Spring Cohorts Launch
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The Skills for the Future Pilot moved into the Spring Semester with 57 Cohort 1 Educators continuing in the pilot for their second semester of durable skill implementation. An additional 70 educators joined Cohort 2. The Pilot expanded to include 1 new district and charter school - Kannapolis City Schools and NEAAAT (Northeast Academy for Aerospace and Advanced Technologies) along with educators from the 4 original districts - Caldwell County Schools, Iredell-Statesville Schools, Mooresville Graded School District, and Edgecombe County Public Schools.
The first Action Period launched March 2 with over 5000 students rostered for the Spring Semester.
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This innovative group of educators is leading the way supporting students' durable skill development. Educators were asked what they hoped for their students as part of this process. One educator said they hoped students learned,
"Confidence and ability to collaborate with others
in a successful manner in any aspect of life."
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Stanton Fields
Spark NC Director of
College and Career Navigation
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Marquita Faison-Burrus
Edgecombe County Public Schools
Spark NC Lab Leader
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These Cohort 1 educators partnered together for their Cybersecurity & Leadership Integration Capstone project.
Marquita and Stanton gave an overview of their project at the end of the semester.
"This capstone project brought together high-tech learners from SparkNC and JROTC cadets in grades 9–12 to engage in a collaborative, interdisciplinary exploration of cybersecurity. Designed to merge technical skill development with leadership and real-world application, the project emphasized the North Carolina Portrait of a Graduate competencies, ensuring students gained both technical proficiency and future-ready soft skills.
Over the course of eight weeks, students participated in a structured cybersecurity curriculum that included foundational concepts, hands-on activities, scenario-based challenges, and applied problem-solving experiences. The project culminated in a collaborative final product demonstrating students’ understanding of cybersecurity principles and their ability to apply them to authentic, modern digital environments."
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Students worked collaboratively with JROTC cadets for a final presentation that "...highlighted students’ mastery of core cybersecurity skills while showcasing leadership, collaboration, and communication competencies."
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Natalie Mackey
Caldwell County Schools
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Cohort 1 educator Natalie Mackey from Caldwell County Schools is a high school EC Comprehensive Skills Teacher supporting students with unique learning needs.
As part of Cohort 1, she began designing projects that helped her students gain valuable durable skills by tailoring projects to meet their specific needs and abilities.
Students organized, designed, and implemented every component of a Thanksgiving Meal and invited other students and educators for a holiday celebration. This powerful event helped students learn skills including collaboration along with some hands on job training.
Durable Skill Development meets the needs of all learners and
can be a powerful way to build community.
Check out her project here.
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328 Key Stakeholders have participated in Community Partnership Events including the Futures CoLab experience led by AASA and the quarterly Community Partnership Networking Event.
These opportunities allow for parents/caregivers, student leaders, community and business partners, and educators to discuss the importance of durable skill development to support students.
At a recent event, one participant representing the Chamber of Commerce, shared his enthusiasm for the work done so far by Cohort 1 educators to develop and implement real world experiences that prepare students for the workforce.
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Join our next conversation on March 26 from 5:30 - 6:30 at our Virtual statewide Community Partnership Networking Event. Register Here.
 In Partnership With:
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