FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND USEFUL INFORMATION

WHAT IS PROJECT VESTED INTEREST?

The objective of Project Vested Interest is to provide financial incentives and rewards to students enrolled in Baltimore City Public Schools (grades 4 -12) who demonstrate objective and measurable improvements in their grades per school year.

DO ME AND MY PARENT OR GUARDIAN HAVE TO BE HONORARY MEMBERS OF THE PHILO SOPHIA ACADEMIC ASSOCIATION FOR ME TO PARTICIPATE IN PROJECT VESTED INTEREST?

Yes. Upon registering a student, both the student and the parent or guardian become Honorary Members of our Association and are exempt from paying membership fees and monthly dues. This policy requiring parents and guardians to accept the free memberships is based upon our foremost concern, the safety of students participating in the Project. Specifically, we prefer parents and guardians to chaperone students when they participate in activities related to our Project and thereby avoid persons unfamiliar to students from intermingling with them without the presence of a parent or guardian. Of course we are mindful of the fact that some parents or guardians, due to job, medical, or various other reasons, may not be able to perform the chaperone duties. Therefore, we offer said parents and guardians the alternative of designating up to three responsible persons who may chaperone the student on his or her behalf, all of whom must be 21 years old or older.

HOW WILL PROJECT VESTED INTEREST BE ADMINISTERED?

The Project shall be administered as follows:

1) ELIGIBILITY: All students enrolled in a Baltimore City Public Grade School or a Baltimore City based college.

2) REGISTRATION: A parent or guardian of a student under the age of 18 shall fill out and submit the Parent/Guardian/Responsible Adult/Student Registration Form (a responsible adult is a person age 21 or older who a parent or guardian designates to act on his or her behalf in all matters pertaining to the Project, and whom shall have the same duties, responsibilities, obligations, and benefits of a parent or guardian regarding the activities of the Project as described herein). College students shall fill out and submit the College Student Registration Form. Upon receipt of the forms, the parent, guardian, or responsible adult, and The grade school or college student shall be granted Honorary Memberships and shall be exempt from paying membership fees and monthly dues.

3) Student Accounts: The Philo Sophia Academic Association shall establish Grade School Student Accounts and College Student Accounts. 60% of the membership fees, monthly dues, and contributions of sponsors shall fund the accounts and 40% shall be retained by The Philo Sophia Academic Association. Specifically, the funds shall be distributed as follows to the students who demonstrate progress:

Grade School Accounts

5% shall be divided equally among students in grades 1-3;
10% shall be divided equally among students in grades 4-6;
15% shall be divided equally among students in grades 7-9;
20% shall be divided equally among students in grades 10-12;
10% shall be used to fund the prize money for the 2025-26 Baltimore City Academic Battle, the Madden NFL 25 Rookie, Pro, All-Pro, and All-Madden Challenge, and the Baltimore City Talent Bonanza;
40% shall be retained by The Philo Sophia Academic Association to cover the administrative and operational costs of Project Vested Interest.

Note: A Grade School Student Fundraising Drive will be sponsored by our Association to solicit sponsors to help fund the Grade school students accounts.

College Student Accounts

Membership fees and monthly dues will not be used to fund the College Student Accounts. Instead, the contributions of sponsors shall be the source of funding for those accounts and the total amount of college student contributions will be distributed as follows:

5% shall be divided equally among freshmens;
10% shall be divided equally among sophomores, 15% shall be divided equally among juniors;
20% shall be divided equally among seniors;
10% shall be used to fund the 2025-26 Baltimore City Academic Battle, the Madden NFL 25 Rookie, Pro, All-Pro, and All-Madden Challenge, and the 2025-26 Baltimore City Talent Bonanza;
40% shall be retained by The Philo Sophia Academic Association to cover the administrative and operational costs of Project Vested Interest.

Note: A College Student Fundraising Drive will be sponsored by our Association to solicit sponsors to help fund the College Student Accounts.

4) DURATION OF PROJECT: The Project shall start on the first day of the second quarter of the Baltimore City 2025-26 school year and shall cover the second, third, and fourth quarters of said school year. Prizes shall be distributed at the end of each quarter.

5) MEANING OF GRADE IMPROVEMENT: To demonstrate an objective and measurable improvement in their grades, students must ascend the following ladder of grades, or a grading ladder corresponding to their respective schools if different, using a bottom to the top ladder of their grades:

A+ = 97-100%
A = 93-96%
A- = 90-92%
B+ = 87-89%
B = 83-86%
B- = 80-82%
C+ = 77-79%
C = 73-76%
C- = 70-72%
D+ = 67-69%
D = 63-66%
D- = 60-62%
F = 59% or lower

This, to demonstrate an improvement in their grades, a student with a F grade must achieve a D- grade; a student with a D- grade must achieve a D grade; a student with a D grade must achieve D+ grade; a student with a D+ grade must achieve a C- grade and so on up the grade ladder.

6) PROOF OF GRADE IMPROVEMENT: At the end of each school quarter, the grades of students, as recorded on their report cards, shall be compared to the previous quarter's grades to determine whether the student's grades have improved in one or more of the following school subjects:

English Language Arts
Math
Science
Social Studies

Those students that demonstrate progress shall be awarded his or her share of the financial gifts available to them at their respective grade levels

7) PARENTAL/GUARDIAN OBLIGATIONS REGARDING REPORT CARDS AND CONSENT FOR STUDENT PARTICIPATION: Parents/guardians are required to contact their child's school and provide them written permission to provide a copy of the child's first quarter and second quarter report cards to our Association and thereafter the third and fourth quarters report cards. Failure to fulfill this obligation shall result in the disqualification of the student because there will be no way of verifying the student's progress. However, the student shall be eligible to receive gift money in the subsequent quarters if he or she demonstrate progress and his or her parent/guardian give consent for our Association to receive a copy of the student's report card. Said consent is required by the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Parents/guardians also must indicate their consent for the student's participation in Project Vested Interest on the Parent/Guardian/Responsible Adult/ Student Registration Form.

8) PAYMENT METHOD OF FINANCIAL GIFTS: All financial gifts associated with Project Vested Interest and it's corollary Madden, Academic, and Talent contests shall be awarded in the form of a certified or cashier's check in the names of both the parent/guardian and students age 17 and under.

9) DATES FINANCIAL GIFTS WILL BE AWARDED: Due to the substantial number of report cards that have to be examined to determine which students have progressed, the names of all gift eligible students and the amount of their respective gifts will be posted on our website on the 15th day after the end date of each school quarter, or Madden, Academic, or Talent contest. Parents, guardians, or students (18 or older) shall claim the gift within 30 days of said posting. All unclaimed gifts shall be retained by The Philo Sophia Academic Association to fund Project Vested Interest.

10) DISPUTES: All disputes regarding Project Vested Interest or it's corollary Madden, Academic, or Talent contest shall be reported to an Officer of our Association at the time the circumstances giving rise to the dispute occur, and shall be resolved by a majority vote of the Association's Executive Board. All decisions are final.

11) CONFLICT OF INTEREST: Board members shall disclose that they are related to, or know, a student or a relative or friend of a student and shall recuse him or her self from voting in the resolution of the dispute.

WHAT TYPES OF MEMBERSHIPS DOES THE PHILO SOPHIA ACADEMIC ASSOCIATION OFFER?

Membership types, fees, and benefits are as follows:

Honorary Membership - $0.00

Free for all eligible students and their parents, guardians, or responsible adults;
Exemption from paying membership fees and monthly dues;
Free student participation in the Madden NFL 25 Rookie, Pro, All-Pro, and All-Madden Challenge, the 2025-26 Baltimore City Talent Bonanza, and the 2025-26 Baltimore City Academic Battle contests, all of which shall offer financial gifts to the winners.

Bronze Membership - $20.00

May attend the Association's Annual Membership Dinner;
One free ticket when raffles are held (12 chances to win per ticket).*

Silver Membership - $30.00

May attend the Association's Annual Membership Dinner;
One free ticket when raffles are held;
Name recognition on our website;

Gold Membership - $40.00

May attend the Association's Annual Membership Dinner;
Two free tickets when raffles are held (12 chances to win per ticket);*
Name recognition on our website;
May attend all special events sponsored by our Association free of charge.

Platinum Membership - $50.00 vnnvzn. Ñ. M.

May attend the Association's Annual Membership Dinner;
Three free tickets when raffles are held (12 chances to win per ticket);*
Name recognition on our website;
May attend all special events sponsored by our Association free of charge;
Free food, refreshments, and non-alcoholic beverages.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SPONSORS AND REQUESTED CONTRIBUTION AMOUNTS?

Sponsors and their contributions are grouped as follows:

General Sponsor - $5.00;
Friend of Education Sponsor - $10.00;
Ally of Education Sponsor - $15.00;
Champion of Education Sponsor - $20.00.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF VOLUNTEERS AND THEIR BENEFITS?

We have the following types of volunteers who receive the indicated benefits:

Administrative Volunteers

Entitled to all the benefits of a Platinum Member.

Field Operations Volunteers

Entitled to all the benefits of a Gold Member.

WHAT ARE THE NAMES OF THE OFFICERS OF THE PHILO SOPHIA ACADEMIC ASSOCIATION?

Executive Director: Kevin Smith

Assistant Executive Director: Mekia Butler

Treasurer: Katherine Thomson

Secretary: Serenity Miller

WHAT IS THE CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THE PHILO SOPHIA ACADEMIC ASSOCIATION?

Address: 3400 Greenmount Avenue, Baltimore MD 21202

Telephone Number: 443-687-0884

Email Address: tpsaa747@gmail.com

Website: www.the-philo-sophia-academic-association.org

INFORMATION ABOUT OUR ASSOCIATION

The Philo Sophia Academic Association is a Maryland registered 501 (c)(3) educational and charitable nonprofit association.

Our Maryland Charity ID # and Internal Revenue Service EIN # are , respectively.

Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

We are doing a new grassroots Association concerned about the quality of the education our children are receiving in the Baltimore City Public School system and we are determined to do our part in improving the dismal grades and attendance statistics from the last several school years.

Welcome to The Philo Sophia Academic Association

Greetings potential members, sponsors, donors, and volunteers. Do you know that:

87% of fourth grade students performed below the National Assessment of Educational Progress's (NAEP) proficiency level in 2024;
84% of eighth graders performed below the NAEP proficiency level in 2024;
13 high schools in Baltimore City had zero students demonstrate proficiency on the state math exam in 2023;
14.6% of students in Baltimore City were absent from school in 2024;
41% of students performed below a 1.0 GPA (equivalent to a D grade) in 2024;
38% of students performed between a 1.0 GPA and a 2.0 GPA (equivalent to a C grade) in 2024;
79% of students failed to achieve a GPA of 3.0 or 4.0 (equivalent to the grades B and A, respectively) in 2024;
only 9% of ninth graders completed a 2 year college course within six years.
29% of high school students failed to graduate in 2024;

Are you alarmed by those statistics? Are you concerned about the quality of our children's education? Do you want to try to make a difference?

If you answered yes to those questions, you have come to the right place. The Philo Sophia Academic Association is a partnership between students of the Baltimore City Public School System, their parents and guardians, the residents and businesses of Baltimore City, and the members of our Association which aims to promote and achieve academic improvement and excellence through our pilot program named Project Vested Interest which provides financial incentives and rewards to students that attend school, actively participate in classroom curriculum, and demonstrate objective and measurable improvements in their grades. In short, we believe that the financial incentives and rewards will motivate students to perform at a level higher than their past performances, or at least try their best to.

We are currently seeking members, sponsors, donors, and volunteers to help fund and operate our pilot program named Project Vested Interest. If you are trying to assist us, you may fill out and submit the Member, Donor, and Volunteer Form below and indicate how you would like to support our Project.

MEMBER, DONOR, VOLUNTEER REGISTRATION FORM

Name *

Telephone Number *

ADDRESS *

INDICATE TYPE OF MEMBERSHIP (BRONZE, SILVER, GOLD, OR PLATINUM), SPONSORSHIP (GENERAL, FRIEND, ALLY, OR CHAMPION), OR VOLUNTEERSHIP ( ADMINISTRATIVE OR FIELD OPERATIONS) *

INDICATE AMOUNT OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP FEE OR DONATION *

SIGNATURE *

JOIN US TODAY AND BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION

STUDENT REGISTRATION FORM

Parent/Guardian Name *

PARENT/ GUARDIAN ADDRESS *

PARENT/GUARDIAN TELEPHONE NUMBER *

Student's Name *

Name Of Student's School *

Address Of Student's School *

Student's Age *

Student's Grade Level *

Consent, Permission, Acknowledgement, And Acceptance (consent for student participation, permission to verify grades, acknowledgement of duty to provide report cards, and acceptance of Honorary Memberships for student and parent/guardian) *

UPCOMING EVENT

🏈🎇🏈🎆🏈🎇🏈🎆🏈🎇🏈🎆 🏈

MADDEN NFL 25 ROOKIE, PRO, ALL-PRO,AND ALL- MADDEN CHALLENGE

🏈🎇🏈🎆🏈🎇🏈🎆🏈🎇🏈🎆🏈

💥🏈💥 IT'S GAME TIME 💥🏈💥

1) Registration Period : October 15th, 2025 through November 30th, 2025.

2) Contest Dates : December 1st, 2025 through December 30, 2025.

3) Location: Generally, all contests will be held at one or more branches of the Enoch Pratt Free Library system when space is available. The exact location will be posted on our website two weeks before the start of any contest. In the event that space is not available at a library location, another location will be announced two weeks before the start of any contest via our website.

4) Times of Events: 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays); 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Saturdays).

5) Eligibility : Must be a Honorary Student Member of The Philo Sophia Academic Association in grades 4 -12.

6) Contest Rules : The rules governing the contest shall be as follows:

(a) Contestants shall choose their own teams.

(b) 5 minutes shall be the amount of time alloted per quarter for grades 4-6; 6 minutes for grades 7-9; and 7 minutes for grades 10-12

(c) Each contest shall consist of four quarters.

(d) No halftimes.

( e) Game difficulty settings shall be as follows: Rookie for grades 4-6; Pro for grades 7-8; All-Pro for grades 9-10; and All-Madden for grades 11-12.

(f) Contestants will compete against each other until the final four contestants from each grade group is determined. The last two contestants from each grade group shall be awarded the 1st and 2nd place prizes. The two remaining contestants shall compete against each other for the 3rd and 4th place prizes.

(g) In the event of a tie, the contestant with the highest margin of victory shall be declared the winner. Otherwise, if a tie cannot be resolved in the aforesaid manner, both contestants shall move on to the next round. However, if ties occur among the final four contestants and cannot be settled using the aforesaid method, the contestants shall share either the 1st and 2nd Place or the 3rd and 4th place prizes equally.

7) Grade Groups: The grade groups of the participants are as follows:

4-6
7-8
9-10
11-12

8) Parent/Guardian/Authorized Adult Presence: Contestants 15 or younger shall be accompanied by a parent, guardian, or authorized adult whose name the parent or guardian shall list on the parent/guardian/student registration form. Id will be required to verify relationship to student.

9) Prizes : 100% of the total amount of funds in each grade group's MADDEN NFL 25 ROOKIE, PRO, ALL-PRO, and ALL- MADDEN CHALLENGE ACCOUNT will be awarded as prize money in the following manner to the winners of each age group:

50% - 1st Place
25% - 2nd Place
15% - 3rd Place
10% - 4th Place

10) Form of Prize Money: All winners will receive certified or cashier's checks in the names of the student and his or her parent/guardian.

11) Judges: All winners of each round will be declared by members of our Association assigned to be judges.

12) Resolution Of Disputes: All disputes must be reported to the supervising judge who shall attempt to resolve it. In the event that the supervising judge does not resolve the dispute, the supervising judge shall submit the dispute to the Association's Executive Board and the board shall resolve it by a majority vote within 24 hours of the date that they are notified of the dispute.

13) Conflict of Interest: All judges shall identify any contestant they know or is related to and refrain from voting in any contest that the contestant participates in.

🏈💥ARE YOU A CHAMPION ?💥🏈

MADDEN NFL 25 CHALLENGE

REGISTRATION FORM

Did Student Improve His Or Her Grades In Any Of The Applicable School Subjects? (Specify yes or no. If you answer no, the student is not entitled to the funds in his or her account for this quarter. If you answered yes, proceed)) *

Student's Name *

Parent, Guardian, Or Responsible Adult Name *

Specify Applicable Subjects Student Improved In

Specify The First And Second Quarter Grades For Each Subject You Indicated Above *

Request Release Of Student's Funds *

Parent, Guardian, Responsible Adult's Signature *

QUARERLY REPORT CARD GRADES

REGISTRATION FORM

UPCOMING EVENT

THE 2025-26 BALTIMORE CITY

TALENT BONANZA

Registration period is November 15th, 2025 through December 15th, 2025. Age groups are as follows:

5-8
9-12
13-15
16-18
19 or older

The rules, location, times, terms and conditions of participation, and prizes will be posted on our website on November 15th, 2025.

🎇 DANCERS 🎇 RAPPERS 🎇

🎇 SINGERS 🎇

🎇 COMEDIANS 🎇 ACTORS 🎇

🎇 MUSICIANS 🎇

🎇 MODELS 🎇 🎇POETS🎇

🎇AND MUCH, MUCH MORE! 🎇

🎆SINGLE PERFORMANCES🎆

🎇 DUO PERFORMANCES🎇

💥GROUP PERFORMANCES💥

🎇 AGES 5-6 🎇 AGES 7-8 🎇

🎇AGES 9-10 🎇Ages 11-12 🎇

🎇 AGES 13-14 🎇 🎇 AGES 15-16🎇

🎇 AGES 17-18 🎇 AGES 19-20 🎇

🎇 Ages 21-22 🎇

DO YOU HAVE TALENT?

CAN YOU ENTERTAIN PEOPLE?

. !!! PROVE IT !!!

UPCOMING EVENT

THE 2025-26 BALTIMORE CITY ACADEMIC BATTLE

Registration period is December 1st, 2025 through December 31st, 2025 . Locations, times, rules, terms and conditions of participation, and prizes will be posted on our website on December 1st, 2025.

WHATEVER YOUR MIND CAN CONCEIVE AND BELIEVE, IT CAN ACHIEVE

SUGGESTIONS,COMPLAINTS, AND CONTEST DISPUTES FORM

Name *

Address *

Telephone Number *

Email Address (optional) *

Suggestions *

Complaints *

Contest Disputes (must be reported to our Association within 24 hours of the date that the disputed contest ended) *

DISCLOSURE STATEMENTS

You may request a current copy of our Association' s financial statement via our contact information below. For the costs of copying and postage you may request copies of all documents and information submitted by the Association under the provisions of the Maryland Charitable Solicitations Act from the Office of the Maryland Secretary of State at 16 Francis Street #1, Annapolis, Maryland 21401. You may request a refund within 30 days of the date of your donation. Our Association will refund said donation within 10 days of the date of receipt of said request. The fact that the Philo Sophia Academic Association is registered with the Office of the Maryland Secretary of State does not mean or imply that the Secretary endorses the activities of our Association nor does the use of Enoch Pratt Free Library space mean or imply their endorsement of our Association's activities.

Association's Contact Information:

NAME: The Philo Sophia Academic Association

ADDRESS: 1400 W. Lombard Street, Unit 560, Baltimore MD 21223

TELEPHONE NUMBER: 443-721-3426

EMAIL ADDRESS: tpsaa747@gmail.com

WEBSITE: www.the-philo-sophia-academic-association.org

About us

The Philo Sophia Academic Association is a nonprofit organization based in Baltimore, Maryland that is dedicated to promoting academic excellence through engaging academic competitions, talent contests, and skill-based games. Our mission is to inspire and challenge participants to explore new horizons and expand their knowledge.

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