Dahlonega, GA — November 7, 2025 — Lumpkin County High School has been awarded a $6,000 Computer Science Teacher Credential Grant from the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) to develop an Advanced Cybersecurity instructional unit in collaboration with Dr. Bryson Payne from the University of North Georgia (UNG).
This project builds upon the success of the school’s previous partnership with Georgia Tech’s Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC) through the Rural Computer Science Initiative, which developed a five-day Introductory Cybersecurity unit utilizing Raspberry Pi computers running Kali Linux. That curriculum, created by Jansen Haight of Lumpkin County High School and Dr. Payne, provided hands-on learning experiences in areas such as ethical hacking, password security, and network analysis.
The newly funded Advanced Cybersecurity unit will take students deeper into real-world cybersecurity concepts and emerging technologies. Planned topics include digital forensics, encryption and cryptography, penetration testing, and network defense strategies. The curriculum will emphasize hands-on, ethical exploration of these tools while aligning with national NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework standards.
“This grant allows our students to move beyond introductory exposure and start thinking like real cybersecurity professionals,” said Coach Haight. “We’re giving rural students opportunities to engage with industry-level tools and practices that prepare them for high-demand technology careers.”
Dr. Bryson Payne, Professor of Computer Science and Director of the Institute for Cyber Operations at UNG, added,
“By teaching teachers across the state to help their students explore cybersecurity in depth, and providing them a safe curriculum and ready-to-use tools, we're creating a force multiplier for both national security and workforce development. Graduates with these skills are more in demand than ever, and these are high-paying jobs for the next decade and beyond, right here in Georgia's fast-growing cybersecurity industry.”
The new curriculum is expected to be piloted at Lumpkin County High School in Spring 2026, with plans for broader dissemination across rural Georgia through Georgia Tech’s CEISMC network later that next year.