tick Tock Escape Rooms.

—Contributed by Jessica Tickle, Shawnee Mission School District