ABOUT CHP
ABOUT PHILANDO
Philando Divall Castile was born in 1983 in St. Louis, Missouri. He lived the majority of his life in St. Paul, Minnesota after his mom made the decision to move here to find a better life for their family.
He was a student of the St. Paul school system and dedicated 15 years to the Saint Paul Public School District as a nutrition services assistant at Chelsea Heights Elementary School and Arlington High School (now Washington Technology Magnet School). He was promoted to nutrition services supervisor at J. J. Hill Montessori Magnet School in August 2014. He knew the names of the 500 students he served every day along with their food allergies. Philando was an ambitious man who served as a role model for hundreds of children.
Outside of work, Philando enjoyed playing video games and spending time with his friends and family, with whom he was very close. He was known for his quiet and calm demeanor, big heart, and huge smile. His death has left a large hole in the community.
Central Honors Philando began as a community response to Philando Castile being shot and killed by a police offer during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights, MN on July 6, 2016. While Philando was attempting to comply with the officer's request to retrieve his I.D., the officer shot at Philando 7 times, hitting him 5 times. Philando died at the scene. The trial, and complete acquittal of the police officer drew national and international attention. The verdict devastated Philando’s family, friends, fellow Central alumni and people across the world who believe that police officers should not be above the law and that they should be held legally accountable for their wrongful actions.
Philando's high school classmates first organized the community gathering in August of 2016 to celebrate his life and to raise money for a scholarship in his memory. It was a tremendous success and has become an annual event. It is an opportunity for community-building, peaceful dialogue, and healing. It also seeks to help prevent a similarly tragic injustice from happening while also ensuring that Philando’s personal legacy endures.
Philando Divall Castile
1983 - 2016
2025 EVENT INFORMATION
WHEN:
Sunday, August 17th, 2025
Time: 1:00pm - 5:00pm
LOCATION:
Dunning lot
1221 Marshall Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55104
Click here to sign up to volunteer at the event!
2025 LINE-UP
To be announced in summer of 2025!
This is a family-friendly event!
PHILANDO CASTILE MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
The Philando Castile Memorial Scholarship will be awarded annually to a St. Paul Central High School senior. Because of Philando's passion for education and working with children, we will prioritize awarding the scholarship to a student who intends to pursue a career in education, including but not limited to teaching, administration, child development, and/or counseling – but all students are welcome to apply and will be considered. Preference will be given to a student who is interested in fostering diversity among educators who serve as role models for all of our students. The recipient must plan to enroll in a regionally accredited 2-year or 4-year college or university in the fall. The first scholarship was awarded in May of 2017.
Currently, our annual scholarship is a one time award of $5,000. This is a meaningful amount for the recipients, but the opportunity to make it a renewable award would make an even stronger impact on their lives. With this in mind, we have set a challenging but important goal: to ensure the Philando Castile Memorial Scholarship endowment fund can support a $5,000 scholarship that is renewable for up to 4 years, beginning with our 10th scholar in 2026.
The next step in this process is to make sure the endowment can support a 2-year renewable scholarship, and raising $36,000 between now and the end of 2023 will do just that.
The scholarship is administered by the Saint Paul Central High School Foundation (SPCHSF), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. All scholarship donations are directed to SPCHSF, and all net proceeds from Central Honors Philando fundraising efforts will go directly to the scholarship.
2024 RECIPIENT
Jaxson Nins, the eighth Philando Castile Memorial Scholarship recipient, and Valerie Castile.
2023 RECIPIENT
Philando's family, along with Abdulaziz Mohamed, the seventh Philando Castile Memorial Scholarship recipient.
2022 RECIPIENT
From left to right: Valerie Castile, Philando's mother; John "JB" Brooks, the sixth Philando Castile Memorial Scholarship recipient; Alexandria Reyes Schroeder, President of the St. Paul Central High School Foundation
2021 RECIPIENT
Assem Elsayad, the fifth Philando Castile Memorial Scholarship recipient.
2020 RECIPIENT
Ibsa Lolo, the fourth Philando Castile Memorial Scholarship recipient.
2019 RECIPIENT
From left to right: Philando's sister, Allysza Castile, and her daughter Cory’onna Philandra Castile; Valerie Castile, Philando's mother; and Joseph Cobb, the third Philando Castile Memorial Scholarship recipient.
2018 RECIPIENT
From left to right: Philando's sister, Allysza Castile; Jalen Jackson, the second Philando Castile Memorial Scholarship recipient; and Valerie Castile, Philando's mother.
2017 RECIPIENT
From left to right: Philando's sister, Allysza Castile; Marques Watson-Taylor, the first Philando Castile Memorial Scholarship recipient; and Valerie Castile, Philando's mother.
CENTRAL HONORS PHILANDO SHIRTS AND MERCH
All proceeds go to the Philando Castile Memorial Scholarship.
Past Shirts: eight styles to choose from!
2024 Tee Shirt and Merch
To see larger pictures and order, click here!
2025 SPONSORS
Want to see your organization listed here? Contact us!
EVENT COMMITTEE
The Central Honors Philando Event Committee is all volunteer and made up entirely of Saint Paul Central High School alumi. Graduation year is noted.
Adrian Perryman (2003)
Trevor Throntveit (2001)
Abby Heuckendorf (2001)
Lily Bevis (2003)
Sarah Worrall (2003)
Ben Roberts (2004)
Pilot Williams (2011)
Greg Crockett (2002)
Thank you to our past Event Committee Members!
Melinda Donaway (2001)
Elliot Looney (2001)
Karla Basta (2001)
Alexandria Reyes (2002)
Tanea Womack (2001)
Nicole Smith (2001)
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