A ceremony was held on the afternoon of Thursday, February 15th, to mark the signing of an Educational Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC) and the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering (ASCTE).

In attendance at the ceremony were representatives from both SMDC and ASCTE, as well as the ASCTE student body. The program was held on the school’s campus on Wynn Drive.

Aaron Brazelton, Director of Admissions and Advancement at ASCTE, welcomed visitors by explaining what makes the school unique.

“We are the first school in America focused on integrating cyber technology into the engineering life cycle. Behind you are 332 of the most promising students from across the state of Alabama. They have chosen this unique, rigorous, and distinctive academic education that will prepare them, both in theory and in practice, for the challenges of our workforce,” said Brazelton. “In four short years, the students behind you have propelled this academic institution to the top 1% of all U.S. public high schools.”

Brazelton credited Alicia Ryan, who currently serves as the President of the ASCTE Foundation and as the Vice-Chair of the ASCTE Board of Trustees, for her instrumental role in creating the founding vision for the school.

Ryan explained that ASCTE was borne out of a desire to establish a secondary school that would prepare students for careers in technology.

“Five years ago, Mayor Battle asked several of us, in [the cyber industry in] Huntsville, to identify what was needed from the workforce in Alabama, and in the nation, to support our federal government. And what was needed? We determined that you were needed,” Ryan said to the gathered student body. “You should be proud of that.”

Matt Massey, President of ASCTE, and Richard DeFatta, Deputy to Commanding General, SMDC, each delivered remarks before signing the partnership agreement.

Massey explained that providing students with opportunities to gain relevant industry experience, which will be further supported by the partnership with SMDC, has always been a priority for ASCTE.

Massey expressed his appreciation for the “confidence and vision” that DeFatta was placing in the high school students, who are distinctive among their peers for attending a school that has entered into such an agreement.

DeFatta explained the singular nature of the relationship between SMDC and ASCTE.

“We signed a very similar agreement with the University of South Alabama several months ago. We have also signed partnerships with other universities, but this is the first time that we’ve ever had this kind of relationship with a high school,” said DeFatta.

In signing the Memorandum of Understanding, Massey and DeFatta formalized the cooperation between ASCTE and SMDC.

ASCTE students and administrators anticipate that the partnership between the school and SMDC will be formative for students.

“This partnership is going to support our field experience program, which spans the four year life cycle of an ASCTE student,” Aaron Brazelton told the Business Journal. “There will be site visits, speakers coming to the school, and also mentorship opportunities with Space and Missile Defense. We have had four students over the past three years complete internships with SMDC.”

While Kyra Richardson, ASCTE Student Ambassador Co-President, will be starting a pre-med track at Harvard in the fall, she is excited about what this collaboration will mean for the students who follow.

“SMDC signing the Memorandum of Understanding is unlocking a new pathway into governmental agencies and into industry,” Richardson told the Business Journal. “This will allow students to not just see how the cyber and engineering worlds are connected with everything, but to gain hands-on experience as well.”