Athletics

AT A GLANCE: ATHLETICS

For several decades, St. Philip’s has provided arguably the largest and most diverse athletics program for 4- to 14-year-olds in the southern sector of Dallas.

SAINTS Cheerleaders Exhibit S-P-I-R-I-T!

Cheering is as big at St. Philip’s as football and basketball. We recently sat down with Anyah and Kaiya to learn more about what it’s like and what it takes to be a cheerleader for the St. Philip’s Saints. This season marks the seventh year of cheering for Anyah and fifth for Kaiya.

“I started cheering with St. Philip’s when I was six years old but this is my last year,” says Anyah, who at 13, has aged out of the program. “I feel sad about having to leave cheer this year. Cheer has given me spirit and makes me really happy. When I go to Woodrow Wilson High School next year, I want to try out for cheer. My good attitude and determination will help me be great.” Anyah attended Paul Laurence Dunbar Elementary in South Dallas, and currently attends J.L. Long Middle School, in east Dallas.

Ten-year-old Kaiya comes from a serious football family. So serious, in fact, that according to her mother, her introduction to St. Philip’s and cheer began the day she arrived home from the hospital. “That same day, we went to a Saints game. Her two older brothers played football and her dad coached. We had to be there to cheer them on,” she explains. Cheer has given both Kaiya and Anyah the opportunity to travel outside of Dallas and the state for regional competitions. It has also given them tremendous confidence, leadership skills, and discipline. In fact, Kaiya, a student at Charles Rice Learning Center in South Dallas, is now president of the tech club, participates in summer theater programs, and sings in the choir. “My favorite thing about cheerleading,” Kaiya explains, “is I get to be a leader.”

CHEER FACTS:

 The 2017 Pee Wee and Jr. Varsity cheer teams will be competing in regionals

 Cheerleader Kihanna Woods received a

North Texas Pop Warner Scholar award for having the highest GPA

 St. Philip’s cheer parents received the

SPIRIT AWARD

Homecoming Recap

The Games

Saints Flag (21) vs Redskins (7) Tiny Mite Saints (7) vs Bengals (7) Mighty Mite Saints (21) vs Bengals (7) Jr Pee Wee Saints (7) vs Bengals (18) Pee Wee Saints (30) vs Preston Hollow Knights (6)

The Fun

This year, St. Philip’s Homecoming was like no other. In place of the annual parade, the Saints hosted a Homecoming festival of fun that included a pep rally, food trucks, bounce houses, raffles, face painting, DJ, barber/beauty shop on wheels and, of course, plenty of football. The Saints did not disappoint, winning all but one of their games.

We hosted well over 1,000 people throughout the day. The games did not end until 7:00 p.m. There was a wealth of support from parents, volunteer coaches, community center partners, and area youth groups. The BIG Announcement

Homecoming proved to be the perfect stage to announce the much-anticipated athletic field house to be used by St. Philip’s athletics program will be completed by the end of the year, thanks to a generous donation from The Doherty Foundation. This time last year, St. Philip’s purchased the worn property - formerly a neighborhood lounge - adjacent to its athletic field with the intent to transform it into something positive for the community. For years, our football, lacrosse, soccer, and baseball players – along with game patrons - have had to cross busy Pennsylvania Avenue to access restrooms during games. Players have done the same to dress out for practice. We are excited to begin offering a safe, renovated space to house offices, locker rooms, and a meeting room for our athletics program in the coming year.

St. Philip’s hosted over 1,000 people

throughout the day!