Saturday, April 25, 2015

Altadena NAACP’s ACT-SO Competition Takes Center Stage Sunday Afternoon

[Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story misidentified as contestants the list of judges. This has been corrected below. We apologize for this error — James Macpherson]

The NAACP Altadena branch’s Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) competition takes center stage Sunday at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E Altadena Drive, as talented local young people show their skills in a variety of activities, all part of a national competition.

This “Olympics of the Mind” event will extraordinary students who compete in 26 categories as varied as chemistry/biochemistry, entrepreneurship, mathematics, music composition, oratory, photography and playwriting.

Winners will participate in a national, judged event. Since 1998, more than 20 Altadena NAACP students have been ACT-SO National Metal winners.

Sunday’s show will start with a 2 p.m. luncheon at the Altadena Community Center before the awards ceremony starts at 3 p.m. guided by Master of Ceremonies Jesse Lewis.

The following are Judges for Sunday’s event:

MUSIC INSTRUMENTAL CLASSICAL Daniel Richardson; Jonathan Richards; Johnny Malone ORATORY Barbara Johnson; Fred Pippen; Mary Ann Stevenson POETRY SPOKEN Zeigler, John; Marcia Talbert FILMMAKING Robert DeOcampo; Fred Pippen; Rasheed Ali PHYSICS Christopher Richardson; John Zeigler MUSIC COMPOSITION Daniel Richardson; Jonathan Richards MUSIC VOCAL CONTEMPORARY Barbara Johnson; Alpha Snell; Stella Clingmon MUSIC INSTRUMENTAL CONTEMPORARY Johnny Malone; Jonathan Richards; Daniel Richardson DRAMATICS Barbara Johnson; Fred Pippen; Mary Ann Stevenson BIOLOGY Sasha Jones; Dr. Jackie Jacobs PHOTOGRAPHY, DRAWING AND PAINTING Rasheed Ali; Richard Procello,; Gene Stevenson ESSAY, PLAYWRITING, POETRY AND SHORT STORY Zeigler, John; Christina Bentely; Marcia Talbert COMPUTER SCIENCE Ben Brown; Gil Roberts.

Among the supporters of Sunday’s event are Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich; Assemblyman Chris Holden;  Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance; Rotary Club of Altadena; Altadena NANM (National Assoc. of Negro Musicians); Walmart; Capital Group; Judy Matthews in memory of Jason Mitchell Matthews; ACT-SO Alum Irving Myers, Esq. grandfather of Michael McTaggart; ACT-SO Alum Paul and Cynthia Roye.

The ACT-SO Committee is headed again by Wilberta Richardson and includes Ilene Clingmon; Andrea Mills; Phyllis Harris; Angelica Reid; Barbara Johnson; Nate Haynes; Virtrice Nolan; Barbara Bigby Pamela Burton; Brittany Johnson; and Daniel Richardson.

For information to find out how you may become involved with ACT-SO, please call Wilberta Richardson, ACT-SO chair (626) 222-2189, or contact us at P.O. Box 6547, Altadena, CA 91103.