Holland Middle School Wins National FBI-SOS Internet Challenge Award
| FBI Philadelphia March 10, 2014 |
BUCKS COUNTY, PA—Holland Middle School has been presented with the FBI-Safe Online Surfing Internet Challenge’s national award for December 2013. Under the guidance of computer technology teacher Heather Gershman, HMS students posted the best cumulative score in the country in the Stingray category (schools with 51-100 participants).
FBI Supervisory Senior Resident Agent Joseph Bushner and Community Outreach Specialist Tanya Jeter visited Holland Middle School today to congratulate the students and give them their trophy. The school is located at 400 East Holland Road in Holland, Pennsylvania.
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—in the classroom or at home.
The website features six grade-specific “islands.” Each island includes seven or eight learning portals for students to visit. Using games, videos, and interactive features, these areas address the protection of personal information, password strength, cell phone safety, social networking, and online gaming safety, among other topics. The videos include real-life stories of kids who have faced cyberbullies and online predators.
After students have completed all activities on their island, they are given an exam. 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 of all ages—and even adults—can explore the site, play the games, watch the videos, and learn about cyber safety. However, the exam used for competing 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 & Exploited Children, with input from teachers and schools. FBI-SOS is available at sos.fbi.gov; visit the website for more information or contact the FBI Philadelphia Division’s Community Outreach Unit at (215) 418-4000.