Dine Out for RISE Prep Academy at Davanni’s on Nov. 13
A new educational program for Black boys is coming to the Twin Cities, and supporting it is as easy as ordering dinner. On Friday, Nov. 13, from 4 to 8 p.m., Davanni’s in Brooklyn Center will donate 20% of sales to RISE Prep Academy to support student engagement and community outreach ahead of its launch. The nontraditional middle school program will welcome 25 sixth graders in fall 2027, focusing on individualized learning, mentorship, culturally responsive instruction and social-emotional development. RISE Prep shares a mission with Let Them Rise: A Blueprint for Educating Black Boys, a series that began in the MSR. Monthly updates begin in January 2027.
A new educational program for Black boys is coming to the Twin Cities, and there is an easy way to support it next week: Show up hungry.
On Friday, Nov. 13, Davanni’s in Brooklyn Center will donate 20% of sales from 4 to 8 p.m. to RISE Prep Academy, a nontraditional middle school program for young men set to open in fall 2027. The funds will support the academy’s student engagement and community outreach initiatives ahead of its launch.
Bring your family. Bring your friends. Grab dinner and help build something.
Event Details
- Date: Friday, Nov. 13, 2026
- Time: 4 to 8 p.m.
- Location: Davanni’s, Brooklyn Center
- Benefit: 20% of sales support RISE Prep Academy
About RISE Prep Academy
RISE Prep Academy is preparing to welcome its inaugural class of 25 sixth-grade students in fall 2027. The program is designed as an alternative pathway for young men to pursue academic excellence, leadership development and enrichment opportunities that traditional school settings often do not provide.
The approach centers on individualized learning, mentorship, culturally responsive instruction and social-emotional development.
Learn more at RISEPrepMN.org.
Connected to Let Them Rise
RISE Prep Academy shares a mission with Let Them Rise: A Blueprint for Educating Black Boys, a series that began in the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder and has since grown into a set of community conversations about the education and experiences of Black boys.
On Oct. 8, Let Them Rise hosted a community conversation titled “The Effects That Suspensions Has on Black Boys,” bringing together educators, families and community members to examine the academic, social and emotional impacts of suspension and to explore alternatives that support student growth, accountability and belonging.
The full series of articles is available at spokesman-recorder.com/author/richard-d-terrell/.
Though Let Them Rise and RISE Prep Academy currently operate separately, both are built around the same commitment: improving educational opportunities and outcomes for Black boys.
What’s Next
Beginning in January 2027, supporters can sign up to receive monthly updates directly from RISE Prep Academy covering both initiatives, upcoming events, community conversations, school developments and ways to get involved.
As the organizers put it, this work cannot be done alone. It takes a village.