Rise and Shine Program

Rise and Shine Starting the Day with Student Choice Proves Successful

At East End Community School in Portland, 75- student gets to participate in some way. Students 80% of the students receive free or reduced make their own choices for their activities and lunch, student mobility is about 50%—there then participate in a different one each day of the are almost 150 new students that leave at the week for a total of 12 weeks, then new activities end of the year, with that same amount of new are chosen. kids coming in the following school year. In the middle of November, seven new students The concept seems simple enough—let started their first days. The challenges in building students choose what they want to do at the relationships and getting students to continue to very beginning of the school day and they’ll be come to school are great. The solutions though more successful throughout the day. For Dean for this diverse school are built into the way it of Students and Rise and Shine Coordinator, Dan educates—the learning model at East End is Nogar, the program allows the school to swing based on relationships that start at the very away from a deficit model and what students beginning of the school day. need help with at the very start of the day and “I like starting my day with jump rope, soccer student. drills, and basketball. It starts my day in a good instead focuses on the idea of success for each way. It also gives me energy,” Ali wrote about “No matter what happens in their school day, his experience with the school’s Rise and Shine I can go up to them and ask them about Rise program. and Shine and we find success. Rise and Shine was never intended to be about intervention, Rise and Shine offers students as many as 85 but the days that there is basketball or piano or choices, from finger knitting to sock monkeys to kickball—the students get here because those basketball to STEM and poetry, students choose are their choices and they don’t want to miss how to start their day. The schedule is built it. We had some of the best attendance in the into the beginning of each school day, so every district last year,” said Nogar.

75-80%

of the students receive free or reduced lunch

150

new students that leave at the end of the year, with that same amount coming in the following school year

85

activities that Rise and Shine offers

PICTURES

1. Students can take beading, and make their own jewelry. 2. Bodies moving allows kids to be active. 3 & 5. Creating a maker space gives time for STEM activities. 4. Drums and other instruments are always offered.

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The program, in its 8th year, has become so successful it was even recognized by the ACLU as something that is closing opportunity gaps among students, saying in its October 2017 report, We Belong Here: Eliminating Inequity in Education for Immigrants and Students of Color in Maine, that Rise and Shine is an example of how “student empowerment in general can serve to improve equity, and of how a school identified a structural obstacle to student success and worked not only to remove that obstacle but to transform it into an asset.”

Nogar admits the success wasn’t instant. There were bumps and the growth now in offerings is due to the continued outreach to the community. Many of the activities offered are led by local community groups or businesses who volunteer their time to share their talents with the students.

“I was at the local farmer’s market and I saw a woman making balloon animals, and I thought what a great Rise and Shine that would make. There is so much hand-eye coordination and thinking ahead required with making balloon animals, and the kids don’t even know they’re learning,” said Nogar.

While there are offerings led by those outside in the community, the majority of programs are offered by the educators in the building who all share their talents, and for those who don’t lead a session, they’re helping with one or they’re spending time with a student one-on-one to help build relationships.

“Kids like coming to school,” added Nogar. And that’s a statement hard to beat.

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HOW TO START YOUR OWN RISE AND SHINE PROGRAM

Nogar admits it’s not easy at first, but start small and grow from there!

1. Dedicate 45 minutes of your morning to student chosen activities.

2. Ask your staff what special skill sets they have—things like cooking, knitting, sports, etc.

3. Start small, choose one grade, one day of the week, e.g. fifth grade every Monday will participate in an activity of their choosing.

4. Break offerings up into categories: Rise and Shine uses: Fine and Performing Arts, Health and Wellness, Citizenship, Literacy, STEM and Language.

5. Reach out to community groups and retirees to see what they may be willing to share/teach.

6. Don’t think it has to cost money, rely on the skills of those who are already working.

7. Make the commitmentletting students choose how to start their day is a powerful way to let them become engaged in their learning.

8. Make it your own, and have fun!