The student lunch debt has been wiped out for all 56 schools in the Saint Paul Public Schools district in Minnesota, the district Castile worked for, according to the charity, Philando Feeds the Children.
“That means that no parent of the 37,000 kids who eat meals at school need worry about how to pay that overdue debt,” according to an update from the charity website. “Philando is still reaching into his pocket, and helping a kid out. One by one. With your help.”
Stacey Koppen, director of Nutrition Services at Saint Paul Public Schools, worked with Castile, and remembers him as a “kind and caring” person.
“This fundraiser honoring him and his memory couldn’t be more perfect,” said Koppen. “This is what he did. He did so without question or praise.”
Though all students of the district can receive free breakfast, only some students are eligible for free lunches depending on household income guidelines and district funding. That leaves some students with lunch debt if they can’t pay and don’t meet the requirements.
Philando Feeds the Children started as a college class project led by Metropolitan State University students. It has now reached approximately 3,500 donors and received over $130,000 in donations to feed the children of St. Paul. The organization said it is currently seeking official non-profit status with the state of Minnesota.
Now that Philando Feeds the Children has eliminated all of the school lunch debt in the district, charity organizer and Metro State University professor Pamela Fergus said the organization will use the rest of the money raised to help more students in the future.
Castile had a reputation at the school for caring about the students’ welfare.
“He remembered [students’] names,” Joan Edman, a recently retired paraprofessional at the school, told TIME shortly after Castile’s death. “He remembered who couldn’t have milk. He knew what they could have to eat and what they couldn’t.”
Known fondly by students as Mr. Phil, Castile had worked at J.J. Hill since he was 19 years old, and was promoted in 2014 to his position as a nutrition services supervisor, according to a statement by the Saint Paul Public Schools. Remembered as a cheerful presence in the cafeteria, he maintained close relationships with staff, students, and colleagues.
Castile’s death sparked nationwide protests and demonstrations against police brutality. He was shot five times in his car by a police officer who was later acquitted of manslaughter charges.
VOICE & VIEWPOINT — In describing his runaway hit “Hamilton,” actor and playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda said, “It’s this incredible way to explore how history isn’t told.” For students in San Diego City Schools and surrounding areas, this thought-provoking notion took center stage with their participation in eduHam, an innovative educational program coordinated with the Tony-winning play’s run at the San Diego Civic Theatre, which provided nearly 3,000 students entrée to a special matinee performance on January 11, including a lively Q & A session with some of the cast members, and, for some, the opportunity to perform their own original creative pieces—songs, rap, poetry, scenes, monologues—before an audience of their peers.
The Hamilton Education Program, or eduHam, is a multi-week program for high school students studying American history in Title 1 schools, culminating in an all-day field trip to the theatre. Hoover High School was one of 46 schools taking part in the special event. Students earned their spot at the coveted affair by participating in class activities and/or after school and Saturday sessions during which they researched extensively, studied primary sources provided by the philanthropic Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History in conjunction with the producers of “Hamilton,” and let their imaginations go full throttle to create individual projects that were informative and entertaining. Connections to current events are not lost on these thoughtful and curious students, adding dimension to their learning experience.
On a recent afternoon, three of the participating students from Hoover, Alexis Harnage, Edy Canaca, and Lilia Ruvalcaba, gathered in the classroom of ELA teacher Kristiana Riego de Dios in anticipation of the big day and shared thoughts on how the project had stimulated new learning experiences that helped them look at history in new and different ways.
“I thought it was cool that people were combining history and the arts because usually you see history as more academic, and dance and art as different,” said 11th grader Harnage. The use of contemporary music—hip hop and rap—along with the more traditional genres of R & B and jazz was a hook for the high school junior, who plays an instrument herself, part of a rigorous curriculum that includes AP US History. Harnage, at 17, is articulate and focused, a self-described overachiever who said she drew on prior knowledge of George Washington, supplemented with extensive research to create a rap about our founding father and his role as a revolutionary leader in America’s road to independence. Her hard work paid off, as her project, which she wrote and performed with fellow Hoover 11th grader Bernard Drake, was one of only 15 selected for presentation at the Thursday event. “What I learned is that every leader, every president sets a tone for how they will lead the country. George Washington was widely respected as the first president of the United States and as a leader. I constantly make the connection with our first president of the United States vs. our current president Donald Trump, because I know there is controversy as to whether he is a good president or not. What you put out and what you do for the people of the country will stick around for a really long time.”
Edy Canaca, whose AP US History teacher Ellen Towers describes as “a consummate learner, was drawn to the duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. The 11th grader created a poem, which he and two of his classmates acted out. Prior to his research, Canaca was not aware of the outcome of the duel, which Burr won when Hamilton chose to shoot his gun in the air. “But it still ended badly for Burr,” Canaca concluded, “and I’m pretty sure he regretted it. Destroying his enemy actually made it worse for him and he could not advance politically.” In his research, Canaca made an important discovery as to discrepancies in how history is told. “Every source says something different. It’s not always accurate and there are people who change it up. They always tweak it, depending on their perspective.”
Lilia Ruvalcaba, who loves writing poetry, found a fascinating subject in Abigail Adams. “When we look at history, we see a lot of men, and in our history class, we learned about the politics, but we didn’t really learn her side.” Ruvalcaba’s poem, written from the perspective of Adams, who was both wife of President John Adams and later the mother of 6th president John Quincy Adams, explores the woman’s role as intellectual confidante, but one who, as a product of the times, remained largely behind the scenes. Lilia is soft-spoken but delivers a powerful message in her observations about women’s roles that is especially timely. “One of the things she said that stands out to me,” said the 16-year-old, “was ‘Remember us ladies.’ That’s a significant line and important even today.”
“This is a story about America then, told by America now,” writer/producer Miranda has said. AP History teacher Towers, who worked with de Dios as eduHAM coordinator on the Hoover campus, encouraged inquiry in her students as they drew facts from their primary sources and at the same time humanized the historical figures they read about. “My focus since I’ve gotten into history is telling the untold story or telling the story from a different perspective,” she says. “It’s nice to see people thinking about history as a multi-dimensional and multi-perspective idea. I think in the back of every history teacher’s mind is ‘who have we missed and how can we bring them forward without being dishonest.’”
This point is not lost on Harnage, who adds, “Being African American, I sit in a lot of history classes and know that it is Eurocentric. When it comes to African Americans and the struggle of our people and what we have to overcome, I don’t hear about that in school that often, and I don’t necessarily think that it’s the teacher’s fault because I think that they are just teaching the curriculum. But,” she adds, “when I think about how history is told, I think that certain types of history are overtold and other types of history or other perspectives of history or types of people are undertold or not told at all.”
Projects like eduHAM can narrow this learning gap. And by casting African Americans and Hispanics in the “Hamilton” production, Miranda highlights the diversity of people who were there and not in the shadows, Towers says, “And,” adds De Rios, “why can’t a person of color play Hamilton or Aaron Burr? Who is to say that color has to define your role?”
Who indeed?
On the big day, when 2,833 high school students—the largest eduHAM ever—filled the seats of the San Diego Civic Theatre, love, laughter, and gratitude was palpable. “This is an honor,” said Hoover 11th grader Bernard Drake after his performance with student Harnage. “It’s amazing to me how an assignment for a class can lead to you seeing a performance of ‘Hamilton.’ Working towards a goal this way is very rewarding. It pushed me to do my best and I know will lead to even greater things.”
And, as Karli Dinardo, “Hamilton” cast member advised, “No dream is too big. Learning is endless. No matter how hard, throw yourself into the deep end and surround yourself with people who are positive, who encourage and nurture your dreams.”
