Black Arts and Culture
Area II NAACP ACT-SO Olympians Bring Home The Gold
HAMPTON ROADS
Six local Area II NAACP ACT-SO competitors at the National NAACP Convention returned home as gold medal winners in the 39th Annual National ACT-SO Competition.
They join the prestigious rank of Area II winners (Gold, Silver or Bronze medalists) on the national level for the past eight consecutive years. Area II which comprises NAACP branches in Chesapeake, Isle of Wight, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach has had 16 winners during its 33 years of national competition.
The 39th Annual National ACT-SO competition and Awards Ceremony was held in Baltimore, Md. July 20-23. ACT-SO is an acronym for Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics. It is a yearlong enrichment program designed to recruit, stimulate, improve and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among African-American high school students.
The ACT-SO program centers on the dedication and commitment of community volunteers and business leaders who serve as mentors and coaches, promoting academic and artistic excellence among African-American students. There are 32 categories of competition which include the Humanities, Culinary Arts, Business, STEM, Performing and Visual Arts.
“We are extremely proud of six of our very own Local ACT-SO Olympians who recently participated at the National Competition,” says Glenda Moore, Area II Co-Chair. “This was certainly not an easy feat.’
The six local Olympians – Delvin Joppy, Raquion Braxton, Trequan Manning, Christian McClenny, Yasmine Scott, and Donte Thompson – were among 700 students who earned the honor to travel to Baltimore, Md. for this prestigious competition.
This year’s National Theme, Victory in Everything, embraces the resilience, resourcefulness, and reputation of ACT-SO’s legendary leaders of yesterday in addition to its promise for tomorrow.
Moore said, “Without reservation, I can say each one of our ACT-SO contestants exemplifies victory! They gave performances that displayed true pride and accomplishment as they enthusiastically introduced their category selections.”
National ACT-SO Alums Cornelius Smith Jr, who currently stars as Marcus Walker on ABC’s Scandal, and Bresha Webb from the new show Marlon (NBC) hosted the Awards Ceremony, keeping the audience energized.
Trequan Manning and Delvin Joppy performed with the choir during the opening of the national ceremony. They helped provide the beautiful harmony of the Negro National Anthem when they participated as choir members and soloists for the 2017 National ACT-SO choir. Raquion Braxton also was one of the prologue speakers during the National Awards Ceremony.
Aundi Moore, Internationally Accomplished Operatic Soprano, served as a National Judge. She is an Area II ACT-SO Alumna, and was the 1998 NAACP ACT-SO Silver Medal National winner in the category of Vocal Classical and Bronze in Oratory.
Listed below are the names of local Area II NAACP ACT SO gold medal winners along with the names of their high schools which they proudly represented at the 39th Annual National ACT-SO Competition.
They are as follows:
Delvin Joppy, 2017 graduate of Indian River High School in Chesapeake, VA and the Governor’s School for the Arts, was awarded two gold medals in the area of Performing Arts: one in Music Vocal Classical and the other in Music Vocal Contemporary. This was his first national ACT-SO competition.
Trequan Manning, 2017 graduate of Green Run High School in Virginia Beach, VA was awarded the gold medal in the area of Performing Arts: Music Vocal Contemporary. He competed at the 2015 National competition in Philadelphia, PA and he competed at the 2016 National ACT-SO competition in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Donte Thompson, a rising junior at Churchland High School in Portsmouth, VA and the Governor’s School for the Arts, was awarded two gold medals in the area of Performing Arts: one in Music Vocal Classical and the other in Music Vocal Contemporary. This was his first national ACT-SO competition.
Christian McClenny, a rising senior at Churchland High School in Portsmouth, VA and the Governor’s School for the Arts, was awarded two gold medals in the area of Performing Arts: one in Music Vocal Classical and the other in Music Vocal Contemporary. This was his first national ACT-SO competition.
Raquion Braxton, 2017 graduate of Green Run High School in Virginia Beach, VA was awarded two gold medals in the area of Performing Arts: Dramatics and Oratory. This was his first national ACT-SO competition.
Yasmine Scott, 2017 graduate of Smithfield High School in Smithfield, VA was awarded the gold medal in the area of Performing Arts: Music Vocal Classical. This was her first national ACT-SO competition.
For more information, contact Lynette Wilson, ACT-SO Chair, at area2actsonetwork@gmail.com or (757) 582-6195.
