They design greeting cards to order, market them with their customers in mind, fill orders with care and provide delivery right to your door. If it seems too good to be true, it’s not. It is Designs by RISE, a greeting card and gift business run by students and staff of the RISE Program and the College Transition Program at Bethlehem Central High School.

Designs by RISE is a collaborative program that provides students with opportunities to build real-world skills by helping to operate a business. And these student entrepreneurs have been especially busy leading up to Valentine’s Day.

In between college classes and work-study assignments, students in the College Transition Program are in charge of putting together the intricately designed cards and preparing them for delivery. They hand off the finished product to students in the RISE program, who deliver the cards to customers and collect payment. 

It was the RISE program that first introduced the greeting card business to BCHS in 2018 under the name Paper Pastries. RISE stands for Ready for Independence, Success, and Employment. The supportive high school program offers a curriculum with a focus on key concepts and skills students will need for maximum independence in work, home, and community after high school.

Designs by RISE challenges students to manage inventory for large orders, create new designs, manage sales and create a delivery schedule that meets customer demand. Where Paper Pastries only sold greeting cards, Designs by RISE has branched out to offer other decor and gift items as well.

Under the guidance of teachers Jennifer Mills and Lindsay Knott, students sell the items to high school students and staff and sometimes fill special orders from other groups affiliated with the school. There is a rotating display of cards for all occasions in the high school faculty room so staff have access to cards on demand. Payment for those cards is done using the honor system. Mills and Knott have also set up an online ordering system around major holidays for individuals who want to buy cards in bulk.

Thank you to our students and staff for their hard work and dedication to brightening every occasion with a card or gift from Designs by RISE.