2022-2023 Greater Harrisburg Area NAACP ACTSO Program

Congratulations to all ACTSO Participants!

2022-2023 Greater Harrisburg Area NAACP ACTSO Virtual Competition Results

Humanities

Original Essay

BRONZE             Junior          Olympus Academy                          Kaaba Murray

SILVER                Junior          Lower Dauphin High School          Munachiso MMuo

GOLD                 Senior          Bishop Mc Devitt High School        Janice Baldwin

Playwriting

SILVER               Senior           Bishop Mc Devitt High School        India Smith

Poetry/Written

BRONZE            Junior            Olympus Academy                          Kaaba Murray

SILVER               Freshman      Dauphin County Tech     Amyrah Moumouni-Snyder

Short Story

BRONZE            Junior             Harrisburg High/ Sci Tech              Janai Adelanwa

SILVER               Senior            Cap’l Area School for the Arts      Nicole Valera

GOLD                 Senior            Bishop Mc Devitt High School      Priscilla Smith

Performing Arts

Dance Ballet

GOLD                Senior             Milton Hershey High School        Sophia Lozada-Delzell

Dance Contemporary

SILVER              Junior             Milton Hershey High School         Jahree Payne

GOLD               Junior              Milton Hershey High School         Tawiah Amanor

Dance Modern

GOLD              Junior             Milton Hershey High School            Jahree Payne

Dance Traditional

GOLD               Senior            Milton Hershey High School    Tijesuni Ademuwagun

Dramatics

BRONZE          Senior            Milton Hershey High School        Sophia Lozada-Delzell

Music Vocal (Contemporary)

BRONZE        Senior             Milton Hershey High School          Tionna Williams
SILVER           Senior             Milton Hershey High School          Sophia Lozada-Delzell

GOLD             Senior             Bishop Mc Devitt High School       Tsion Estifanos

Classical Instrumental

SILVER              Junior           Bishop McDevitt High School         Angel Gule

GOLD               Sophomore  Camp Hill High School                     Isaiah Houssou

Instrumental Contemporary

BRONZE           Senior          Susquehanna High School             Christien Kelly

GOLD               Freshman     Home Schooled                               Kimia Folks

Poetry Performance

BRONZE           Junior           Milton Hershey High School         Susan Kargbo

SILVER              Senior           Bishop Mc Devitt High School      Janice Baldwin

GOLD               Senior            Bishop Mc Devitt High School      India Smith

 STEM

Biology

GOLD               Junior               Milton Hershey High School         Morgan Marino

VISUAL ARTS

Drawing     

BRONZE           Senior               Bishop Mc Devitt High School      Logan Simancus

SILVER              Senior               Central Dauphin High School       Ashlee Martin

GOLD                Senior                Milton Hershey High School        Kayla Dornevil

Filmmaking

GOLD               Freshman          Milton Hershey High School         Princess Tommy

Painting

SILVER             Junior               Central Dauphin High School         Lily Mubbala

GOLD               Senior              Central Dauphin High School          Arin Martin

Photography

GOLD               Freshman       Susquehanna High School               Olivia Stokes

BUSINESS ENTREPRENEURSHIP

GOLD                Junior            Susquehanna High School               Awwal Boswell

2021-2022 Greater Harrisburg Area NAACP ACTSO Program

2021-2022 Greater Harrisburg Area NAACP ACTSO Virtual Competition Results

Humanities 

Poetry/Written

Bronze      Junior              Bishop Mc Devitt                                  India Smith

Silver         Junior              Bishop Mc Devitt                                 Tsion Estifanos

Gold          Junior              Bishop McDevitt                                   Janice Baldwin

Short Story

Bronze      Senior             Milton Hershey                                      Martrecia Zoegar

Silver         Junior             Bishop Mc Devitt                                   Priscilla Smith

Gold          Freshman       Science & Technology                          Amiliana Rivera

Original Essay

Gold         Sophomore            Steel High                                     Kaaba Murray

Performing Arts

Music Vocal (Contemporary)

Bronze       Junior               Milton Hershey                               Tionna Williams

Silver          Senior              Central Dauphin                              Ashale Bynon

Gold           Junior              Bishop Mc Devitt                              Tsion Estifanos

Classical Instrumental

Bronze        Freshman       Milton Hershey                                 Veyda Ramos-Ramirez

Silver           Senior              Central Dauphin                                Danneil Mubbala

Gold           Sophomore        Bishop McDevitt                             Angel Gule

Instrumental Contemporary

Bronze           Senior              Central Dauphin                          Danneil Mubbala

Dance Ballet

Silver           Junior           Milton Hershey                                  Sophia Lozada-Delzell

Dance Contemporary

Silver          Junior            Milton Hershey                                   Zhakyiah Parker

Gold           Sophomore   Milton Hershey                                  Jahree Payne

Dance Modern

Gold     Senior                 Milton Hershey                                   Herson Cruz

Dance Traditional

Gold            Junior           Milton Hershey                                   Tijesuni Ademuwagun

Poetry Performance

Bronze      Junior              Bishop Mc Devitt                               India Smith

Gold           Junior              Bishop McDevitt                                 Janice Baldwin

 STEM

Medicine and Health

Gold        Senior                  Pa Cyber Charter School                  Madison Stokes

VISUAL ARTS

Painting

Gold          Sophomore    Science & Technology                       Geomarys Morales

Photography

Gold          Sophomore    Science & Technology                       Geomarys Morales

BUSINESS

Entrepreneurship

Bronze    Senior                 John Harris                                     Andy Sebastien Eustache

2020-2021 Greater Harrisburg Area NAACP ACTSO Program

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.  Every ACTSO contestant, regardless of their competition score, receives individualized, personal recognition from the ACTSO program, our State Representative, the Dauphin County Commissioners, the Harrisburg City Council and the Mayor of Harrisburg.  The 2020-2021 local ACTSO Virtual Competition results are below.

Medals are awarded based upon students score against set weighted criteria. The ranges are:

BRONZE 85-89

SILVER 90-94

GOLD 95-100

The 2020-2021 Virtual Competition awarded 5 Bronze medals, 6 Silver and 10 Gold.

The ten gold medalists competed at the National ACTSO Virtual Competition held july 8 -11, 2021. We had strong showings at the National Competition across the board.

We are particularly proud that two of our students distinguised themselves on the national stage.

Prince Sopko and Madison Stokes won medals at the National ACTSO Virtual Competition held in July 2021

Prince Sopko, a senior from the Milton Hershey School won a silver medal in Chemistry/ BioChemistry

Madison Stokes a Junior from the Pa Cyber Charter School won a bronze medal for medicine and health

2021 Greater Harrisburg Area NAACP ACTSO Virtual Local Competition Results

Humanities

Poetry/Written

Bronze      Sophomore     Bishop Mc Devitt                                 India Smith

Silver         Senior              Milton Hershey High School              Dominique Darden

Gold          Junior               Central Dauphin East                          Lunden McClain

Short Story

Bronze     Sophomore       Capital Area School for the Arts      Nicole Valera

Silver          Senior               Milton Hershey High School           Donna Hardaway

Original Essay

Silver        Junior               Central Dauphin                                 Leanna Lomax

Gold        Sophomore       Steel High                                           Kaaba Murray

Performing Arts

Music Vocal Classical

Bronze       Junior             Central Dauphin                                  Ashale Bynon

Music Vocal (Contemporary)

Bronze       Junior                 Central Dauphin                                   Ashale Bynon

Gold          Senior                   Milton Hershey High School           Donna Hardaway

Classical Instrumental

Gold          Sophomore          Central Dauphin                               Yosef Johnson

Dance

No medal

Dramatics

Bronze                         Milton Hershey High School             Lydia Dieppa

Oratory

No medal

Poetry Performance

Bronze                             Susquehanna Twnshp HS             Taft Nnochirionye

Silver      Senior               Bishop McDevitt                            Patin Drayton-Brown

Gold       Junior               Central Dauphin East                     Lunden McClain

STEM

Medicine and Health

Gold        Junior                   Pa Cyber Charter School                 Madison Stokes

Chemistry/BioChemistry

Gold           Senior               Milton Hershey High School            Prince Sokpo

VISUAL ARTS

Painting 

Silver       Junior           Milton Hershey High School       Jada White

Gold        Senior               Bishop McDevitt                                   Patin Drayton-Brown

Photography

Silver        Junior                 Pa Cyber Charter School                 Madison Stokes

Gold          Senior                Bishop Mc Devitt                              Samiya Henry

Drawing

Gold    Junior                Milton Hershey High School    Jada White

Entrepreneurship

No medal

2020 local competition has been rescheduled to Saturday June 6, 2020

All student projects will be due on March 23, 2020.

Information regarding presentation platforms for the various categories is forthcoming.

All students are encouraged to continue to work on their projects, following the category criteria until local presentation issues are finalized.

The National ACT-SO competition is still scheduled for July 23-26 in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Writer’s Workshop

Normal Coaching and Enrichment in the Humanities offered to ACTSO contestant the first Friday of every month during Nathaniel Gadsden’s Writer’s  Workshop. Have been suspended, pending further notice. The Writers’ Workshop meets at 6:30 Fridays at the Midtown Scholar Bookstore 1302 N. 3rd Street Harrisburg, Pa. 17102. For more information contact Nathaniel Gadsden at pgadsden@Comcast.net.

Elizabethtown College Coaching and Enrichment Project

College Students from Elizabethtown College biweekly visits to Harrisburg to provide coaching and enrichment to ACTSO contestants, have been suspended due to school closings. For more information contact Kaaba Brunson at kaabanjie@verison.net

2018-2019 ACT-SO Competition

Last years’, competition had more than 60  participants, 30 of whom competed in the local competition. There were fourteen medals awarded, including 3 bronze, 4 silver and 7 gold.

Our gold medalists were: from Sci-Tech, Johnathan Lopez for Poetry, Madison Stokes for Medicine and Health, and Dance, Irene Soriano Cabrera for Photography. From Bishop McDevitt, Megan Mwaura for vocal contemporary and Dramatics. From Central Dauphin, Ashale Bynon for Vocal Classical   These four students were all eligible to represent the Greater Harrisburg Area NAACP ACT-SO Program at the National ACT-SO Competition in Detroit, Michigan in July of 2019.

Reflection: NAACP ACT-SO Competition by Michelaine Almodovar 2018

My experience at the NAACP ACT-SO competition was a once in a life time opportunity. I was overwhelmed by the beauty and creativity of young talented teenagers just like me around the country. Being able to interact and fellowship with them, I was able to learn so much about myself as well as learn the cultural differences around me. Although we were all the same race not caring if we were brown, light skin, or dark skin we all were demonstrating our different talents, and sharing those talents with others really helped me to grow and set the tone for when I left the competition. I now have the experience and wisdom to tell everyone back in my hometown that there is something more challenging for us out there. All we have to do is spread our wings and let our talents and beauty of what we do guide us to success. The Act-So competition changed my life and the way I look at it. Now, having the knowledge I have I am able to dream bigger, strive harder, look higher, discover talents, believe in myself, and manifest my desire. I thank everyone who supported me and, believed that I could do it, and let me represent the Harrisburg NAACP in Act-So. In conclusion, I would say this association is the best thing that’s ever happened to me and coming back from this I’ll never be the same. They gave me the best gift I could ask for and it was three words discover, believe, and manifest.

I am already preparing for next year!