NAACP NYC ACT-SO Announces 2005 'Olympics of the Mind' Winners Gold Medallists Advance to National Competition in Milwaukee in July

The NAACP New York City chapter of the Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (NYC ACT-SO) announces 14 scholars have won gold medals in its 18th annual local Olympics of the Mind competition, and will advance to the national NAACP ACT-SO Olympics of the Mind to be held July 7-11 in Milwaukee (among 1,200 gold medallists from local competitions throughout the country).

New York, NY (PRWEB) May 1, 2005 – The NAACP New York City chapter of the Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (NYC ACT-SO) announces 14 scholars have won gold medals in its 18th annual local Olympics of the Mind competition, and will advance to the national NAACP ACT-SO Olympics of the Mind to be held July 7-11 in Milwaukee (among 1,200 gold medallists from local competitions throughout the country). This past Saturday, April 23, nearly 200 enthusiastic Black high school students, grades 9 to 12, from throughout New York City converged under one roof to showcase their talents in 25 categories spanning the humanities, performing arts, visual arts, and sciences at Manhattan’s Martin Luther King Jr. High School for the NAACP NYC ACT-SO Olympics of the Mind. Gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded Monday, April 25 during the competition’s Awards Ceremony at Con Edison, an event made possible through the generous support of Con Edison, edGenuiti Worldwide, Washington Mutual, and media partner WNBC-4/New York.

The 2005 NAACP NYC ACT-SO Gold Medallists are:
Pictured in Photo No. 1, left to right (Photo credit: Gerald Peart)
(Name – Category, High School) Eulado McFarlane – Architecture, Art and Design; Kathryn Jones - Painting, Edward R. Murrow; Jendayi Dukes - Photography, Art & Design HS; Monique Young - Drawing, Art & Design HS; Iman Pascall - Instrumental Contemporary, Science Skills Center; Daniel Mieszczanski – Original Essay, Fieldston High School; DeVette Taylor - Music Vocal/Classical, Talent Unlimited; Allen-Michael Brown – Playwriting, Clara Barton High School; Jason Herbert – Dance, Frederick Douglas Academy; Marie Fleuriot - Oratory, Edward R. Murrow; Geneva Johnson - Business, Health Professions HS; Bryan Pasian - Instrumental Classical and Filmmaking, LaGuardia HS; Latoya Devonish – Dramatics and Music vocal/Contemporary, LaGuardia Performing Arts; and Melissa Sutherland - Sculpture, Murry Bergtraum.

For the list of all medallists (gold, silver and bronze), call or email Nichell Taylor Bryant listed above.

Pictured in Photo No. 2, left to right (Photo credit: Gerald Peart)
Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-NY), 15th Congressional District; Barbara Richards, First Vice Chair of the NAACP NYC ACT-SO; Percy E. Sutton, Chairman Emeritus, Inner City Broadcasting Corporation; and Anton Tomlinson, Executive Director and Cofounder of NAACP NYC ACT-SO; at the 18th Annual NAACP NYC ACT-SO “Olympics of the Mind" Awards Ceremony, April 25, 2005 at Con Edison headquarters in Manhattan.

Presented with pageantry and excitement, the daylong NAACP NYC ACT-SO Olympics of the Mind competition offers students a singular experience and level of recognition that can greatly impact their lives long after high school. The top winners in each category received a gold medal with $500 in cash, a silver medal with $300, and/or a bronze medal with $200. At the national NAACP ACT-SO competition in Milwaukee, prizes are a gold medal with $2,000; silver with $1,500; and bronze with $1,000. Every national medallist also receives a fully-loaded laptop computer.

The NAACP NYC ACT-SO program is a 501(c) (3) volunteer organization funded by public and private donations. Founded in 1987 by Anton Tomlinson and Benjamin Duster IV, NYC ACT-SO is dedicated to promoting academic and cultural excellence among Black high school students. Its mission is to overcome the vicious cycle of low scholastic expectations and achievement that plagues minority communities throughout the city. More than 98 percent of NYC-ACT-SO students graduate from high school and 85 percent go on to college. Since its inception, NYC ACT-SO has mentored nearly 5,000 students through coaching sessions, the Olympics of the Mind, and other enrichment activities. NYC ACT-SO proudly carries on the legacy started by the late Vernon Jarrett, award-winning journalist, activist and founder of the national NAACP ACT-SO program in 1977. With more than 140 chapters nationwide, ACT-SO is the country’s largest program committed to the academic success of Black youth. For more information, visit www.actso.org.

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