What We Do
Our Mission
The RISE Institute is a rapid prototyping lab for education, innovation, and helping students find and solve real, interesting problems in our community and around the world.
“RISE helps build resilience in students, giving them the freedom to engage in work that truly makes a difference in the community. Our goal is to raise up a generation of students who are engaged problem solvers who get the job done.”
— Jennifer Canady, RISE Institute Director
What We’ve Achieved
2021 Mock Trial Florida State Champions
2019 &2020 Mock Trial Florida State Runner-up
Started an Urban Farm in Lakeland, FL
Started 2 FLL Robotics Teams, bringing robotics opportunities to rural Gilchrist County, Florida for the very first time
Made switch-adapted toys for children with motor disorders
Brought community engineers for brainstorming sessions
Sent finalists to the International Science and Engineering Fair in 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, and 2021
Participant in 2019 Empire World Mock Trial Competition
Winner of prestigious 2019 Gladiator Mock Trial Competition in California
Built over 1,000 Face Shields for health care providers, first responders, and the community during the Covid-19 crisis using 3D printers
Enrichment Learning Model
RISE programming of all kinds is based around an enrichment triad learning model that is used in gifted education and can be applied much more broadly for project-based education.
Inspiration.
Enrichment activities include exposure to experiences that stimulate student interest using exciting media, talks by subject-area experts, and compelling scenarios for discussion.
Training.
By providing and structuring unique learning opportunities, RISE can facilitate a long-term project with an audacious goal. RISE helps connect students to the knowledge and resources to make their work effective in support of student aspiration.
Application.
Students are given the support to plan, to problem-solve, and to enact their long-term objective as a project using design thinking strategies. . In the process, they gain self-confidence and begin to reflect an emotional maturity that will serve them as a valuable life asset.