The Chicago Westside Branch of the NAACP sponsored 13 student members to compete in the National Competition of the Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics in Orlando July 30, August 4. ACT-SO is a program created by late Chicago journalist, Vernon Jarrett, consisting of 26 different categories in the areas of Science, Humanities, Performing Arts, Visual Arts and Business.
Some of the brightest and most talented African American high school students from across the nation, who won their local competitions in the spring, were assembled in Florida to vie for national honors.
The Chicago Westside Branch had three national winners: Terrence George, a senior at Lincoln Park High School who won a gold medal (first place) in the Science subcategory of Biology/Microbiology, with a project entitled Responses of Zea mays to Hypobaria and UVC-Implications for Lunar Greenhouse Utilization; Erik Clark, a 2008 graduate of King College Preparatory School, won a silver medal (second place) in Sculpture for a multi-cultural influenced mask; and Aeriel Robinson, a senior at Homewood-Flossmoor High School, won a gold medal in playwriting with an entry entitled "What Is My Heritage?"
“Young men and women might think that winning money and laptops are the main focus of the competition, but it is not. While on this trip, you may learn many of life’s lessons that will ultimately better you in the long run. One might learn how to manage time, communicate with others, interpersonal relationship skills, how to accept defeat or win gracefully while keep moving towards your goal,” Clark said.
| Members of the Chicago Westside NAACP at the airport before leaving to attend the national competition in Orlando. |
The Chicago Westside NAACP, 1140 North Lamon Avenue, boasts a mission of assisting and uplifting youth, especially those involved in ACT-SO.
The national competition had a lasting effect on the participating youth.
“ACT-SO makes you a better person. I cannot think of any other entity that can showcase, promote and inspire a soul the way this competition does. This is such an uplifting experience,” Robinson said.
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In main photo: The Chicago Westside NAACP had participants to win in this year's national ACT-SO competition. The winners (from left) are Aeriel Robinson, gold medal; Erik Clark, silver medal; and Terrence George, gold medal.
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