The 10th Anniversary of the Chattanooga ACT-SO Showcase will be held at ArtsBuild, 301 East 11th St., Unit 300, on June 25 at 6 p.m. Visual Arts participants will have their work on display, with a live presentation from the Performing Arts participants. The NAACP ACT-SO announces ArtsBuild as an inaugural co-sponsor of the event.
This year marks the 10th Anniversary of the Showcase that is the brainchild of the Chattanooga ACT-SO Co-Chair Dr. Sandra Affare. Dr. Affare has served in ACT-SO leadership for over 10 years. The Showcase is an opportunity for the parents, donors and supporters to see the work of the participants, and for the community to come together to show support for the youth. The Anniversary Showcase will include past Chattanooga ACT-SO Champions with pre-recorded Alumni Reflections. You will hear what ACT-SO means to them in their current careers.
Thessela White, Tennessee ACT-SO state chair and vice president for the NAACP Chattanooga Hamilton County Branch said, “The community should support programs like ACT-SO because if we want the best for our community, we should continue to invest the best in our youth.”
NAACP Chattanooga Hamilton County Branch President Reverend Ann Jones Pierre said, “As we complete 40 years of work of excellence with the students in our area, we hope that the future will exceed the past. Those individuals who serve in ACT-SO leadership, as participants, judges, sponsors and members of the community are pushing the excellence of the program through their unselfish act of support.”
ACT-SO, (Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological, Scientific Olympics), is a national year-long enrichment program for high school students offering 33 categories of academic and two performance competitions. Approximately 150 ACT-SO programs compete for a chance to have
their local winners advance to the National ACT-SO competition in July of each year.
To support the Chattanooga ACT-SO program, contributions and donations can be mailed to Chattanooga ACT-SO, P.O. Box 3226 Chattanooga, Tn. 37404 or at https://actsochattanooga.org.
Chattanooga’s ACT-SO Medalists for 2021 are:
• DeSean Aaron, Dramatics, Silver Medal, The Howard High
• David Crum, Photography, Bronze Medal, McCallie School
• Santana Etchison- Poetry Written, Gold Medal, Girls Preparatory School
• Jerald-Arden Freeman, Sculpture- Gold Medal STEM School
• John-Paul Freeman, Drawing, Silver Medal, Sculpture Silver Medal STEM School
• Chloie Marshall, Poetry-Written, Silver Medal, Drawing-Bronze Medal, STEM School