On December 2nd, the Moody Family YMCA celebrated the opening of the Rise School’s Ronen Rosenberg Playground! The playground was a gift from Barry and Shelly Rosenberg in honor of their son, Ronen, a student at Rise. On hand were the Rise School families for the official ribbon cutting and inaugural play date along with YMCA staff and volunteers.   The new playground is just another tool to help teach the children small and gross motor skills along with the skills to play on a playground as they transition into their next school environment.

In August of 2106,  the Rise School of Dallas formally merged with the YMCA and relocated to the new Moody Family YMCA in the Park Cities.  The YMCA Rise School of Dallas provides the highest quality of early childhood education services to children with Down Syndrome and other developmental disabilities side by side with children without disabilities in an inclusive classroom setting with master's level educators and on-staff speech, occupational, physical, and music therapists.  Since 1998, the Rise School of Dallas has continuously touched the lives of children who otherwise might not have received this type of specialized education. Originally established at the University of Alabama, there are several Rise Schools throughout the country including many in Texas including Houston, Austin, and Dallas.