SPC's King-sized Season, Confirmed

ST. PHILIP’S COLLEGE UPDATES 2019 MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., SEASON OF SERVICE WEB PAGE AND INVITATIONS FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Ceremonial SPC student leadership participants in the city's 2019 MLK Wreath Laying Ceremony range from a Student Government President to members of the college’s Royal Court for 2019---College engagement ranges from media to city park and ride

Online elements of St. Philip’s College plans for an extra King-sized lineup of patriotic, civic-friendly and service-based activities for the college’s 2019 Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of Service season are in full service at the new web page http://gczz.ngskmc-eis.net/spc/mlk-march/, giving a preview of program scope and online sign-ups for all who want to plan early to march-and-serve with the college in January.

The college will take time during the march this year to thank the community for serving as partners in such projects as helping St. Philip’s College bring a 2018 Governor’s Award for Performance Excellence to San Antonio, helping to return a combined $24 million to the bank accounts of San Antonio students, residents and small business owners from 2016-2018 as part of its free federal income tax preparation service, upgrading San Antonio’s $4 billion tourism community through the 2018 construction underway of a $30 million Tourism, Hospitality and Culinary Arts Center of Excellence, and employing the recent record numbers of graduates from the college that is a 2018-2019 nationally rated leader in graduating students of color. Keep an eye out for further details that will be announced and updated online in coming weeks, organizers shared this week.

Some traditional Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of Service events requiring considerable college support to ensure success are already part of the city’s 2019 e-calendar. Others are unfolding following separate college and city planning meetings that occur through January. New for 2019, in addition to acknowledging San Antonio for its role in the college’s Governor’s Award for Performance Excellence and other education achievements in the spirit of the MLK federal holiday season, the college is encouraging high school seniors who intend to enroll at the college to apply for the MLK and Dream Scholars Program scholarships long before the February 2019 deadline, and for local students to apply now to earn the St. Philip's College Associate of Applied Science in Information Technology Cybersecurity Specialist degree in San Antonio's historic first Pathways in Technology Early College High School, known as P-TECH at Sam Houston High School, 2019 site of the city’s premiere MLK youth event themed Living Life to the Fullest Youth Summit on Jan. 19 with details at the city’s 2019 MLK e-calendar. Other events with date and time elements of interest to all serving, giving back and celebrating education with St. Philip's College as a destination in 2019 include the city’s MLK Wreath-Laying Ceremony Jan. 19 at 2 p.m. at the Martin Luther King, Jr., Plaza at the intersection of E. Houston and N. New Braunfels St., and the city’s 2.7-mile-reported 300,000-person March with an 8 a.m. start time on Jan. 21, according to the city’s event calendar. 

St. Philip's College would like to invite all to join the college's students at the city's MLK Wreath Laying Ceremony at the bronze Martin Luther King, Jr., Monument that was sculpted in 1981 by the decorated veteran and author Dr. Jose "Jacosta" Torres (1926-2015) at MLK Plaza. During a national seasonal holiday event with education as a central theme, 2018 automotive technology alumnus and 2017 Mr. St. Philip’s Terrell Thompson was the “College King” who laid the college wreath at the city's MLK Wreath Laying Ceremony, standing patriotically before the bronze monument. Thompson’s image at the monument site with Dist. 2 Councilman William Shaw, current MLK Commission leader Nate Davis and graduating SPC student colleagues Angelia Jacobs and alumni colleague Diondrick Sorrell as ceremonial participants is an inspiring signature element of the city web page http://www.sanantonio.gov/MLK for the major event for the 2018-2018 season.

Ceremonial St. Philip’s College student leadership participants in the city's 2019 MLK Wreath Laying Ceremony are a combination of the college’s Student Government Association President along with Mr. and Ms. St. Philip’s College for 2019 that includes two veterans---science student Keiko Stanberry (Ms. St. Philip’s) and Air Force member Cedric Dickerson (Mr. St. Philip’s) and 2017 MLK Wreath Laying Ceremony Team alumni member Angelia Jacobs, a retired Army dental corps Master Sgt. and the college’s Student Government Association President. 

Also announced or updated this week:

• The 91.7 Jazz http://web.krtu.org/ team has announced today its intent to broadcast remotely from St. Philip’s College as station personnel pay tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., through the programming of spirituals, hymns, gospel and jazz as thousands march arm-in-arm in solidarity during the uniquely American holiday event that passes the college’s campus at 1801 Martin Luther King Drive. KRTU will likely join other press, bloggers and social media providers who are reporting, interviewing, documenting and streaming live from the campus at various times in the program.

• The St. Philip’s College Commercial Driver’s License Program Team has announced today the college’s Southwest Campus at 800 Quintana Road will be represented at the March as the team displays a 70-foot-long truck accompanied by faculty who will share information on a King-sized bumper crop of well-paid jobs in their industry. In keeping with the seasonal emphasis on jobs, the on-campus display will occur as the marchers pass the college’s campus at 1801 Martin Luther King Drive. Guests are welcome to circle back and visit with the team up to 30 minutes after the march ends.

• VIA Metropolitan Transit may operate a park-and-ride site at St. Philip’s College for day of service activities on Jan. 21 at 1801 Martin Luther King Drive. Keep an eye on that possibility by contacting VIA at 210-362-2020.

• In January, a monument honoring Martin Luther King Jr. by Porter Dillard of Dillard Architect Group was completed at the entrance to MLK Park at 3503 Martin Luther King Drive that serves as start point of San Antonio's 2.75-mile MLK walk, where all are welcome to join and be photographed along with individual St. Philip's College volunteers who are among 200,000-300,000 people arriving for their place in the march on Jan. 19.

For full details on the college’s observance to include partnering in or scaling up college participation, service and excellence, contact college Martin Luther King, Jr., National Day of Service program co-chairs John Martin (director of student conduct and Title IX programs) at jmartin139@ngskmc-eis.net and Ruben Guerrero (senior multimedia specialist) at rguerrero@ngskmc-eis.net. (Image courtesy COSA MLK Commission web page, other SPC image by Julysa Sosa)