By Sarah Jones | Grants Manager
A hush fell over the crowd as she stepped up - she had a feeling that now was her moment to shine. As the lights of L.A. Dodger Stadium filled the room, she cleared her voice and swung, whole-heartedly for the proverbial fence. “My friend got bullied,” Litzully, an eighth-grader at Bethune Middle School in L.A.'s Florence neighborhood, explained as she presented to her family, friends and peers on her Spark Project that builds an online community for LBGT students. But the crowd was not gathered to see the Dodgers take on a cross-town rival, on that Tuesday night in December. Instead, friends, family, peers teachers and school staff from across the Los Angeles community gather for Spark’s Fall 2014 Discovery Night, held at Dodger Stadium in partnership with the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation.
Discovery Night is the capstone event for each Spark apprenticeship cycle in all four of Spark’s regions - LA, Philadelphia, Chicago and the San Francisco Bay. Spark students, mentors, families, teachers, and community members gather to view each student’s work and celebrate their many achievements from their 10-week apprenticeship. Spark LA’s Discovery Night served as the first-ever collective event bringing together all Spark LA school partners, students, mentors, friends, and family for one event celebrating the successes of more than 250 Spark LA students. This Discovery Night was the largest ever with more than 1,000 people in attendance and 261 Spark Projects on display.
During the event, students were thrilled to present their scale models, websites, building designs, and more at such an exciting and iconic venue. Students that completed apprenticeships at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences screened their films in a special screening room while other students discussed their projects with former Dodgers player, Dennis Powell. This event was even feature in the Los Angeles Times. Because of the event's wild success in highlighting the brightness of the Spark program, other Spark regions are assessing the potential to bring this unique experience to students in their regions as well.
Through the support of generous donors like you, Spark will continue to provide students on the bubble the opportunity to dream big, engage in their education and invest in their future success. On behalf of Spark and the nearly 1,000 students we will serve this year, we are truly grateful for your support.
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