News, achievements & student stories
A look at what's happening at SPARK : from published authors to test results and writing awards.
Lois Lowry, Newbery winning author, is interviewed by SPARK students
After reading Number the Stars, The Giver, Son, and The Willoughbys, Sparkles and SPARK students got to have a conversation with Lois Lowry about her books and got some valuable writing advice. Read the full article →
Grace Ostermayer is a published author on Amazon
Congratulations to 12-year-old SPARK student, Grace, for publishing her first book "The Nightmare Within" on Amazon. Read the full article →
SPARK Students Score 2-5 Years Above Grade Level on 2025 IOWA Tests of Basic Skills
NPR = National Percentile Rank; GE = Grade Equivalent. Read the full article →
FWAY Winners 2025
Congratulations to SPARK students for having your poems selected to be published in the Florida Writers Association’s 2025 Collection 17, New Directions/New Dimensions. Read the full article →
Nada Pivcevic Teaches Computer Coding Class
SPARK students are learning how to code with Python and Turtle. Read the full article →
Darlene Thiele is Teacher of the Month at Station 96.9 WinkFM
SPARK student, Genevieve Blitch, nominated Ms. Darlene as Teacher of the Month so she was awarded a spa day, professional house cleaning, and $100 in cash! Read the full article →
SPARK Students Score 2-6 Years Above Grade Level on 2024 IOWA Tests of Basic Skills
NPR stands for National Percentile Rank; scores are compared to students across the nation. Read the full article →
SPARK is featured on Water for South Sudan
Each month leading up to IGC 2024, we highlight the educators and schools that have been instrumental in inspiring and motivating their students to support clean water projects in South Sudan. Read the full article →
SPARK Graduate and Intern is on ABC7 News
Lyla Black, SPARK graduate and now intern, talks about her homeschool journey. Read the full article →
Athena Spiska Wins Gold at Royal Palm Literary Awards
Category: Unpublished Poetry Ages 14-17 Read the full article →
SPARK Students Sweep the FWAY Collections Contest!
1st place Alexis, 2nd place Paisley, 3rd place Stella, and Honorable Mention Lyla Read the full article →
Congratulations to Athena for having her poem Carpe Diem selected as a finalist in the RPLA Contest!
Congratulations to Athena for having her poem Carpe Diem selected as a finalist in the RPLA Contest! Read the full article →
Congratulations to SPARK winning authors!
The following students' stories were selected to be published in the Florida Writers Association “Thrills & Chills” Collection Contest book. Read the full article →
Mr. Nolan qualifies for Mensa, the high IQ society
Congratulations to SPARK teacher, Mr. Nolan, for passing the qualifying test to become a Mensa member. Read the full article →
Congratulations Class of 2022 Graduates!
Congratulations Class of 2022 Graduates! Read the full article →
Sibel Edmonds, former FBI translator spoke to SPARK students
Sibel Edmonds spoke to SPARK students about her work as a translator for the FBI after 9/11. Read the full article →
SPARK Students Score 2-6 Years Above Grade Level in Standardized Test
Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) Read the full article →
Ben Carpel is awarded $750 at the Biz Kidz Expo for his Cards for Kidz business!
Ben Carpel is awarded $750 at the Biz Kidz Expo for his Cards for Kidz business! Read the full article →
Paisley & Chapin are the top sellers at Biz Kidz Expo with their art business Flourishing Together
Paisley & Chapin are the top sellers at Biz Kidz Expo with their art business Flourishing Together Read the full article →
Simon Knight, age 11, presents his video editing business at the Biz Kidz Expo.
Simon Knight, age 11, presents his video editing business at the Biz Kidz Expo. Read the full article →
Dr. Ben Carson "Overcoming Obstacles"
I enjoyed meeting Dr. Ben Carson and his wife, Candy, when he spoke about “Overcoming Obstacles” at the RitzCarlton in Naples. Read the full article →
SPARK Students Introduced to Opera
Nancy Buckingham, a classically trained singer, introduced the students to opera as part of our Song Lyrics Unit. Read the full article →
International Math Challenge
Congratulations to Alexis Ollick for receiving a Bronze award in the IMC. Read the full article →
Marley Mejia Wins RPLA Gold
Media Release Read the full article →
Nicole wins the Candace Coghill Award!
Nicole Collett received The Candice Coghill Award, which is given to the Youth Royal Palm Literary Award winner who receives the highest number of points. Read the full article →
SPARK Students' Poems Selected for Publication
Congratulations to SPARK winning authors in the 2021 FWA Collection Contest: Cameron, Ela, Jude, Orian, and Ebelle! Read the full article →
Astronaut Ron Garan Talks With Students at SPARK!
Check out this blog post to read about our virtual event with Astronaut Ron Garan, where students got to interact with him via Zoom, ask questions, and share ideas related to fun STEM concepts! Read the full article →
Student Winners at FWAY 2020 Convention
Congratulations to SPARK students whose poetry was selected to be published in the Florida Writers Association Collection Volume 12: Lincoln, Secelia, Daniel, Arianna, Ebelle, Nicole, Sarah-Catherine, and David! Read the full article →
Sarah-Catherine RPLA Gold Winner!
Congratulations to Sarah-Catherine Jackson, SPARK graduate, for receiving the Gold Award in the Unpublished Short Nonfiction, ages 12-15, category at the Royal Palm Literary Awards on Saturday for her entry, “The Republic by Plato: The Class System and Education in the Ideal City-State.” Read the full article →