NEWARK: St. Philip's Academy recipient of two State-level awards

NJ SEEDS (Scholars, Educators, Excellence, and Success) and its partner Mutual of America, Inc., recognized the Academy for its leadership in forging partnerships between the public, private, and social sectors to create better communities for the future.

"St. Philip's has been a key player in the NJ SEEDS Scholars Program," said Miguel Brito, head of school. "We are proud of our partnership with this organization because we share a common mission to reach beyond our walls to make an impact on the lives of children, encouraging them to have a sustained commitment to learning, an enlarged appreciation of the range of human possibilities, and the ambition for a life, which will be both personally fulfilling and of value to others."

Every year, SEEDS selects more than 100 students, largely from inner-city neighborhoods in New Jersey, to spend 14 months attending rigorous Saturday and summer classes in literature and writing, science and math, as well as leadership training.

In addition, St. Philip's, its architect Gensler of Morristown and contractor Structure Tone of Lyndhurst, were named as the recipients of the 2007 Adaptive Educational Reuse New Jersey Future Smart Growth Award for the innovative reconstruction of a 90-year-old factory into a modern schoolhouse that also meets green building guidelines set by the United States Green Building Council.
 
"Our new LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) facility will provide us with the opportunity to not only educate our students and their families, but will also support a leadership platform to engage issues of sustainability and recycling in the revitalization of urban communities with the wider Newark community," said Brito. "We took a leap of faith in incorporating environmental design into our building, but being named by New Jersey Future proves we made the right move."

New Jersey Future is a statewide research and policy group, the leading advocates of the State Development and Redevelopment Plan. The not-for-profit group advocates measured growth to protect open space and natural resources, revitalize existing neighborhoods, minimize sprawl and afford more transportation choices.

Architect Ralph Walker is very proud of his firm's contribution to the sustainability of New Jersey's future.

"St. Philip's Academy is a wonderful example of how a redeveloped infill project can be the catalyst for change in an entire neighborhood," Walker said. "The school creates a bright spot around which the neighborhood is growing and developing. Gensler and St. Philip's are proud to have won a Smart Growth Award, but prouder still of the long term impact this project will have on the city of Newark."

Founded in 1988, St. Philip's Academy provides a disciplined and challenging academic curriculum for capable students in the Greater Newark area, regardless of their family's ability to pay tuition.