High School Students Get Voice & Choice in their Learning with New RISE Periods
When classes resume at South Park High School for the 2025-2026 school year, students will have the ability to personalize their learning like never before. This year, South Park High School is introducing RISE periods in the middle of each school day. RISE stands for reach, inspire, support, and engage. Students will have ownership in developing up to one hour of their daily schedules, selecting from sessions that will support and enrich their classroom learning, provide extra time for homework and projects, and develop their interests.
Starting the second week of school on Tuesday, September 2, South Park High School students will log in to FlexTime each day by 9:30 a.m. and browse that day’s RISE period offerings. Sessions will include study halls, enrichment sessions with classroom teachers, interest and community group meetings and activities, and expanded course offerings and tutoring. Students will be responsible for scheduling one hour of RISE period offerings, plus one 30-minute lunch period. Since RISE period offerings will change daily, students may have a different lunch period day-to-day. Students who attend Steel Center for Career and Technical Education will select a 30-minute session for RISE Period A and will be assigned to Lunch B. Students who do not make selections by 9:30 a.m. each day will automatically be assigned a lunch and to the RISE Reset Room. Students who frequently fail to schedule RISE periods and lunches will meet with school administrators.
South Park High School Principal Justin Dellarose believes the new RISE periods will meet the needs of every learner based on their academic needs, interests, and goals. Students who need help in specific subjects can receive tutoring and academic support. Students looking for extra challenges can participate in enrichment opportunities. Students can learn valuable life skills through social and emotional learning experiences.
“By moving many of our current and new club and group meetings to the middle of the school day instead of before or after school, we’re removing a barrier that kept some students from fully participating – transportation,” Mr. Dellarose explained. “Now if there is a club that a student is passionate about, that student doesn’t need to worry about arranging a ride home after the club meeting in the late afternoon.”
Mr. Dellarose also said RISE will also give students broader exposure to everything the high school offers.
“A student may want to explore areas like art or photography but didn’t have room in their schedule for a semester or full-year course,” Dellarose said. “Now, they can join the RISE periods led by the teachers of those courses to gain experience in those areas of interest.”
RISE could also serve as a pilot for future courses at the high school as administrators monitor levels of student participation.
During RISE periods, high school counselors and faculty will also meet with cohorts of students in small-group settings. For example, incoming ninth grade students will meet with counselors at the beginning of the year to learn study and organization skills and successfully transition into high school. Later this year, counselors will meet with upperclassmen to review the Common App for applying to colleges and universities.
All high school students will have plenty of time to learn about RISE periods and the scheduling process as they will meet with their homeroom teachers during RISE periods from August 26-29.
The addition of RISE periods does not reduce the total number of instructional hours at the high school. Study halls that students previously were enrolled in throughout the entire school day will now only be held during the three 30-minute RISE periods.