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SparkBytes | August 2026
- SparkNC
- 17 hours ago
- 3 min read
Our SparkLab Leaders have opened the doors to their labs and are ready to welcome their scholars back for another year of learning, creating, and exploring. They’re excited for a new school year filled with fresh ideas, new possibilities, and endless opportunities to SPARK what’s next. With nearly 50 labs in 30 districts across North Carolina, we cannot wait to ignite futures in tech with thousands of learners this year!
A SparkNC First
Lennox French is making SparkNC history. A scholar at Lexington Senior High School, Lennox will be the first student to create a learning experience for the statewide SparkNC platform. His Creating Digital Spaces in VR unit plan was approved by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and is expected to launch in 2027. Through the unit, learners will design virtual spaces in Unity, experience them in VR, and share their creations with peers across the SparkNC network.
This is exactly what we hope to see through SparkNC: students moving from being consumers of tech to creators of it. Lennox took an idea from his SparkLab and turned it into an opportunity that could impact Spark Scholars across North Carolina.
We’re excited to support Lennox and SparkLab Leader Garland Beamer as they bring this student-created learning experience to life. See the segment on Spectrum News about Lennox below.
Teamship Pitches at nCino
Six teams of Spark Scholars participated in a summer Teamship experience in New Hanover County. Spark Teamship is a team-based internship where students in SparkNC create and they pitch solutions to real challenges faced by real businesses. After weeks of research, collaboration, and mentorship, students presented their solutions to nCino leaders's challenges and put their problem-solving skills to the test.
A special shoutout goes to SparkLab Leaders Sara Toothman and Davonal Williams, who served as Teamship Coaches and supported and prepared students throughout the experience, helping learners build confidence, collaborate, and turn their ideas into compelling pitches.
Three teams walked away with top honors:
1st Place: Jack, Ethan & Andrew (Communities in Schools team)
2nd Place: Quin, Jaden, Clyde & Archie (SEA-Tech team)
3rd Place: Elena, Nick & Peyton (SEA-Tech team)
The winning teams received cash prizes, letters from the nCino CEO, two units of SparkNC credit, and nCino swag. But the biggest takeaway went beyond the prizes: students gained firsthand experience working alongside professionals, presenting their ideas, answering tough questions, and seeing themselves as capable contributors in high-tech careers.
It was a powerful example of what happens when students are given authentic challenges, supported by great educators, and invited into the room with industry professionals.
A Summer of Creating, Coding, and Confidence
Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools hosted an engaging summer camp for 30 learners through their SparkLab. Learners entered camp curious and unsure what to expect. They left as confident game developers. Every camper, from the youngest eight-year-old to the oldest teen, built an original video game. In three weeks, they designed characters, wrote game logic, created pixel art and composed original music for their games.
Outside of development time, they participated in daily activities to keep the energy high, including trivia and gaming competitions, game genre debates, and a Game Trailer Pitch Contest where teams pitched their games like movie trailers. Every activity was tied to experience points that campers and teams earned throughout the camp and tracked on a leaderboard.
To make connections to what a future in tech and game development can look like, campers engaged with guest speakers throughout the program, real people working in the industry. They asked lots of questions about their career paths, daily routines, and what it really takes to break into the industry.
On the final day, families, community members, and district staff came into the Spark Lab and played every single team's game. Then the teams stood up, with their slides and their index cards, and presented their work in front of a live audience. Six presentations. Thirty learners. Every one of them spoke confidently about their work.
Written By Dr. Patricia Hilliard, Senior Director of District Leadership
Introducing Industry Immersion Day 2026
New for the 2026–27 school year, SparkNC is excited to launch Industry Immersion Days — a brand-new experience connecting learners to real industry partners. This is a chance for learners to step outside the classroom and experience, firsthand, what tech roles look and feel like across industries. It's a fresh, exciting new opportunity for learners across the network and we'll share stories of these events in future SparkBytes.
