ST. PHILIP’S BEE-LIEVES IN THE POWER OF SPELLING

Spelling bees promote a love of language, literacy, vocabulary, and grammar in children. In January, our first through seventh grade students displayed their incredible skills at the school’s annual spelling bee. Special congratulations to our 2022 – 2023 spelling bee winners: Lower School's first-place winner, Brielle Handy, and second place winner Ashton McDow. Middle School's first place winner, Naiel Wheeler, and second place winner Jonathan Lax .

St. Philip’s will continue to provide spelling bee opportunities for its students as it is a proven tool to celebrate competitive academic achievement, while nurturing lifelong curiosity and a love of learning.

A favorite tradition of the school is the ORATORICAL CONTEST, showcasing the impeccable speaking and poetic talents of our students from every grade level, even preschool. Students worked hard to memorize various poems and performed them confidently and with creative flair this past spring.

Entrepreneurship is a major focus of St. Philip’s seventh grade curriculum. Not only do our students take an Entrepreneurship class, but as a point of complementary cross curricular activities, in Social Studies, our inaugural seventh graders explored the history of Black entrepreneurship in America, particularly Tulsa, Oklahoma’s prosperous Greenwood District, known as “Black Wall Street” in the early 20th century, that was devastated in 1921.

“Learning about Tulsa’s Black Wall Street as an economic beehive and matching the students in the role of an entrepreneur of that time, allowed them to learn about how business, health, and community are related,” explains Middle School Social Studies teacher, Stephanie Givens. Students presented the success and challenges they encountered as business owners during the school’s Social Studies Fair and as part of the Student Showcase at the 23rd Annual Destiny Award Luncheon, in March.

For Ms. Givens, it was important for our students to be exposed to the beauty, creativity, and mighty legacy of Black entrepreneurship as it gives them the hope to pursue their own business ventures as part of the school’s KIDPRENEUR EXPO project. In April, seventh graders showcased their original businesses, wrote pitches to promote them, manufactured their own merchandise and sold their products. Parents, faculty, staff, and members of the community attended to support our budding kidpreneurs.

Two students, Eden Murrell and Legend Gasa, were selected in the top 25 out of 500 business pitch videos in the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship for their businesses – Comic Brilliance (Murrell) and Legendary Sandwiches (Gasa). Both will compete in the area semifinals. If they win there, they will go on to the regional competition in June.

Here's to St. Philip’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs!

A family that dances together stays together! St. Philip’s Parent School Association (PSA) has held an annual Daddy-Daughter Dance fundraiser for seven years to celebrate the special bond between the many fathers and father-figures in the lives of our students and community center youth. It has been a wonderful tradition with familial love, support, and guidance at its core. This year, the PSA expanded this fundraising initiative to include an inaugural “Glow Up!” Mother-Son dance, illuminating the beautiful bond between mothers and sons. It is a privilege and a joy for St. Philip’s to celebrate the power of family in such fun, memorable ways.