A MULTIGENERATIONAL STEM HUB BUILT FOR LIFELONG LEARNERS

THE ARISE MISSION

Our mission is to ignite a lifelong passion for STEM through hands-on innovation, creativity, and exploration for every generation.

OUR STORY

We are two sisters driven by our Christian faith and a shared passion for discovery and hands-on learning! Guided by the belief that every child is purposefully created with unique gifts, we have dedicated our combined 45+ years of experience in Brevard Public Schools to providing rich, engaging experiences for homeschool families, PreK-Grade 6 students, educators, families, and senior citizens. Our flexible scheduling and diverse programs include exciting topics such as robotics, digital creativity, engineering design, and environmental science, designed to ignite a growth mindset in everyone who walks through our doors. Join us for fun, interactive classes that align with state standards and reinforce school learning through hands-on experiments and design challenges!

Why Now?

“Brevard County serves more than 80,000 school-age students, with growing participation in homeschool, charter, and alternative education models.”

Meet The Founders

Melissa Woods

Co-Founder

Melissa is an innovative STEM education leader and curriculum specialist with more than 25 years of classroom and district-wide educational experience. During her career with Brevard Public Schools, she served as a certified Apple Learning Coach, Florida Professional Educator, and independent contractor for national science publishers. She successfully secured over $1.2 million in educational funding through partnerships with organizations such as Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

Her distinguished career includes recognition as the 2025 FAST Outstanding Science Educator and multiple Educational Technology Teacher of the Year awards. At Arise Innovation, Melissa designs immersive, standards-aligned STEM and engineering pathways to inspire a lifelong love of learning across generations. She specializes in creating vibrant, hands-on labs built around Florida's unique ecosystems, Space Coast innovation, and natural wonders—guiding students as they explore space exploration, coastal and ocean ecosystems, rivers, weather, and engineering design through authentic, inquiry-based experiences.

Today, Melissa leads the development of Arise Innovation's STEM curriculum, helping students discover, create, and innovate through meaningful hands-on learning.

Certified Florida Educator Professional
Certified Apple Teacher
District Curriculum & Innovation Contributor

Tonya Bandy

Co-Founder

Tonya is an innovative early childhood educator with 22 years of dedicated service in Brevard Public Schools. Throughout her career, she served as a Florida Professional Educator, Apple Teacher, and Digital Learning Leader, transforming primary classrooms into interactive, technology-rich learning environments. She was a multi-year recipient of local innovative teaching awards—including the 2025 Bright Ideas Grant—and collaborated with district leadership to provide professional development and co-author technology-integrated K–2 curricula in reading, mathematics, and social studies.

At Arise Innovation, Tonya draws on her extensive classroom experience to develop engaging digital creativity and literature-based STEM programs. She specializes in integrating children's literature, technology, engineering, and hands-on learning experiences that foster creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Through innovative design challenges, she inspires young learners to transform their ideas from creative sketches into digital masterpieces while building strong foundations in literacy and STEM.

Today, Tonya leads the development of Arise Innovation's early childhood and elementary programs, blending literacy, technology, and engineering to inspire the next generation of innovators.

Certified Florida Educator Professional
Certified Apple Teacher
District Curriculum & Innovation Contributor