St. Paul Central High School creating scholarship in Philando Castile's honor

The St. Paul Central High School Foundation is creating a scholarship to honor graduate Philando Castile, who was fatally shot by a St. Anthony police officer last month. Alumni will host the first fundraiser Sunday for the scholarship, which will go to a Central student from an underprivileged background looking to pursue a career in education or child development.

With guidance from Castile's family, members of the 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2005 classes organized the Sunday fundraiser.

"[Castile] worked at a school, didn't have his education license, but he definitely affected children, so we'd like someone to work on what he was: helping students," said Adrian Perryman, a 2003 Central alum helping coordinate the gathering.

Construction at the high school ruled out having the event on its grounds, so alums pooled their resources to find space through the Parks and Recreation department. Graduates were contacted to perform live music and theatrical skits.

Up to 1,000 people are expected to attend the family-friendly event, held from 2 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Dunning Recreation Center, located next to the high school. The public is also welcome and should RSVP at centralhonorsphilando.splashthat.com.

The free event will offer food, raffle prizes, community tables and activities for kids. All net proceeds will go directly to the scholarship fund, run by the St. Paul Central High School Foundation, a nonprofit.

The amount of money raised will determine whether the scholarship can continue annually.

Castile, 32, graduated from Central in 2001 and went on to work in food service for St. Paul Public Schools. The Robbinsdale resident was killed by officer Jeronimo Yanez during a July 6 traffic stop. The shooting's aftermath was streamed live by Castile's girlfriend.

His death spurred weeks of protests in the Twin Cities and beyond, calling for the officer to be charged.

Liz Sawyer • 612-673-4648