Bridge & Warrior Intellectual Defenses
Twice in high school, every ARISE student stands before a panel of teachers, staff, peers, and family and defends who they are becoming, using a portfolio of their own work as evidence. These defenses are where our Graduate Profile comes to life.
How have I equipped myself with the knowledge, skills, and agency to become a Warrior Intellectual?
Bridge Defense
At the midpoint of high school, students look back on how they have grown since middle school and forward to where they are headed. They show progress in two ARISE Core Values, one strength and one area of growth, and use at least three Rigorous Summative Assessments (RSAs) from STEM, Humanities, and another class, plus an enrichment experience, to show growth in the 5 Cs. They close with their college, career, and pathway plans and how their families are part of them.
Warrior Intellectual Defense
The capstone of an ARISE education. Seniors build a portfolio of six artifacts: their Community Action Research Project, three RSAs (STEM, Humanities, and free choice), work-based learning, and college and career coursework. They use it to show mastery of the 5 Cs, connect their work to the Graduate Profile of knowledge, skills, and agency, and share concrete plans for how they will lead as agents of change in their communities.
The 5 Cs
- Critical Thinking
- Critical Consciousness
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Community Transformation
Core Values
- Respect
- Persevere
- Build
- Lead
Graduate Profile
- Knowledge
- Skills
- Agency to transform self and community
Families in the Room
Every defense ends with a certificate and a crowd of people who helped get them there.
