Duarte Senior Center to Host Pasadena NAACP’s Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics Competition

The Pasadena Branch of the NAACP will for the second year participate in a local competition of the NAACP’s Afro Academic Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) for African-American youth, and Duarte again will play a major role in this national youth enrichment project.
ACT-SO, founded in 1978 by renowned author and journalist Vernon Jarrett, is an enrichment program designed to recruit, stimulate, improve and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among those self-identifying as African-American high school students. There are 25 categories of competition in the sciences, humanities, performing and visual arts.
The local competition will take place at the Duarte Senior Center on April 28. More than 50 students from throughout the San Gabriel Valley are expected to compete in categories including biology, math, original essay, poetry, entrepreneurship, computer science, chemistry, physics, oratory, dance, dramatics, musical instrumental classic/contemporary, vocal, photography, painting and drawing.
High school students of African American descent, who are citizens of the United States, enrolled in grades 9-12 and are amateurs in the categories of competition are invited to participate. Youth who achieve a gold medal in their category will proceed to compete in the Nationals to be held in July during the 103rd NAACP Convention in Houston, Texas.
Duarte Teen Center Director, Marilyn Mays, who once served as president and executive administrator of the NAACP in Eugene, Oregon where she oversaw the ACT-SO program for eight years, has been named to chair the Pasadena NAACP’s ACT-SO competition. Duarte Deputy City Manager, Karen Herrera, Duarte Public Safety Crime Prevention Specialist, Aida Torres and former Duarte Mayor, Lois Gaston are co-chairs.
The ACT-SO program is intended to be a learning experience. The focus is on enrichment and mentorship. Students work with ACT-SO volunteer mentors who are professionals in their field who serve as coaches in promoting academic and artistic excellence among African-American youth. Famous ACT-SO alumni in the performing arts include John Singleton, Kanye West, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Roy Hargrove, Michael Bard, and Anthony Anderson.
Students interested in participating in the ACT-SO competition and adult professionals interested in serving as a volunteer mentor can still contact Marilyn Mays (626) 303-0863, ext. 402, Aida Torres at (626) 359-5671, ext. 316, or Karen Herrera, (626) 357-7931, ext. 221.

More from Monrovia Weekly