- Columbus City Schools
- Homepage
Fort Hayes Career Center Launches New Network Security Program
June 30, 2022 -- Chrysanthus Ampaah, a senior at Downtown High School, demonstrated his new skills as he took apart his desktop tower. He explained each piece, its function, and how it fits into the computer.
Ampaah is one of about 12 students enrolled in a new yearlong network certification program. Fort Hayes kicked off the program in June.
Ampaah said he first became interested in cybersecurity as a kid, watching computer hacker movies and wanted to expand his knowledge through the program. His classmate, Abdoul Djabbar, a senior at Independence High School, enrolled in the program because he wanted to learn more about cybersecurity and information technology (IT).
“I’m new in the program so I need to catch up,” he said. “I’m interested in network security and I want to get a job in IT.”
Students will test for their first credential, an A+ certification, at Fort Hayes before the program transitions to Downtown High School in the fall, where the program will be housed in the future.
“I taught middle school for 21 years at Columbus City Schools, and I taught educational technology for the last 12 years so I’m a geek by trade,” said Christopher Daniel, college readiness and career-tech coordinator at Fort Hayes Career Center. “I’m excited about it and geeked to see what they can do.”
Students will get hands-on experience, working on programming and also learning how their computers function from the inside out. One of the students’ first tasks was learning how to take apart their computers and piece them back together.
“So far, I’ve learned a lot about hardware, storage devices – we’ve taken the hard drive out of the CPU,” Ampaah said. “I know everything inside the computer and how it works, what types of cables go to what, and it’s only been four days.”
This is the first year the network security program has been offered. Throughout the program, students will test for their A+, Network+, and Security+ certifications.
“These kids can come out successful, not come out struggling like we did when graduating high school,” said Daniel. “You come out with these certifications and you’re able to go out into the job market.”
Mary Zando, a career-technical education teacher at Downtown High School, said students will be well-positioned for good careers right out of high school.
“They can go right into the workforce or go to college and pursue this career,” she said. “This is an in-demand career with all the industry coming to Columbus.”
CompTIA has partnered with Columbus City Schools to deliver the program. Daniel Hughes, faculty with CompTIA, said the big goal of the program is giving students a professional edge as they graduate high school.
“We’re hoping that students will walk out with these certifications and start getting real-world experiences with those qualifications,” he said.
So far, Zando and Hughes said the program has gone well, with many students engaged in the content and asking questions.
“I really wish there was a program like this when I was in high school,” Hughes said. “I would have gotten a head start that would have been phenomenal. One of the reasons I wanted to do this is to provide students with an opportunity that I didn’t have. I want to give them the best possible opportunity.”
For Ampaah, he saw this class as a perfect fit. He had joined the STEM club and worked with robotics during his freshman year but said he didn’t have as much time to focus on his interests in computers until this opportunity.
“I came back, and this all fit into place,” he said. “Not a lot of people get to do what they want so the fact that I get to do that is really cool.”