University of Illinois at Chicago Office of Public Affairs (MC 288)
601 S. Morgan St., Chicago, IL 60607-7113, (312) 996-3456, www.uic.edu/depts/paff

June 30, 2000

Contact: Jeffron Boynés (312) 413-8702; jboynes@uic.edu

UIC AND CHICAGO NAACP HONOR ACT-SO AWARD WINNERS

Thirty-four medal winners of the 2000 Chicago NAACP Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) were honored at the 10th annual awards celebration at the University of Illinois at Chicago June 29.

The 14 ACT-SO gold medallists from Chicago will represent the city at the national competition in Baltimore, Md., in early July, when they will compete for college scholarships with 2,000 students from around the country.

The UIC event's keynote speaker was GregAlan Williams, the Emmy-award winning actor and highly regarded author and humanitarian. Nearly 300 people, including parents, high school principals, business and community leaders, UIC administrators and faculty members attended the celebration.

Local chapters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People sponsor the program, which inspires and encourages youth toward excellence in academic and cultural pursuits. High school students from across the country compete in areas of the sciences, humanities, performing arts and visual arts.

The NAACP marked its 22nd anniversary of the ACT-SO competition, which was founded by nationally acclaimed newspaper journalist and television commentator Vernon Jarrett, who coined the ACT-SO slogan, "A scholar has a right to be a hero." Jarrett, retired columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, is a Senior Fellow at the Great Cities Institute at UIC.

The Great Cities Institute serves as the University of Illinois at Chicago's focal point for new initiatives in interdisciplinary, applied urban research known as the Great Cities Initiative. The Great Cities Institute attempts to build a unique, responsive and strongly supported center of urban research based on the university's commitment to first-class research in and for the "great cities" of the world - with a particular emphasis on Chicago.

With 25,000 students, the University of Illinois at Chicago is the largest and most diverse university in the Chicago area. UIC is home to the largest medical school in the United States and is one of only 88 national Research I universities. Located just west of Chicago's Loop, UIC is a vital part of the educational, technological and cultural fabric of the area.

The winners of the 2000 Chicago NAACP Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics are:

Sciences
Vieshena Drain, Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, gold medal, Biology
Jasmine Dowel, Lincoln Park High School, silver medal, Biology
Stephanie McConnell, Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, bronze medal, Biology
Alea Huggins, Hyde Park High School, gold medal, Chemistry
Dayna Bennett, Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, silver medal, Chemistry Alex Branson, Rezin Orr High School, gold medal, Physics: General
Thel Davis III, Gage Park High School, silver medal, Physics: Energy

Humanities
Lonnie Norwood, Luther South High School, gold medal, Music Composition
Konahe Jernigan, Hyde Park High School, silver medal, Original Essay
Marques Jackson, Senn High School, gold medal, Playwriting
Sylva Chambers, Hyde Park Academy, silver medal, Playwriting
Antoinette Cole, Hyde Park Academy, bronze medal, Playwriting
Alea Huggins, Hyde Park Academy, gold medal, Poetry
Aeleise Harris, Whitney Young Magnet High School, silver medal, Poetry
Antoinette Cole, Hyde Park Academy, bronze medal, Poetry Performing Arts
Lindsey Fackler, Whitney Young Magnet High School, gold medal, Dance
Aeleise Harris, Whitney Young Magnet High School, silver medal, Dance Ashley Jackson, Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, bronze medal, Dance
Aliant Mason, Hyde Park Academy, gold medal, Dramatics
Sylva Chambers, Hyde Park Academy, silver medal, Dramatics
Darian Esco, Hyde Park Academy, bronze medal, Dramatics
Christopher Smith, Evanston Township High School, gold medal, Music: Instrumental/Classical
Stephanie Sowell, Lincoln Park High School, silver medal, Music: Instrumental/Classical Jerald Gary, Providence St. Mel High School, bronze medal, Music: Instrumental/Classical
Jonathan Green, Kenwood Academy, gold medal, Music: Vocal/Classical
Wardell Campbell, Providence St. Mel High School, silver medal, Music: Vocal/Classical Charity Curtis, Providence St. Mel High School, bronze medal, Music: Vocal/Classical Anna Rainey, Luther South High School, silver medal, Music: Instrumental/Contemporary Micholas Boyd, Providence St. Mel High School, bronze medal, Music: Instrumental/Contemporary
Lonnie Norwood, Luther South High School, gold medal, Music: Vocal/Contemporary Bradley Walker, Whitney Young Magnet High School, silver medal, Music: Vocal/Contemporary
Marques Jackson, Senn High School, bronze medal, Music: Vocal/Contemporary
Leigh Davenport, Whitney Young Magnet High School, gold medal, Oratory
Robert Jones, Hubbard High School, silver medal, Oratory
Shakir Standley, Providence St. Mel High School, bronze medal, Oratory

Visual Arts
DaJuan Marshall, Percy Julian High School, gold medal, Drawing
DaJuan Marshall, Percy Julian High School, silver medal, Painting
Jocelyn Black, Morgan Park High School, bronze medal, Painting
Annice Fisher, Lane Tech High School, gold medal, Photography
Sherrel Brown, South Shore High School, silver medal, Photography
Cornelia Milhouse, South Shore High School, bronze medal, Photography
Jocelyn Black, Morgan Park High School, bronze medal, Sculpture

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