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SparkBytes | October 2025
- SparkNC
- Oct 29
- 3 min read
SparkLab Ribbon Cutting
Boys & Girls Club in Southeastern North Carolina
SparkNC celebrated the grand opening of its newest SparkLab at the Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern North Carolina, made possible through generous funding from Live Oak Bank. This is the first non-school based SparkLab, in partnership with New Hanover County that will provide students with opportunities to engage in hands-on learning experiences that connect their interests to high-tech careers. The SparkLab is designed to inspire curiosity, creativity, and collaboration while building real-world skills. During the ribbon-cutting, community leaders and the Boys & Girls Club emphasized the importance of these programs in fostering student success across diverse fields. SparkNC is proud to expand its reach—empowering young innovators to imagine, create, and lead.
Student Ambassador Launch
SparkNC launched our Ambassador Program for the year, bringing together a dynamic group of Spark Scholars from across North Carolina to serve as leaders and voices for innovation in their communities. Student Ambassadors will represent SparkNC at events, help guide new scholars, and share the impact of hands-on, high-tech learning opportunities. Spark Ambassadors will work throughout the school year to co-design the ambassador program experience with various stakeholders in each of their SparkLabs.
Through leadership training, collaboration, and storytelling, these ambassadors will help inspire peers to explore emerging career pathways and develop future-ready skills. The program highlights SparkNC’s commitment to empowering students to take ownership of their learning journey and lead the way in shaping the future of education and technology in North Carolina.
Live with Spark:
Interdistrict Network Goes Live
SparkNC’s Live with Spark brings SparkNC staff and industry professionals directly into SparkLabs to motivate and support students as they navigate challenges or complete learning experiences. Each session allows Spark Scholars to engage in real-time conversations, ask questions, and gain insights from professionals in emerging career fields.
At the same time, SparkLab Leaders actively engage with the content, learning how the technology works, practicing facilitation, and developing strategies to guide hands-on activities. By connecting students and Lab Leaders with experts on-site, Live with Spark fosters curiosity, perseverance, and confidence—helping students overcome roadblocks while providing leaders with valuable professional development and technical experience.
SparkNC Featured in Statewide and National Media
SparkNC's innovative approach to learning has been highlighted in national and statewide media recently. These pieces below showcase enabling conditions to build learner-centered ecosystems and promote learning that breaks out of traditional structures while building learners' tech and durable skills and professional networks.
See:
Innovating Inside the Box with Dr. Lynn Moody | SparkNC and the Future of Learning The Innovator's Mindset Podcast with George Couros
Seeds of Possibility | Connecting Policy to Practice Across Learning Ecosystems by Education Reimagined and Remake Learning
Igniting Tomorrow's Workforce in The Connector podcast
SparkNC Releases Impact Reports
SparkNC launched our district Impact Reports that feature the growth of Spark Scholars and SparkNC implementation in the 24-25 school year. SparkNC leadership met with district leadership and SparkLab leaders to inform their efforts and planning in the year ahead.
Centered on SparkNC's four Signals of Success, the reports focus on program reach and quality. Highlights include: Spark Scholars reported a strong sense of belonging within SparkNC (4.03/5) and a growing sense of belonging in tech fields. Of learners who reported having no or little interest in a tech career before SparkNC, nearly two thirds (62%) reported an increased interest afterwards. Learners also report increased confidence in their ability to make informed career decisions and reported notable growth in all durable success skills from North Carolina's Portrait of a Graduate.
Half of our scholars reported possessing a market value asset—such as an e-portfolio, teamship experience, or industry certification—that will differentiate them on college and job applications. In the year ahead, we will continue to build industry partnerships, share resources, and design experiences that help us grow that number until every learner who does SparkNC leaves with a market value asset, a sense of belonging and the skills and insights they need to successfully navigate the post-secondary paths of their choice.
