NAACP ACT-SO competition puts students to the test
‘Olympics of the Mind’ shows what African American youth can do
The NAACP’s Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) is a year-long achievement program designed to recruit, stimulate, and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among African American high school students.
ACT-SO includes 26 categories of competition in the sciences, humanities, business, as well as the performing and visual arts.
ACT-SO, often referred to as the “Olympics of the Mind,” seeks to promote the following among high school students of African American descent: self-esteem, positive interaction between youth and the adult professional community, academic and artistic excellence, and cultural achievement.
ACT-SO is rooted in the firm conviction that African American students can succeed and compete at the same or superior levels as their counterparts across this nation and abroad. The mission of the event is to reward African American youth who exemplify scholastic and artistic excellence.
To prepare for the competition, students work with mentors who help them develop projects throughout the year and some programs also provide students with workshops, tutorials, and field trips.
During the local level of the annual competition, students compete against one another in up to three of the 26 categories. Students receive gold, silver and bronze medals, and first place finishers go on to the national competition.
The Beverly/Hollywood Branch of the NAACP hosts their ACT-SO competition March 19, at Hamilton High School, and the deadline for application submission is March 6.
The competition application as well as the subject guidelines can be found on the organizations website www.beverlyhillshollywoodnaacp.org.
For more information on the other local chapters hosting a competition, contact (323) 464-7616.
The Los Angeles Unified School District board voted Tuesday 5-2 to adopt the School Climate Bill of Rights, which consists of a resolution that bans “willful defiance” suspensions and directs LAUSD to enact common-sense approaches to school discipline and expand programs that support all students in becoming healthy, thriving adults.
Nearly 500 people turned out Saturday for a town hall discussion on the status of Black children in California’s public education and system.
The event, sponsored by Congresswoman Karen Bass, D-Calif., was held at Audubon Middle School in the Crenshaw District and drew people ranging from high school students attending local campuses, to former school district superintendents, to educational professionals, to parents to concerned community stakeholders.
African American students achieve at a different level than White students. Test scores are lower, as are high school and college completion rates, and the number of African Americans attending four-year institutions is falling. The rate of African American suspensions and expulsions from K-12 schools is higher than that of other groups. By almost any metric, there are gaps between African American students and White or Asian students (Latinos achieve at about the same rate as African Americans).
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority will hold its 61st western regional conference Friday, April 19, to Sunday, April 21, under the theme “Uniting Communities for Growth, Partnerships and Service.” The event will be held at the Torrance Marriott South Bay Hotel at 3635 Fashion Way in Torrance.
The community is invited to attend the free public meeting on Friday, April 19, 7:30 - 9 p.m., which will highlight the sorority’s activities around the world.
The Watts-Willowbrook Conservatory (WWC) and youth orchestra begins its fourth year, serving youngsters from the South Los Angeles/Watts/Compton area.
Beginners, intermediate and advanced students are welcome to participate in the program, and youth must be ages 7-18 to participate in the 10-week session. The cost is a $10 registration fee, and instruments are available for loan.
April 18 is the final day to sign up for the new session.
Enrollment applications available at The Watts-Willowbrook Boys and Girls Club.
