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New Hanover board praises RISE program and places expansion request on endowment priority list
Summary
Teachers from New Hanover High School’s RISE program presented data showing academic gains and reduced suspensions; the board voted unanimously to prioritize an endowment funding request to expand the program and its mentorship model districtwide.
Taylor Henderson, a science and math teacher in the RISE program at New Hanover High School, and colleague Denise Evan Kazen told the school board that RISE (Relationships Inspire Student Empowerment) has grown from a small pilot to an alternative, in-school program serving about 60 ninth through 12th graders and producing measurable gains.
Henderson said the program began as a limited pilot and now offers six core classes, six EC labs and hospital/homebound services. Presenting year-over-year outcomes, Henderson said, “Math I proficiency rose from 36 to 87%,” English proficiency grew from 46 to 75%, and suspensions dropped from 153 to 78 days. She added that roughly 86% of RISE students remained at New Hanover High School rather than transferring or dropping out.
Those performance figures drove board support. Board member Josie Barnhart moved that the district include an endowment ask this year specifically aimed at expanding RISE and supporting mentorship to help other schools replicate the model. The motion passed unanimously, with the chair announcing the vote as 7–0.
Board members praised the program in discussion. Dr. Tim Merrick said the RISE team brought “the best ideas” and urged the district to create room for educators to implement such initiatives. Other members pressed staff for pilot-year timing and data details; Henderson confirmed the district considers 2021–22 the pilot year (with a pre-pilot during COVID).
The board’s action places RISE expansion among the district’s funding priorities and directs staff to include the request among endowment outreach efforts this cycle. No formal budget appropriation was made at the meeting; the motion requests the endowment ask be prioritized for future fundraising and partnership outreach.
