[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 106 (Tuesday, June 9, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S2805]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                       TRIBUTE TO KARA FOUR BEAR

 Mr. CRAMER. Madam President, I want to congratulate Kara Four 
Bear, the principal at the New Town, ND, Middle School, for being one 
of two educators in the Nation to be presented with the Presidential 
Cybersecurity Education Award.
  The U.S. Department of Education received nominations for 43 
educators from 23 States for this inaugural award. Kara Four Bear's 
selection was based on her passion for developing digital literacy and 
safety skills in her students and then helping them make real-world 
connections with what they learn.
  She has led her school in establishing robust, global, and relevant 
education programs using curriculum provided from the National 
Integrated Education Research Center. This curriculum challenges 
students to put into practical use their lessons in topics such as 
cyber ethics and cyber law. They start this curriculum as sixth graders 
and continue through middle school and high school. Through various 
class projects and State, regional, and national competitions, they 
explore science, technology, engineering, and mathmetics and the 
careers available in these fields.
  This Presidential Cybersecurity Education Award was established on 
May 2, 2019, by President Trump's executive order on America's 
Cybersecurity Workforce. The Department of Education was charged with 
creating this award within 1 year and in consultation with the Deputy 
Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism 
at the National Security Council and the National Science Foundation.
  Because the demand for STEM careers continues to grow in my State, 
our Nation, and around the world, there is a critical need for students 
to excel in these subjects. Because women continue to be 
underrepresented in careers focusing on computer science and 
cybersecurity, the challenge is even greater to encourage girls to 
develop the creative thinking and problem-solving skills needed in 
these careers at an early age.
  The New Town students joined young North Dakota women from Bismarck, 
Fargo, Grand Forks, West Fargo Sheyenne, and Williston schools last 
month in the Girls Go CyberStart competition, sponsored by the SANS 
Institute. North Dakota had the highest nationwide participation per 
capita for the second year in a row, and I commend all who participated 
in this competition.
  Inspirational educators like Kara Four Bear are leading the way to 
increase opportunities for North Dakota students to prepare for careers 
in the field of cybersecurity. I thank her for her passion for cyber 
education and for being an inspiration to what can be done to 
successfully create this level of excellence in schools across the 
Nation.

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