LITTLE ROCK, AR—Today, LISA Academy West Elementary in Little Rock, Arkansas, was presented with the FBI Safe Online Surfing (FBI-SOS) Internet Challenge’s national award. Under the guidance of computer teacher Vickie Carroll, LISA Academy students scored a composite score of 95.33 percent to win the March 2022 award in the Starfish category. For the month of March 2022, a record-breaking 173,011 students from 2,086 schools across all 50 states and fpur U.S. territories participated in the FBI-SOS Internet Challenge.

“The impressive accomplishment achieved by the students and teachers at LISA Academy West Elementary reflects highly upon Little Rock and the entire state of Arkansas,” said FBI Little Rock Special Agent in Charge James A. Dawson. “We hope Arkansas students and teachers continue to educate themselves through our SOS program about online safety.”

“Educating students about staying safe online is extremely important to us at LISA Academy West Elementary,” said Vickie Carroll. “Our students completed several online courses on Internet safety to educate themselves and prepare for the FBI-SOS competition. They were thrilled to learn they placed first in the competition and were even more excited about meeting real-life FBI agents!”

FBI-SOS is a free initiative designed to educate third through eighth-grade students about cyber safety. All public, private, and home schools are eligible to participate in this entertaining and educational web-based program which can be accessed year-round. The website features six grade-specific “islands” for students to visit. Each island includes games, videos, and interactive features which address the protection of personal information, password strength, cell phone safety, social networking, and online gaming safety. The videos also include real-life stories of kids who have encountered cyberbullies and online predators.

Each month of the academic year, schools compete for the national award in one of three categories determined by the number of students participating from each school: Starfish (5-50 participants); Stingray (51-100); and Shark (100+). Kids and adults of all ages can explore the site, play the games, watch the videos, and learn about cyber safety. However, the competitive exam can only be taken by third to eighth-grade students whose classes have been registered by their teachers.

The FBI-SOS Internet Challenge was developed with the assistance of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children with input from teachers and schools throughout America. Visit the FBI-SOS website at sos.fbi.gov for more information or contact the FBI Little Rock Office Community Outreach Specialist at (501) 221-9100.