SPARK PLUG

New Bern Celebrity Writer Nicholas Sparks Ignites a Passion in Youth for Education and Athletics

Over the past decade, Nicholas Sparks’ name has become synonymous with love stories. His novels “The Notebook,” “A Walk to Remember” and “Message in a Bottle,” along with their subsequent film adaptations, have all skyrocketed to fame through the years, proving not only Sparks’ talent but also his staying power. Clearly, Sparks has found success in both the literary world and on the Hollywood big screen.

But those aren’t the only places Sparks has been successful. For every book published and every movie produced, Sparks has been equally as committed to giving back to his community. From education to athletics, and to donations to local charities, Sparks’ generosity mirrors his passion for his home, the Tar Heel State.

For anyone who’s ever read a Nicholas Spark novel, there’s no question of his love of North Carolina. He wrote most of his novels right in New Bern, and all of the settings for his stories are along the Eastern Carolina shore.

Though Sparks was born in Nebraska and lived in California and Minnesota, he considers New Bern his true home, having lived in the area for over 15 years. Building a family has been an important part of Sparks’ life in New Bern. He and his wife Cathy have five kids—Miles, Ryan, Landon, and twins Lexi and Savannah. As the kids grew up, the family looked into local school prospects for their children. They looked for a school that could capture Sparks’ passion for learning, travel and religion. With limited options in such a small town, they decided to build a school themselves.

The Epiphany School opened up in New Bern in 2006 to 95 students from grades 6–10. According to the official website, the school is “a community of faith and scholarship that challenges students to uncover and expand their unique God-given gifts.” Travel as education is an important facet of the Epiphany mission. It is expected that each student will visit over 26 countries by the time they graduate.

Along with stressing the importance of academics, Sparks is also passionate about his first love: track and field. He ran track in his high school years and eventually attended Notre Dame on an athletic scholarship. At Notre Dame, Sparks was part of a record-breaking relay team whose achievements have yet to be beaten. When his son Miles took up the sport, he jumped at the chance to get involved.

“I went out to the local public high school,” he says on his website (www.nicholassparks.com), “where I’d been told they’d installed an all-weather track.” Upon further inspection of the track, he realized the track was nothing more than a simple asphalt road.

“There wasn’t a chance kids could practice on it without getting injured, so my wife and I decided to donate an all-weather tartan track, one that would foster a love of running and appreciation of an active lifestyle.”

The donation began Sparks’ turn as both benefactor and coach of the New Bern High School Track Team. Since his coaching years began, the high school team has won four state championships for indoor and outdoor track, won seven national championships and set three U.S. High School Records. Sparks also has served on the USA Track and Field Foundation Board of Directors.

In addition to his work with education and athletics, Sparks also hopes to pass the torch to a new generation of writers. Through his partnership with the University of Notre Dame, he’s able to provide $1,500,000 in fellowships, internships and scholarships annually for creative writers.

Clearly, New Bern and North Carolina have every right to be just as enamored with Sparks as he is with the comforting beauty of the Crystal Coast. Check out the recent adaptations of Sparks’ best-sellers “The Last Song” and “Dear John” at a movie theater or video store near you and support this NC native!