February 20, 2018
Twelve Students Selected From More Than 850 Entries Received From Schools Across New York State
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
The New York State Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) today announced the 12 winners of the New York State Kids Safe Online Poster Contest. The winners were selected from more than 850 entries submitted by 125 schools across New York State. The contest, hosted in conjunction with the Center for Internet Security's (CIS) Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center's (MS-ISAC) national poster contest, was open to New York State students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
The goal of the contest, held annually since 2005, is to engage young people in thinking about cyber security through the creation of posters that depict ways to use the Internet safely and securely. The contest also serves as a tool to encourage teachers across New York State to address cyber security and online safety issues such as cyber bullying and the appropriate use of text messages and social media in the classroom.
"With technology at the fingertips of today's youth, we must increase efforts to educate young people about the importance of cyber safety. The New York State Kids Safe Online Poster Contest is one small way we are helping to raise awareness about the many risks associated with being online," said Robert H. Samson, New York State Chief Information Officer. "We are pleased to once again partner with the MS-ISAC on this important initiative. I congratulate our 2017-18 contest winners, and thank all students who participated from across the State."
"Educating our children about Internet safety allows them to make better decisions when sharing pictures, videos and information online. This contest offers a wonderful opportunity for teachers to address cyber security and online safety issues in the classroom in a fun and informative way. I am continually impressed by the creativity and compelling cyber safety messages depicted in the posters that these students submit," said Deborah Snyder, New York State Chief Information Security Officer.
"Our kids have embraced technology as part of their daily lives, but they also need to recognize the risks associated with using technology. Everyone is a winner in the Kids Safe Online Poster Contest. Each participant, and those who view the winning entries and the calendars, have a better understanding of how to stay safe online. We live in a digital world and need to be especially diligent in safeguarding our information," said Thomas Duffy, Senior Vice President of Operations and Chair, MS-ISAC.
The winners' art work will be featured in the 2019 New York State Kids Safe Online calendar. All New York winning entries are submitted to the National K-12 Kids Safe Online Poster Contest, conducted by the CIS's MS-ISAC.
Congratulations to the 2017-2018 New York State Poster Contest Winners:
Grades K - 2
Austin-Gilbert Sylvain - Midwood Catholic Academy
Lucy Fraher - New York City District 31
Mackenzie Fitzpatrick - Notre Dame Academy
Grades 3 - 5
Meghan Miller - Connetquot School District
Madison Hoerle - Notre Dame Academy
Hailey Nguyen - New York City District 21
Grades 6 - 8
Ava Kornbluth - Wantagh Central School District
Liane Jackson - Newfield Central School District
Mia Brandenstein - West Islip School District
Grades 9 - 12
Sarah Saad - Brooklyn Technical High School
Michelle Millett - Gloversville Central School District
Eleanor Shum - Brooklyn Technical High School
For more information on the New York State Kids Safe Online Poster Contest, or for additional information on how to stay safe online, please visit https://its.ny.gov/cybersecurity.
To view the winning posters, please visit https://its.ny.gov/2017-2018-kids-safe-online-nys-poster-contest.
About ITS
The New York State Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) was created in 2012 to transform IT services in an effort to make New York State government work smarter for its citizens and enable the state to be accessible for businesses through the use of technology. ITS provides statewide IT strategic direction, directs IT policy and delivers centralized IT products and services that support the mission of the State. ITS operates data centers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to support statewide mission-critical applications for over 50 Agencies, over 17 million citizen accounts, 120,000 employee accounts, 60,000 phones, 99,000 desktops and laptops, and 3,433 Virtual Desktop remote connections. ITS operates a secure network of over 1,600 miles of fiber to deliver telecommunications, Internet and Intranet services, enterprise email systems and support, IT training, networking, data storage and processing to State government entities in addition to developing new services in support of citizens, businesses and State Agencies.
For more information, visit https://its.ny.gov and follow us on Twitter @nysits.