Two Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) students took home medals from the National NAACP ACTO-SO competition held earlier this summer in Boston. ACT-SO — the NAACP’s Afro-Academic, Culture, Technological and Scientific Olympics — is an achievement program open to high school students of African American descent who are in Grades 9 to 12.
Isaiah DeLeonard, a rising junior at La Plata High School, earned a gold medal in the music composition category and a silver in the architecture category. Jonathan Haralson, a rising senior at North Point High School, nabbed the bronze medal in the engineering category.
DeLeonard and Haralson competed in the national competition after earning a top spot at the local contest held this spring hosted by the Charles County branch of the NAACP. Four other CCPS students who won gold medals at the local competition also attended and competed at the nationals.
Niya Cox, a rising senior at Westlake High School, competed in the drawing category; Kaylee Davis, a North Point graduate who attends Bowie State University, competed in the classical music instrumental category; Shaniyah Hall, a rising junior at North Point, took part in the photography and poetry performance categories; and Haili Powell, a rising senior at La Plata, competed in the contemporary music vocal performance and written poetry categories. Powell also performed during the national competition’s award ceremony.
Designed to recruit, stimulate and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among Black high school students, ACT-SO is a yearlong program culminating in a national competition held in July in conjunction with the NAACP National Convention.
With more than 30 fields in six categories, there is an ACT-SO competitive area for almost every interest. Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), performing arts, humanities, visual arts, business and culinary arts are the categories with various fields nested in each.
To learn more about ACT-SO, visit the program’s website at naacp.org.
About CCPS
Charles County Public Schools provides 27,598 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 37 schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.
The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Kathy Kiessling, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (students) or Nikial M. Majors, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (employees/ adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, MD 20646; 301-932-6610/301-870-3814. For special accommodations call 301-934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.
CCPS provides nondiscriminatory equal access to school facilities in accordance with its Use of Facilities rules to designated youth groups (including, but not limited to, the Boy Scouts).