Congratulations to Bev Facey Community High's Josh Hoffmann, Ryan Jensen, William Jewitt, and Thomas Roskewich, for their excellent standing at the 2016 Cisco Networking Academy NetRiders IT Skills Competition.
The foursome recently competed in the international competition, which included more than five hours of intense examinations and practical assessments. In total, more than 700 elite networking students from both Canada and the United States participated in the NetRiders event. Hoffmann, Jensen, Jewitt, and Roskewich landed in the top two spots in Alberta in their respective categories, IT Essentials and Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician (CCENT) and in the top 10 in Canada.
"Our students performed marvelously and we are so proud of their amazing accomplishments," says Gerald Chung, a teacher at Bev Facey and a certified Cisco Academy instructor. "One of our goals at Bev Facey, is to continually encourage our students to apply the skills they've learned to real-world problems, which is one of the reasons they continue to excel in this area year after year."
In the IT Essentials category, Hoffmann, Grade 10, took the top spot in all of Alberta and Canada and Jewitt, Grade 11, placed second in both Alberta and Canada the highest ranking ever for a Canadian school in the IT Essential category. Meanwhile in the CCENT category Jensen, Grade 12, took the top spot in Alberta and placed fifth overall in Canada and Roskewich, Grade 12, placed second in Alberta and seventh overall in Canada. Across North America, Hoffmann placed sixth overall while the remaining three placed in the top 50 Jensen placed 13th, Jewitt placed 15th, and Roskewich placed 43rd.
"By the students placing as well as they did, it demonstrates they all have the skill sets needed to succeed in the information and communications technology sector," says Chung. "As a result, we're developing a reputation as an IT leader provincially, nationally, and internationally."
Annually, Cisco hosts the NetRiders IT Skills Competition through a series of online exams and simulation activities. Competitions are offered in three categories, all of which are aimed at enhancing student learning and promoting technology education and training. This is the fourth straight year Bev Facey students have landed in the top spots for Alberta and Canada.
