Meet Our 2025 Cyber Champions
NCCE celebrates the following students who demonstrated exceptional skill in graphic design and digital advocacy:
- Grades K-2 Winner: Wyatt Brennan from the Burlington-Edison School District (Teacher Sponsor: Wendy Atkinson).
- Grades 3-5 Winner: Elijah Hansen from the Lake Stevens School District (Teacher Sponsor: Jessica Anderson).
- Grades 6-8 Winner: Anish Addlapalli from the San Ramon Valley Unified School District (Teacher Sponsor: Neelima Manne).
- Grades 9-12 Winner: Grace Heiner from the Ronan School District (Teacher Sponsor: Cryse Heiner).
“We recognize the need to cultivate secure habits that safeguard our students and strengthen the safety of our schools. This challenge provides a fun and creative way to start the important conversation around cybersecurity for all K-12 grade levels, from kindergarten through 12th grade,” stated Shannon Davenport, NCCE CEO. Numerous entries were submitted this year. “This challenge allowed students to see themselves as leaders in technology rather than just consumers. These students and their teacher sponsors knocked it out of the park!” Davenport exclaimed.
Recognizing Excellence and Innovation
The challenge winners were officially recognized by the NCCE Board of Directors during their January board meeting. To support the continued success of these young experts and their mentors, NCCE provided several prestigious awards:
- Student Scholarship: Each grade level band winner received a $500 scholarship.
- Sponsor Scholarship: Each grade level band winner was awarded a $1,000 scholarship.
- Star Engagement Award: A $500 prize was awarded to Jessica Anderson for the best showcase of their project’s progress through social media during the challenge.
These student-led campaigns will serve as a resource for schools to help protect data and promote safe online habits.
Jessica Anderson, Lake Stevens School District, said, “Participating in the NCCE Cybersecurity Challenge was fun and informative. The idea that ‘whoever does the teaching does the learning’ puts our students in the position of teacher with projects like this, allowing them to gain information they can immediately use every day.”
“My students loved applying design principles to reach an audience. Anyone can make a poster with software, but it is the critical thinking about the use of color, space, and font that really maximizes student learning and helps them promote safety effectively,” stated Anderson.
Grace Heise, Ronan School District, winner of the 9-12 division stated, “It was so much fun participating in this event. I enjoyed applying my knowledge and teaching others about online
security. Being chosen as a winner initially surprised me, but it felt good because I put so much effort into my design!” Grace is highly passionate about cybersecurity and the vast field of technology.
For more information about the 2026 Student Cybersecurity Challenge or upcoming Cybersecurity events, please contact the Northwest Council for Computer Education at ncce@ncce.org.