Welcome to The Philo Sophia Academic Association
Executive Director: Kevin Smith
Asst. Executive Director: Mekia Butler
Treasurer : Katherine Thomson
Secretary: Serenity Miller
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) proficient 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;
- 55.2% of Morgan State University students failed to graduate in 2024;
- 74% of Coppin State University students failed to graduate in 2024;
- 76% of the University of Baltimore students failed to graduate in 2024;
- 40% or more of the students enrolled in the Baltimore City Public School system live below the Federal Poverty Level.
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. We at The Philo Sophia Academic Association believe that we can improve those disheartening failure rates if we can make school appealing and rewarding to our children, and that we can make school appealing and rewarding by providing 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 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 manage the Project, which will be administered under the following guidelines:
1) ELIGIBILITY: Participants must be enrolled in a Baltimore City Public School and be in grades 4 - 12.
2) MEMBER AND NON-MEMBER SPONSORSHIPS: Member and non-member sponsors shall select one or more students to sponsor.
3) STUDENT ACCOUNTS: The Association shall establish internal accounts in the names of each student selected by a member or non-member sponsor. The membership fees and monthly dues of member-sponsors, and the contributions of non-member-sponsors, shall be used as follows:
(a) 50% shall be placed in the sponsored student's account and be distributed as follows if the student demonstrates grade improvements in one or more of the applicable school subjects:
- One Grade Improvement = 35%;
- Two Grade Improvements = 40%;
- Three Grade Improvements = 45%
- Four Grade Improvements= 50%.
(b) 5% shall be used to fund the MADDEN NFL 25 ROOKIE PRO ALL-PRO AND ALL-MADDEN CHALLENGE;
(c) 5% shall be used to fund THE 2025 BALTIMORE CITY TALENT BONANZA;
(d) 5% shall be used to fund THE 2025 BATTLE OF THE YOUNG SCHOLARS; and
(e) subject to change by The Philo Sophia Academic Association's Executive Board, 35% shall be retained by The Philo Sophia Academic Association to cover the administrative and operational costs of the Project, and the funding of future programs associated with our Educational and Charitable purposes as set forth in our Association's Articles of Association.
4) DURATION OF PROJECT: The Project shall begin on the date that the second quarter of the 2025 school year starts and covers the second, third, and fourth quarters of the school year.
5) MEANING OF GRADE IMPROVEMENT: To demonstrate an objective and measurable improvement in their grades, students must ascend the following ladder of grades from the bottom to the top:
- 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
Thus, a F grade student must achieve a D- grade; a D- grade student must achieve a D grade; a D grade student must achieve a D+ grade; a D+ grade student 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, will 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
- Math
- Social Studies
- Science
7) PARENTAL/GUARDIAN CONSENT: Parental or guardian consent shall be obtained for a student to participate in the Project and its associated special events. Said consent shall be reported on The Philo Sophia Academic Association's Parent/Guardian Consent Form.
8) PARENTAL/GUARDIAN OBLIGATIONS REGARDING REPORT CARDS: All parents and guardians are required to provide a copy of their child's report cards within 3 days after the issuance of each quarterly report card. Failure to do so shall result in the disqualification of the student, except for good cause, which will be determined by our Association's Executive Board. If a student is disqualified for this reason, the funds in the student's account will remain in the account and be made available to the student in the following quarter if his or her parent or guardian sends a copy of the report card to us and he or she demonstrates the required progress. Parents and guardians shall also give our Association permission to contact Baltimore City school officials to verify the student's grades as reported on the report card we receive from the parent or guardian.
9) PAYMENT METHODS OF PRIZE FUNDS: All prize money will be awarded in the form of a certified or cashier's check. The checks shall contain the names of the participants and their respective parents or guardians if they are age 15 or younger.
10) DISPUTES: All disputes shall be reported to the Association within 24 hours of the occurrence of the circumstances that are the basis of the dispute, and shall be resolved by a majority vote of our Association's Executive Board within 24 hours of notice of said dispute. All decisions are final.
11) CONFLICT OF INTEREST: Board members shall disclose that they are related to, or know, any student involved in a dispute, and shall recuse him or her self from voting in said dispute.
(12) MEMBERSHIP TYPES, FEES, AND BENEFITS:
Student Membership - Free for all eligible students:
- Students shall be admitted to free membership, and be exempt from paying membership fees and monthly dues.
- Free participation in the following special events sponsored by our Association in conjunction with PROJECT VESTED INTEREST:
- THE MADDEN NFL 25 ROOKIE, PRO, ALL-PRO, and ALL-MADDEN CHALLENGE;
- THE 2025 BALTIMORE CITY TALENT BONANZA; and,
- THE 2025 BATTLE OF THE YOUNG SCHOLARS.
Bronze Membership - $10.00:
- May sponsor one student ;
- May attend the Association's Annueal Dinner.
- One free ticket when raffles are held.
Silver Membership - $20.00:
- May sponsor two students;
- May attend the Association's Annual Dinner;
- May attend all events sponsored by the Association free of charge;
- Three free tickets when raffles are held.
Gold Membership: - $30.00:
- May sponsor four students;
- May attend the Association's Annual Dinner;
- May attend all events sponsored by the Association free of charge;
- Name recognition on our website;
- Six free tickets when raffles are held.
Platinum Membership: $50.00:
- May sponsor six students;
- May attend the Association's Annual Dinner;
- May attend all events sponsored by the Association free of charge;
- Name recognition on our website;
- Free refreshments, food, and non-alcoholic beverages;
- Ten free tickets when raffles are held.
13) SPONSORSHIP TYPES, CONTRIBUTIONS, AND BENEFITS: Non-member sponsors shall be grouped as follows:
General Sponsor: $5.00
- May sponsor as many students as they desire ($2.50 per student after the first student);
- One free ticket per student sponsored when raffles are held.
Friend of Education Sponsor: $10.00
- May sponsor as many students as they desire ($5.00 per student after the first student)
- Two free tickets per student sponsored when raffles are held;
- Name recognition on our website.
Ally of Education Sponsor: $15.00
- May sponsor as many students as they desire ($7.50 per student after the first student)
- Three free tickets per student sponsored when raffles are held;
- Name recognition on our website;
- May attend the Association's Annual Dinner.
Champion of Education Sponsor: $20.00
- May sponsor as many students as they desire ($10.00 per student after the first student);
- Four free tickets per student sponsored when raffles are held;
- Name recognition on our website;
- May attend the Association's Annual Dinner;
- Free admission to all special events sponsored by the Association.
14) DONOR TYPES, DONATIONS, AND BENEFITS:
General Donor: $1-5.00
- Name recognition on our website;
Educational Donor: $6-10
- Name recognition on our website;
- One free ticket when raffles are held.
Educational and Chartable Donor: $11.00-15.00
- Name recognition on our website;
- Three free tickets when raffles are held;
Supporter of Philo Sophia Donor: $16-20.00
- Name recognition on our website;
- Five free tickets when raffles are held;
- May attend the Association's Annual Dinner.
VOLUNTEER TYPES AND BENEFITS: $0.00
Administrative Volunteers ( management):
- Entitled to all the benefits of a Platinum Membership.
Field Operations Volunteers:
- Entitled to all the benefits of a Gold Membership.
JOIN US TODAY
AND HELP MAKE A CHANGE
MEMBER, SPONSOR, DONOR,
AND VOLUNTEER FORM
CURRENT EVENT
🏈🎇🏈🎆🏈🎇🏈🎆🏈🎇🏈🎆🏈🎇🏈🎆🏈
MADDEN NFL 25 ROOKIE, PRO, ALL-PRO,
AND ALL-MADDEN CHALLENGE
🏈🎇🏈🎆🏈🎇🏈🎆🏈🎇🏈🎆🏈🎇🏈🎆🏈
💥🏈💥 IT'S GAME TIME 💥🏈💥
1) Registration Period : September 1, 2025 through September 30th, 2025.
2) Contest Dates : October 1, 2025 through October 31, 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. In the event that space is not available, 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); 4: p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (Fridays); 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (Saturdays); and 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Sundays).
5) Eligibility : All contestants shall be 9 years old or older, or enrolled 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 ages 9-12; 6 minutes for ages 13-16; and 7 minutes for ages 17-19.
(c) Each contest shall consist of four quarters per game.
(d) No halftimes.
( e) Game difficulty settings shall be as follows: Rookie for ages 9-12; Pro for ages 13-14; All-Pro for ages 15-16; and All-Madden for ages 17-18.
(f) Contestants will compete against each other until the final four contestants from each age group is determined. The last two contestants from each age 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 contestants with the highest margins of victory shall be declared the winners. 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) Age Groups: The age groups of the participants are as follows:
- 9-10
- 11-12
- 13-14
- 15-16
- 17-18
8) Parent/Guardian/Authorized Adult Presence: Contestants 14 or younger shall be accompanied by a parent, guardian, or authorized adult whose name the parent or guardian shall list on the parent/guardian consent form. Id will be required to verify relationship to student.
9) Prizes : 100% of the total amount of funds in THE MADDEN NFL 25 ROOKIE, PRO, ALL-PRO, and ALL- MADDEN CHALLENGE 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.
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 majority vote.
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 ? 💥🏈💥
UPCOMING EVENT
THE BALTIMORE CITY TALENT BONANZA
Registration period is September 15th, 2025 through October 15th, 2025. Age groups are as follows:
- 9-10
- 11-12
- 13-14
- 15-16
- 17-18
The rules, terms and conditions of participation, and prizes will be posted on our website on September 10th, 2025.
🎇 DANCING 🎆 RAPPING 🎆 SINGING 🎇
🎆 COMEDY 🎇 ACTING 🎇 INSTRUMENTS 🎇
MODELING 🎆 POETRY 🎇 AND MUCH, MUCH MORE 🎆
!
🎆SINGLE PERFORMANCES🎆
. 🎇 DUO PERFORMANCES🎇
💥GROUP PERFORMANCES💥
🎇 AGES 9-10🎆AGES 11-12🎆 AGES 13-14🎇
💥 AGES 15-16💥 💥AGES 17-18💥
DO YOU HAVE TALENT?
CAN YOU ENTERTAIN PEOPLE?
IF YOU ANSWERED YES TO EITHER OF THOSE QUESTIONS, PROVE IT !!!
UPCOMING EVENT
THE 2025 BATTLE OF THE YOUNG SCHOLARS
Registration period is October 15th, 2025 through November 15th, 2025 and contest dates are November 16th, 2025 through December 16th, 2025. Location, time, rules, terms and conditions of participation, and prizes will be posted on our website on October 10, 2025.
WHATEVER YOUR MIND CAN CONCEIVE AND BELIEVE, IT CAN ACHIEVE
DISCLOSURE STATEMENTS
You may request a copy of our Association' s current 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 solicitation activities of our Association.
Association's Contact Information:
NAME: The Philo Sophia Academic Association
ADDRESS: 1400 W. Lombard Street, Unit 560, Baltimore MD 21223
TELEPHONE NUMBER: 443-842-9786
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.