AUGUST 7   |   9-3pm

RISE Together is a collaborative one-day conference designed to equip and encourage Christian educators and parents through inspiring keynote sessions, practical breakout workshops, and meaningful fellowship.

Whether you serve in a Christian school, public education, homeschool, ministry, or as a parent partner, you’ll gain practical tools, fresh ideas, and renewed purpose for the year ahead.

Featured Keynote Speaker
Aidan McDowell
Founder & CEO, UniqLearn

Raised in Orange County, Aidan McDowell is the Founder and CEO of UniqLearn, an organization helping educators create learning experiences that foster curiosity, purpose, and student engagement. His innovative approach equips teachers to see every learner as uniquely designed to thrive.

BREAKOUT 1 SESSIONS 10 AM

Biblical Worldview Shaping
Speaker: Richard Terhune (BJU Press)
Discover what it truly means to teach from a biblical worldview and why it’s essential in today’s educational climate.

DESIGNED FOR EDUCATORS

Early Childhood Social-Emotional Learning & Development
Speaker: Julie Martin, M.S.Ed. (Olive Branch Christian School)
This presentation examines the impact of relationships, emotional regulation, and supportive environments on young children's growth while providing practical strategies for educators and caregivers.

DESIGNED FOR PARENTS & EDUCATORS

Transformational Education
Speaker: Jennifer Araiza, PhD (Olive Branch Christian School)
Come discover what traditional education often forgets to teach. Backed by original research, this session uncovers the overlooked practices that are essential for guiding transformational growth and shaping who children are becoming. Discover practical strategies for fostering habit formation, cultivating wisdom, pursuing mastery, and educating the whole child.

DESIGNED FOR PARENTS & EDUCATORS

Courage Conversations
Speaker: 
Jordyn Mckenzie (Zoi)
Young people are growing up in a world where messages about identity, relationships, sexuality, pornography, and communication are shaping them every day. This interactive breakout session equips parents and educators to confidently address two critical topics affecting today's youth: pornography and healthy communication.

DESIGNED FOR PARENTS

BREAKOUT 2 SESSIONS 11 AM

Unlocking Purpose | Aidan McDowell (UniqLearn)
Students don't engage deeply when they don't feel seen, and meaningful interests don't develop by accident. Explore two research-based frameworks that help educators understand the whole learner and cultivate lasting curiosity. Discover practical strategies for designing classroom experiences that spark engagement, foster purpose, and encourage sustained, self-driven learning.

DESIGNED FOR PARENTS & EDUCATORS

Courage Conversations | Jordyn Mckenzie (Zoi)
Young people are growing up in a world where messages about identity, relationships, sexuality, pornography, and communication are shaping them every day. This interactive breakout session equips parents and educators to confidently address two critical topics affecting today's youth: pornography and healthy communication.

DESIGNED FOR EDUCATORS

One-to-One Classrooms Inspire Creative Problem Solvers | Michael Scott PhD (Trustee, Riverside County Board of Education)
Dr. Scott's classroom methods result in stellar test scores by engaging higher levels of thinking. See proven research that helped create the top scoring academic school in SoCal.

DESIGNED FOR EDUCATORS

PLAYING WITH NUMBERS: A Socratic Approach to Revealing the Beauty and Order in Mathematics | Colette Campbell (Olive Branch Christian School)
This workshop will model the use of discovery to guide students to think more deeply about the mechanics of math. By implementing Socratic, interactive methods in conjunction with direct instruction, mathematics becomes more easily accessible to all learners. After taking part in a lesson, attendees will be encouraged to develop their own short math warmup using the techniques modeled.

DESIGNED FOR EDUCATORS

Integrating Art | Julie Martin, M.S.Ed. (Olive Branch Christian School)
Art is often considered an optional addition to learning, but it can fit into many lessons. Come unlock how to integrate art into your classroom to enhance learning in other subjects and promote creativity. Participants will leave with ideas, resources, and examples of cross-curricular lessons.

DESIGNED FOR EDUCATORS

BREAKOUT 3 SESSIONS 1 PM

Unlocking Purpose | Aidan McDowell (UniqLearn)
Students don't engage deeply when they don't feel seen, and meaningful interests don't develop by accident. Explore two research-based frameworks that help educators understand the whole learner and cultivate lasting curiosity. Discover practical strategies for designing classroom experiences that spark engagement, foster purpose, and encourage sustained, self-driven learning.

DESIGNED FOR PARENTS & EDUCATORS

Early Childhood Social-Emotional Learning & Development | Julie Martin, M.S.Ed. (Olive Branch Christian School)
Learn about the principles of art and elements of design in this hands-on session. Participants will leave with a basic understanding of the building blocks of art, explore watercolor techniques and resources to integrate art at home or in the classroom.

DESIGNED FOR PARENTS & EDUCATORS

Wisdom from Experience | Veteran Teacher Panel
Newer to teaching? Join a panel of veteran educators as they share classroom must-dos, proven best practices, and lessons learned through years of experience. Bring your questions and get practical, real-world advice tailored to your classroom and teaching journey.

DESIGNED FOR EDUCATORS

More than Good Kids, Raising Disciples at Home | Channyn Marasco (OBCC Director of Children’s Ministry)
Every parent wants to raise a "good kid," but as followers of Christ, our greatest desire is to see our children become devoted followers of Jesus. The most impressionable years of a child's life provide incredible opportunities to shape their character, nurture their faith, and point them toward God's truth. Join us as we discuss parenting through a Christian worldview and explore practical, biblical principles for building strong relationships with our children and creating a home environment where faith can flourish. Learn how your everyday influence can have an eternal impact on the hearts and lives of your children.

DESIGNED FOR PARENTS

The Truth About Failure | Joseph Lopez (Olive Branch Christian School)
As parents and educators, our natural instinct is to protect our students from the pain of failure. But by eliminating the struggle, we actually starve them of the necessary conditions required to build genuine godly character and academic excellence. It's time to let failure do its Job. In a hands-on, interactive workshop we will intentionally put ourselves in a position to fail, analyze the data of our mistakes, and reframe how we view setbacks.

DESIGNED FOR PARENTS & EDUCATORS

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6