11th Annual Central Honors Philando Castille on Aug. 23

Kendall Fane, the 10th Philando Castile Memorial Scholarship recipient in 2026 and Valerie Castile.

Philando Castile

Posted Thursday, August 20, 2026 3:00 pm

ABOUT PHILANDO CASTILE

According to his family:

Philando Divall Castile was born in 1983 in St. Louis, Missouri. He lived the majority of his life in St. Paul.

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 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 seven times, hitting him five 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.

Central Honors Philando is a community gathering that celebrates the life and legacy of Philando Castile - a respected role model in the community - who was killed by police during a routine traffic stop in 2016. "What started as a response to a tragic event became an annual acknowledgement of what Philando meant to our community, and the work that is still needed to end police violence and structural racism," say planners. "The event is an opportunity to connect with the community and continue to process the losses we've experienced at the hands of police."

This year's event is set for Sunday, Aug. 23, 1-5 p.m., Toni Stone Field, 1221 Marshall Ave. Activities include face painting, screen printing with Jessica Lopez Lyman, video game truck, climbing wall, bookmobile, music, frozen treats frrom Sweet Fruci's (cash or card), and more.

The event serves as a fundraiser for the Philando Castile Memorial Scholarship. To date, over $300,000 has been raised for the scholarship, and 10 scholarships have been awarded to Central graduates. Funds are managed by the Saint Paul Central High School Foundation (SPCHSF), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. All donations are directed to SPCHSF. All net proceeds from the event and other fundraising efforts go directly to the Philando Castile Memorial Scholarship fund.

"We are actively seeking a lead sponsor to help us grow the Philando Castile Memorial Scholarship into a four-year renewable award that will be supported in perpetuity," according to Adrian Perryman and Abby Heuckendorf. Currently, this is a recurring scholarship over two years with a total award of $10,000. "This is a meaningful amount for the recipients, but the opportunity to make it possible for this scholarship to recur across four years would make an even stronger impact on their lives," they point out. "With this in mind, we have set a challenging but important goal: to ensure the Philando Castile Memorial Scholarship endowment fund can support a scholarship that can recur for up to four years for a total potential award of $20,000.
 Donations can be made at: https://www.centralhonorsphilando.org/donate