The Panther Post
Monday, March 11, 2024
DPHS Community Member,

CONGRATULATIONS to our DP Girls Varsity Basketball team, which has won the state championship the last three years in a row! The Lady Panthers returned to states in Lakeland this past weekend winning both of their Final Four games. On Friday, they played against Winter Haven and won 47-43 in a hard fought victory after being down by 14 points in the second half. (Orlando Sentinel - "Dr. Phillips rallies to repeat as FHSAA girls basketball state champions" by J.C. Carnahan.) Then on Saturday, they played against the Colonial Grenadiers, the first time two City of Orlando schools competed for the girls basketball state championship with the Panthers winning the 2024 Class 7A state championship 53-46 in Lakeland. (Orlando Sentinel - "Dr. Phillips, Colonial clash to the wire in historic 7A girls basketball championship game" by Bill Kemp.)
Our Lady Panthers celebrate after three-peating as the FHSAA Class 7A state champions on Saturday at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.
Dr. Phillips girls basketball team celebrates its championship. This championship also capped a 20-game winning streak to end the season. (Photo: Willie Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel).
After Saturday's state championship victory Dr. Phillips head coach Anthony Jones said, “It is satisfying because of all the hard work we put in. It came to fruition right now. All the things we went through, I am just double proud of my players right now.”
If you happen to see any members of our State Champion Girls Basketball team this week, please take a moment to congratulate them on their awesome achievement. It's one thing to win the state championship in the 3rd largest state in the country vs. top US basketball programs even once, but doing so three consecutive years in a row, is truly remarkable! 

On Monday, March 11th, we will be running a modified bell schedule to allow students time to complete the student survey, which combined with our parent and staff surveys allows us to make changes to the school that reflect what is voiced by our school community. Please talk to your student about the importance of answering this survey in an honest and respectful manner.
Monday, March 11
Modified Bell Schedule:
As a reminder (if this applies to your household), please invest a few minutes to complete our 2024 Parent Survey today. We need a good number of parent/guardian responses in order to help us with our school improvement planning. Thank you for reading and Panthers, take advantage of these last four days before you leave on spring break. Stay goal-oriented and remember: 'No matter how you feel, always get up, dress up, and show up. But never give up!'

DP Panthers—Never Less Than The Best!

Jackie Ramsey
Principal
Panther Spotlight!
Resiliency Summit
On February 24th, representatives from Dr. Phillips attended the OCPS Resiliency Summit where students learn to develop and strengthen positive coping skills and resiliency. Students engaged in interactive workshops and heard from powerful community leaders who empowered them to take an active role in their mental wellness and share what they learned with their families and peers. In attendance was Bianca Pierre, Jamanie Joseph, Pamela Plata, Nehemie Nichoas, Aniyah Goudou, Milani Ellis, Zaniya Allen, and Kharymel Walker. ~ Mrs. Bynum, Sponsor
DP Business Partner
Mardi Gras celebrations continue at Universal Orlando through April 7th!
Dates in this Issue
Month of March Themes:
Mar. 10: Daylight Saving Time - Set clocks ahead 1 hour
Mar. 11: Start of 'Ro Sham Bo' - See StuCo below for details
Mar. 11: Last day of 'Kiss a Senior Good-Bye' - See StuCo below for details
Mar. 12: StuCo Interest Meeting, after school in room 3-103
Mar. 14: Deadline for Grad Bash forms and full payment
Mar. 14: Deadline for OTC applications
Mar. 14: Spring Pep Rally - Wear your Class Colors!
Mar. 15: Teacher Workday/Student Holiday
Mar. 18-22: Spring Break
Mar. 29: Deadline for StuCo applications
Apr. 13: Grad Bash at Universal
Apr. 27: Prom 2024 - 'A Night of Enchantment'
Weekly Club Feature
Robotics
2024 Family Survey
4th Quarter Testing
Prom
Tutoring
Looking for help in one of your core classes? See below for a list of tutoring opportunities!
AP students! Looking for help in your classes? Please see below for a list of tutoring opportunities:
Seniors, Seniors, Seniors
Cap and Gown
Have you ordered your cap and gown yet? If not, you may wish to place your order soon as prices will continue to rise! You can even make a down payment, and pay it off in installments. Go to herfforlando.com or call 407-647-4373 to order yours. If you need brochures or have questions, see Ms. Golub in room 2-210 or Mrs. Wells in 2-205.
Grad Bash
ALL Grad Bash tickets must be paid in full before 3/24.AND all agreement forms must be signed and returned by 3/25.
Yearbook Pricing
College and Career
From Mrs. Ewing, College and Career Specialist
Valencia College assistance events this week:
UCF Campus Showcase:
National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation:
Please note: Scholarship Application deadline March 15, 2024
 
The Orlando (FL) Chapter of Chums, Incorporated offers one time $1,000.00 scholarships annually to deserving female students of African descent (African American, Black, Afro-Caribbean) heading to college. Our Scholarship Committee is looking for well-rounded students who have an expressed financial need, demonstrate academic achievement, leadership skills, and involvement in a variety of school, community and extracurricular activities. The Orlando Chums Memorial Scholarship is dedicated in memory of deceased members of the Orlando Chapter of Chums, Incorporated. Local applications will also be considered for a Chums, Incorporated Founders’ National Scholarship with awards up to $5000.00. Attached is the 2024 Scholarship Application Package.
The Orlando Chapter of Chums, Incorporated is a non-profit 501c3 organization that provides opportunities for women to use their many talents in service to the community. The organization promotes civic, cultural, educational, and social improvement. An ancillary focus of the organization is to enrich the lives of children.

Center for International Studies Magnet
On Tuesday, February 27, the Center for International Studies Magnet program took the CIS Sophomores and several non-CIS students to four different religious sites around the city, introducing students to religions and religious practices they may have never learned of before.

The day started at Wat Florida Dhammaram, where students met the head Monk of this Buddhist Temple, meditated, learned about Buddhism, and explored the various shrines and pagodas. Students then traveled to Jama Masjid, a home and familiar site for many students from DP. Students curiously learned about Islam from the Imam and a DPHS alumni! We even got to see how the construction of the new Mosque was going, exciting us for the chance to see the building in its glory next year! Students then enjoyed a delicious meal from Taste of Punjab, an Indian restaurant owned by the fantastic Chottani family! Tune in to the next Panther Post to hear about the second half of the field trip.

Students and chaperones loved the first half of the day. Here’s what they said about:

The Buddhist Temple
● “I liked the temple a lot. We were very welcomed and the presentation was informational. I loved the meditation session, it was very relaxing and it was a time to calm the mind.”
● “I adored every minute. The art was beautiful. I had no idea that such beauty was in our own backyard. I thought that the presenter /monk explained things well.”
● “I enjoyed it very much, the meditation was the perfect way to start the trip. It helped me keep an open mind, and the environment was very beautiful.”

The Islamic Mosque
● “The mosque will always be my favorite. I go to this mosque quite frequently, but for an odd reason, I looked at it in a different way this time. I knew all the facts that they were giving out, but yet I saw them in a different perspective this time. I also enjoyed walking into the new mosque that's under construction and think that it is very beautiful. The Imam and the guy talking both sounded extremely educated and you could tell they knew what they were talking about.”
● “Extremely well presented and I left knowing more about the religion and traditions of Islam than I had come in with. New Mosque looks like it will be beautiful.”
● “The whole presentation itself was amazing. He really went into depth about the religion and answered some question that the others had.”

Lunch from Taste of Punjab
● “AWESOME! So delicious and tasty without the spice. They also took into account nut allergies and non-dairy diets by providing alternatives. There was plenty of food for students to get seconds and EVERYONE got seconds. Thank you to the Chottani family for their contributions in making this one of the student's favorite field trips.”
● “The food was DELICIOUS. I was nervous about the food being spicy. But kept an open mind and ended up loving everything!!”
● “The lunch was delicious. I liked the naan and I liked how everything was vegetarian.”
Above and below, students listen intently as they are led in a meditation in the main temple of the Buddhist complex and happily take photos with the Monk.
Above and below, students listen to a traditional Islamic prayer, beautifully sung by one of the volunteer presenters. We then gather for a group photo in the main room of the new Mosque.
Lastly, students and chaperones enjoy the Taste of Punjab lunch, served by volunteers from the Mosque, along with teachers and chaperones!
Dance
Travel Company performed ‘Caliente’ at the OCPS dance Gala hosted by DPHS over the weekend, choreographed by alumni Ariaghna Parilla Rey
Two weeks ago, DPHS Dance had a week-long Residency with Emily Cordell from Texas creating works for Elements Concert:
Level 4 with Guest Artist Emily Cordell creating a modern piece
Level 3 with guest Artist Emily Cordell creating a ballet piece
Level 2 with guest Artist Emily Cordell creating a jazz piece
Speech & Debate
Over the weekend of March 2nd-3rd, two of our Speech & Debate students competed in the Florida Forensics League (FFL) Varsity State Championship Tournament. Senior Megan McAvoy made it to the top 40 competitors from around the state in the event known as Impromptu, a challenging event where students have 7 minutes to plan and give a speech on a topic they choose during the round, without any preparation or research beforehand.

Junior Tristan Voss (photos below) made it all the way to the Quarterfinals for the event known as Lincoln-Douglass (LD) Debate. In this event, he went head-to-head with students from around the state, debating the merits of a rehabilitative vs retributive justice system. Tristan even won against the eventual champion of the tournament, before the elimination rounds started!
The team coach, Mr. Chmielewski, and assistant coach, Ms. Bezold, are incredibly proud of both of these students, and the hard work and dedication of the rest of the team. We look forward to their continued growth and successes in the remaining tournaments of this year!
Black History Month Highlights
Black History Month has come to end, but here is a recap of our month’s events: BHM parade, Spirit Week, fashion show, 50 years of Hip-Hop Trivia, Black Student Union cookout, and the culminating event, The Black History Showcase. Thank you for your continued support!
Black History Month Showcase
Black History Month Showcase
Black Student Union cookout
Black Student Union cookout
Black Student Union informative board during lunch
Black History Month Spirit Week
Black History Month Spirit Week
Black History Month Spirit Week
Black History Month Spirit Week
Art Competition
Congratulations to ALL 22 DP artists (see below) who chose to compete in the 2024 Central Florida Fair Youth Creative Arts Competitions!!!

● 25 first place 
● 13 second place 
● 11 third place 
● 46 honorable mentions

GRAND TOTAL: 95 Artwork Awards
*** Special art events for the month of March ***
Orange County Library System - 'Women in the Arts Expo' (March 30):
The Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival - 'Leon Theodore Schools Exhibit' (March 15, 16, 17):
Panther Athletics
This Week in Panther Athletics:
Thank you DP Athletic Trainers and Coach Quinn!
The month of March is National Athletic Training Month. We want to take a moment to recognize our school Athletic Trainer, Coach Quinn. Coach Quinn does an amazing job supporting our athletes and training a fantastic group of students. Her and her team are there bandaging athletes, checking their vitals, and ready to step in if anything happens. We are so lucky to have Coach Quinn as a Panther! Thank you for all that you do!
Athletics Department Contacts:
Athletics Director: Jason McDaniel - [email protected]
Head Athletic Trainer: Courtney Quinn - [email protected]
Instagram: @panterzonedphs
StuCo
DPHS Never Less Than The Best!
Ms. Ramsey, Principal
Dr. Phillips High School 
Sunday, March 10, 2024
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Dr. Phillips High School
6500 Turkey Lake Road,
Orlando, FL 32819
Phone 407-355-3200
Fax 407-355-3288