From the Head of School: End of 2025 Reflection

Dear friends of Rise Academy,

Since our beginnings in 2003 as Church Hill Activities & Tutoring (CHAT), we’ve continuously evolved to meet the needs of students and families in Richmond’s East End. In the Fall of 2024, our Board of Trustees voted to focus our work on our fully accredited, tuition-free independent school–Rise Academy. While this vote made a slight change to our programmatic structure, our mission to cultivate the God-given potential of students continued to lead us forward.  

At the time of this decision, I was serving as the Interim Executive Director. We faced staffing gaps and financial uncertainty. Yet, our students flourished. Taylor P. received a $25K scholarship from Chick-fil-A to continue her education at The University of Virginia. Devonte A. scored over 1,000 career points as a Guardian and led his team to the VISAA Division IV state finals, even without having a home gym. Read more highlights on page 6.

When I reflect on the 2024–2025 fiscal year, the words “forward motion by faith” come to mind. Isaiah 43:19 reminds us that God is always making a way and doing something new even when we cannot see it. By faith, we continued to move forward and from my now permanent seat as Head of School, I’m filled with optimism. We have a clear direction, we’re fully staffed, and the work to match students’ potential with opportunity continues. We’re grateful to the hundreds of donors, volunteers, and supporters who make this possible. The future is bright.

“When I reflect on the 2024–2025 fiscal year, the words ‘forward motion by faith’ come to mind. Isaiah 43:19 reminds us that God is always making a way and doing something new even when we cannot see it.”

Dr. Brittany Lopes, Head of School