Meade High School

Antoinette Pigatt from the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services spoke with

Homeland Security students in order to raise awareness of the presence of street gangs

in Maryland. Street gangs are defined as three or more people organized for criminal

activities. A gang identifies itself through hand signs, colors, and symbols.

New gang recruits generally range in age from 12 to 24 years old, so many students

could personally relate the topic to their own lives. Ms. Pigatt provided a review of

the presence of gang influence in popular culture including music and fashion. She

connected with students by pointing out references to street gangs in the music they

listen to regularly.

Volume 5, Issue 3

March/April 2013

Street Gangs in Maryland

U P C O M I N G E V E N T S

Homeland Security Signature Program

April 29 - IT Job Shadow

Day at NIST

April 30 – Tara Oursler,

Chief of Staff for Rep. Dutch

Ruppersburger will speak

with HLS students

May 3 - HLS II field trip to

New York City

June 7 - The 2nd Homeland

Security cohort graduates!

Homeland Security Staff

John Yore, Principal

Sean White, Asst. Principal

Harli Ramos, Teacher

Brian Rooney, Lead Teacher

Jim Hopper, Signature

Program Facilitator

Please direct comments or

questions to Brian Rooney

(brooney@aacps.org) or Jim

Hopper

(jhopper@aacps.org).

History of the National Security Agency Although the NSA is down the road from Meade High, many

students have never come any closer to the agency than MHS.

That changed when thirty HLS students visited the NSA's

Cryptologic Museum. Museum staff gave students a tour,

describing the history and technology behind cryptology.

Some students were able to work with a World War II era

Enigma machine which was used by Germany to encrypt and

decrypt messages. Following the tour, NSA professionals

spoke with students about NSA's mission and what is required

if a person wants to get a security clearance.

Biometrics and Cybersecurity at the U.S. Naval Academy

Students worked with an Enigma machine.

U.S. Naval Academy professor Dr. Angie Moran

hosted thirty students from the Homeland Security

Program on April 11. Students were given

valuable, hands-on lessons on cybersecurity and

the use of biometrics in security by professors

Dane Brown, Chris Brown, Currie Wooten,

Thomas Murphy,William Stanton, and Ryan

Rakvic.. The first lesson demonstrated how

insecure login information can be stolen and the

security protocols that should be followed by

website developers. Students participated in

activities that showed how their identities could be easily stolen and how IP

addresses could be spoofed. A visit to the biometrics lab topped off the visit. The lab

studies how the use of a person’s physical or behavioral attributes can be used for

identification. Students played paddle ball with their irises and used facial

recognition technology to identify the gender, age, and demeanor of a person.

Students play biometric paddle ball

using only their eyes.

Current and former Homeland Security students presented the program to Meade Middle School

8th graders in March.

Amongst the many missions of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is to provide assistance when natural disasters

or other emergencies occur. The Baltimore District's area of responsibility includes the District of Columbia,

Maryland, and portions of New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, and Delaware. The Corps of

Engineers assists state and local governments when the disaster exceeds

state and local capabilities.

Representatives from the Baltimore District spoke with students

about the roles they played in responding to Hurricanes Sandy and

Katrina, and 9/11. Brittany Bangert, Jay Hershey, Duane Alston

Mitch Burns, and Mike Vaccaro, members of the U.S. Army Corps

of Engineers Baltimore Division, provided Homeland Security, GIS,

and Civil Engineering students with an overview of the organization’s

roles in emergency response to disasters.

Meade High School Homeland Security Signature Program Page 2

Advocating for Victims of Human Trafficking Katie Wallis and Danielle Lohan from the Maryland Rescue and

Restore Coalition are advocates for victims of human trafficking

and they travel Maryland to raise awareness. Ms. Wallis and Ms.

Lohan brought their cause to Homeland Security classes in March.

The United Nations defines human trafficking as the act of

recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving a

person through a use of force, coercion or other means, for the

purpose of exploiting them. Ms. Wallis and Ms. Lohan focused

their presentation on the Baltimore region which is a hub for

trafficking because of its proximity to BWI, I-95, and the Port of Baltimore.

Several students were surprised that human trafficking occurs in this area and were engaged in lively

discussion. One student stated that one lesson she learned from the presentation is that “human trafficking is

local.” Another stated, “I can’t believe that it happens in Jessup“, after she learned of problems at the Jessup

truck stop. Students walked away with a clearer understanding of human trafficking, some promising to educate

their friends.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers & Emergency Response

Maryland State Police Training Facility Twenty Homeland Security students visited the Maryland State Police Public Education and Training

Facility in Sykesville on April 16. Students began the day participating in an emergency management

tabletop simulation and then a tour of the facility. Following the tour, students engaged in a team-building

activity led by Rick Harding. Teamwork was applied to a simulated raid of a house and participants were

expected to apprehend three suspects. Many students finished the day by completing the training facility

obstacle course.

Edith Guardado-Martinelli (center) leads the group through a team-building exercise.

Students work together to respond to an

emergency during a tabletop simulation.

Michael Barteck works hard to

successfully complete the obstacle course.