— Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological & Scientific Olympics —
abc27 is a proud sponsor of ACT-SO!
The NAACP’s Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) is a yearlong achievement program designed to recruit, stimulate, and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among 9-12 grade high school students of color in the Central Pennsylvania area.
The program recognizes and awards young people of color who have demonstrated academic and cultural achievement. Gold, silver, and bronze medals, along with cash awards, are awarded to winners in each of 29 categories of competition in the sciences, humanities, business, performing and visual arts, and local and national entrepreneurship/ culinary competitions. Winners of the competition from the Greater Harrisburg Area Chapter are eligible for awards at the finals during the NAACP national convention. Notable national winners include Alicia Keys, Kayne West, Anthony Anderson, Lauryn Hill, Jennifer Hudson, and Mae Jamison, the first black women to travel into space.
Greater Harrisburg Area NAACP ACT-SO begins with students registering for the program through December 2022. Then, students create and work on their chosen project through March with the competition on March 25, 2023. The program culminates with an awards ceremony on April 8, 2023 at Whitaker Center.
Eligibility: Students of African descent who are U.S. citizens enrolled in grades 9-12 and are amateur in their chosen categories are eligible to participate.
Register today! http://hbgactso.org/apply-online/
The mission of Greater Harrisburg Area NAACP Afro Academic, Cultural, Technological, & Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) is to overcome the vicious cycle of low scholastic expectations and achievement that plagues Black undeserved minority youth throughout Harrisburg; to strengthen Black high school students’ academic skills and inspire the confidence they will need to succeed as adults; and, to offer individualized academic mentorship and diverse enrichment activities, of which there is short supply in the Harrisburg public high schools.
https://hbgactso.org/our-mission/
Upcoming Dates
Dates TBA
The ACT-SO Winners’ Showcase is sponsored by Milton Hershey School
Congratulations to the 2021-2022 Greater Harrisburg Area NAACP ACTSO Virtual Competition winners!
Humanities
Poetry/Written
| Award | Grade | School | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | Junior | Bishop McDevitt | India Smith |
| Silver | Junior | Bishop McDevitt | Tsion Estifanos |
| Gold | Junior | Bishop McDevitt | Janice Baldwin |
Short Story
| Award | Grade | School | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | Senior | Milton Hershey | Martrecia Zoegar |
| Silver | Junior | Bishop McDevitt | Priscilla Smith |
| Gold | Freshman | HBG HS of Science & Tech | Amiliana Rivera |
Original Essay
| Award | Grade | School | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Sophomore | Steel High | Kaaba Murray |
Performing Arts
Music Vocal (Contemporary)
| Award | Grade | School | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | Junior | Milton Hershey | Tionna Williams |
| Silver | Senior | Central Dauphin | Ashale Bynon |
| Gold | Junior | Bishop McDevitt | Tsion Estifanos |
Classical Instrumental
| Award | Grade | School | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | Freshman | Milton Hershey | Veyda Ramos-Ramirez |
| Silver | Senior | Central Dauphin | Danneil Mubbala |
| Gold | Sophomore | Bishop McDevitt | Angel Gule |
Instrumental Contemporary
| Award | Grade | School | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | Senior | Central Dauphin | Danneil Mubbala |
Dance Ballet
| Award | Grade | School | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver | Junior | Milton Hershey | Sophia Lozada-Delzell |
Dance Contemporary
| Award | Grade | School | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver | Junior | Milton Hershey | Zhakyiah Parker |
| Gold | Sophomore | Milton Hershey | Jahree Payne |
Dance Traditional
| Award | Grade | School | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Junior | Milton Hershey | Tijesuni Ademuwagun |
Poetry Performance
| Award | Grade | School | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | Junior | Bishop McDevitt | India Smith |
| Gold | Junior | Bishop McDevitt | Janice Baldwin |
STEM
Medicine & Health
| Award | Grade | School | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Senior | PA Cyber Charter School | Madison Stokes |
Visual Arts
Painting
| Award | Grade | School | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Sophomore | HBG HS of Science & Tech | Geomarys Morales |
Photography
| Award | Grade | School | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Sophomore | HBG HS of Science & Tech | Geomarys Morales |
Business
Entrepreneurship
| Award | Grade | School | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | Senior | John Harris | Andy Sebastien Eustache |
ACTSO strives to continue the strong showing of our 2020-2021 program. With the support of the business community, the local competition judges, the area high schools, the parents, the ACTSO Committee members, the Harrisburg Mayor, Harrisburg City Council, Dauphin County Commissioners, State Representative and other stakeholders, ACTSO contestants made one of their strongest showings ever.
Learn more!
Interested In Sponsoring?
The organization can be contacted directly.