Monday night, Union High School held a ribbon cutting to officially mark the completion of the new SparkLab, an innovative learning space that allows students to embrace their creativity and explore potential career pathways.
At the ribbon cutting, SCS Board of Education members got a close look at the lab to see the potential that it can bring to the school. Though the ribbon cutting was just Monday night, many of Union High’s students, and a few others, have already been putting the lab to good use. Several projects have already been started by the students, including a functioning video game controller made from household objects like tin foil for the buttons, which relays signals back to the video game. Similarly, a makeshift guitar was also hooked up to a computer and when the strings were plucked, it would make a sound from the computer, almost like an amplifier.
“The lab provides students with access to hands-on learning in seven high-demand fields including artificial intelligence, computer systems engineering, cybersecurity, data analytics, game development and design, and software development,” reads a press release from SCS. “Through SparkLab’s flexible, student-driven learning model, participants can collaborate on real-world projects, connect with industry experts, and build professional portfolios that support their post-secondary and career goals.”
At the ribbon cutting, SCS Superintendent Dr. Jamie King spoke highly of the lab, labeling it as a huge step forward for students.
“This is an innovative way for us to teach classes to students in high school for students to earn credits in different ways where students are the designers of their own pathway,” said King. “As we think about the future of education and for Sampson County Schools, SparkLab is something that we really focused on to really make sure that our students have access to those high-tech, high-career jobs and Sparklab is a place where they can have that.”
King’s statements were echoed by those of John Goode. As director of career and technical education at Sampson County Schools, Goode was instrumental in getting the lab established at Sampson County Schools.
“This is a fantastic opportunity and a way for us to provide students with an opening into the world that they are entering, not the world that we grew up in,” he said. “We have to prepare them for jobs that we don’t even know exist right now. Spark is an excellent way of doing that and opening excellent opportunities.”
The lab also connects Union High School with SparkLabs across North Carolina, allowing students to engage in a statewide network of peers, teachers and industry professionals. While the new SparkLab is housed at Union High School, its resources will be available to all high school students across Sampson County Schools through virtual and hybrid access. In addition to Union High students participating in the lab, two students from Hobbton High and one from Lakewood High Schools are also in participation.
“Hopefully within the next year or so, we can extend it out to other schools,” said Union High teacher and lab supervisor Ashley Knowles.
The lab at Union marks the first lab in the SCS system though other labs could be put in place dependent on the current success.
“As Superintendent, you hear of these things and you put out some feelers and say ‘Ok who’s interested?’ and not everyone’s the first one to raise their hand,” said King. “Lots of people want to wait and see how it goes. Union High saw the need, they saw we weren’t meeting every student where they were at and so SparkLab creates a way where we can meet every student where they are at.”