Christian Education

AT A GLANCE: CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

Our school currently serves over 200 students in grades PreK2-6th (ages 2-11) who benefit from St. Philip’s rigorous, nurturing, and dynamic Christian-based education.

St. Philip’s Continues to Boast Increase in Male Faculty

Positive role models are critical when it comes to educating our children. This fact has not been lost on St. Philip’s School and Community Center, where 22% of the faculty consists of ethnically diverse male teachers. This is particularly rare in an elementary school setting.

So, why is having ethnically diverse male teachers important? According to researcher Travis Bristol and Peter Paul, Assistant Professor at Boston University, “Diversity drives innovation.” Bristol also explains that “Having a teacher of color, or Black male teacher, can serve to disrupt societal preconceptions.” What St. Philip’s has been able to accomplish by recruiting and retaining ethnically diverse male teachers should not be taken lightly, given as recently as 2016, Black male teachers made up just 2% of the teaching workforce. In addition to being intentional about having a strong, ethnically diverse male presence in the classroom, St. Philip’s also benefits from parent organizations and programs that provide active male involvement and mentorship. This includes the Dad’s Club, a Rites of Passage program, the African American Male Academic Bowl, and the Saints Coed Robotics Team, led by parent volunteer and robotics engineer, Terrence Southern. Male parent volunteers also lead organizations like DoDads and Real Men Pray, and the current president of the Parent School Association is parent volunteer Harold Dédé.

At St. Philip’s School and Community Center, intentionally promoting an ethnically diverse male teaching staff has not only contributed to the success of our students, but also provides the positive male role models that our community so desperately needs.

Top Row (L to R):

Juan Hernandez, Visual Art Menkiti Rice, Technology Donavan Smith, 1st Grade Marcus Johnson, P.E. Coach

Bottom Row (L to R):

Jorge Perez, Spanish Tearod Robertson, Math & Science Joe Yow, Kindergarten

Shining Light on THE ARTS at St. Philip’s

St. Philip’s has formalized a true Fine Arts Department! For decades, we’ve offered music and visual art to all of our students. We are ecstatic to now offer a more comprehensive arts program that also includes dance, theater, and media/ photography. “Through this program, we strive to offer artistic and cultural classes along with exposure and experiences that will empower our children and youth,” says Fine Arts lead Monique Ridge-Williams, who also serves as the Theater Instructor and school’s librarian. “The arts are a powerful tool for personal and community transformation.”

A generous grant from The Hersh Foundation will assist with building this multi-disciplinary, cross-curricular elementary arts program over the next three years. The benefits of quality fine arts education and a S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, ARTS, and Math) approach to our curriculum will include gains in student artistic development AND math, reading, critical thinking, and verbal skills. Given a growing number of St. Philip’s alumni are pursuing the arts, we believe an investment in this area will better prepare future alumni for success.

St. Philip’s has assembled a dynamic team of arts specialists and educators for the program that includes IV Amenti (Dance); Juan Hernandez, Jr. (Art); Rachel Martin (Music); Menkiti Rice (Media/Photography); and Monique Ridge-Williams (Theater). Each of these faculty members are professional and celebrated artists in their own right. In fact, Mrs. Williams, a member of Soul Rep Theatre Company, is preparing for the lead role in the regional premiere of the 2002 Pulitzer Prize nominated play, Yellowman; Mrs. Amenti just completed a run in Prism Movement Theatre’s celebrated production of a non-verbal, movement only version of King Lear; Mr. Hernandez is painting several culturally inspired murals across Texas; and Menkiti Rice is heavily involved in Big Thought’s Da Verse Lounge, which gives children and youth a platform to articulate their feelings through poetry and song.

We look forward to seeing the arts shine even brighter at St. Philip’s School and Community Center.

St. Philip’s Welcomes New Faculty and Staff

Kate Blackstone joined the Philanthropy team as Senior Graphic Designer & Communications Associate. Ms. Blackstone recently left a local print and design company, where she spent 17 years building and growing the business (and many years working with St. Philip's!). She is currently in school studying social work.

WOW FACT: Ms. Blackstone grew up in Mexico City and is fluent in Spanish.

Tamekia Booker-Wallace

studied Early Childhood Development at Langston University and puts her experience to use in the PK2 classroom. She is always looking for creative ways to stimulate curiosity and bring the joy of knowledge to her students. Mrs. Booker-Wallace spends her downtime crafting, reading, and going to the movies. She loves traveling and spending time with her family.

WOW FACT: She has her very own “she shed” – a tiny house – behind her home that she uses for crafting.

Robin Johnson is the school nurse at St. Philip’s. Before receiving a nursing degree, Mrs. Johnson studied Special Education at St. John’s University in New York. When she has spare time, she likes to cook, garden, and crochet. She is grateful for time spent at home and with family – especially her 5-year-old granddaughter, Sydni.

WOW FACT: After 27 years as an RN, Mrs. Johnson "retired" to St. Philip's this year. Lanisha Patton is a PK3 teacher from Nacogdoches, located in East Texas. She loves that St. Philip’s gives her “the chance to get closer to God while educating God’s children!” Mrs. Patton loves spending time with her 6-year-old son, 2-year-old daughter, and her husband.

WOW FACT: Mrs. Patton’s husband, Ronard, is the head coach at Adamson High School.

Donovan Smith is from Mexia, Texas, and is a 1st grade teacher. He appreciates the loving and caring staff at St. Philip’s and says the children are a joy to work with. In his free time, Mr. Smith likes playing sports, playing chess, and trying out different restaurants.

WOW FACT: Mr. Smith is a four-time All-American in track and field for Paul Quinn College.

Deana Wall is both a Certified Academic Language Therapist and a Licensed Dyslexia Therapist; she is a wonderful addition to our staff! Ms. Wall loves working at St. Philip’s because as an educator she gets the opportunity, the backing, and the freedom to work with each child where they need the most support. Ms. Wall says she loves being part of an organization that cares for the entire community and has a mission to make it better - a school that invests so much into the education and life experience of every child and their family.

WOW FACT: Ms. Wall is dyslexic.

Funders Strengthen St. Philip’s Academic Support and Math Program

The teaching and learning at St. Philip’s have been bolstered by way of targeted funding from Reading Resource Group and Cecilia and Garrett Boone. A grant from the Reading Resource Fund of Communities Foundation of Texas enabled St. Philip’s to expand its Academic Support and tutoring program by hiring a Certified Academic Language Therapist, Deana Wall, to serve students and neighborhood children with dyslexia. Support from Cecilia and Garrett Boone and Bobby Lyle, through our WE BELIEVE CAMPAIGN, ensured the school was equipped to hire and retain an experienced Math Specialist, Tamasha Govan, to provide faculty with resources and innovative strategies in implementing the math curriculum.

The dyslexia program St. Philip’s utilizes is a specialized multisensory approach that is structured, sequential, and direct in phonemic awareness, reading, written expression, penmanship, and spelling. One parent shared that in the short amount of time her son has worked with the dyslexia specialist, she has seen dramatic changes. “I see an increase in his self-esteem and learning. He no longer avoids books. He now loves reading for homework and free time.” As for the math program, classroom lessons have become a lot more engaging. This year, teachers are integrating movement and games in mathematics for our Kindergarten students. Additionally, the development of small group stations in the middle school has been very effective.

We are excited to witness the positive and quantifiable impact in our classrooms as a direct result of these vital staff positions made possible by Reading Resource Group, the Boone family, and the Lyle family.