NICEVILLE — Local high school students will showcase their talents and get encouragement for future endeavors Saturday during an annual competition.
About 60 students will gather at Northwest Florida State College for the 22nd annual Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) sponsored by the Okaloosa County Branch of the NAACP.
“This is one of their major youth outreach programs,” said Art Blakely, chairman of the event. “It’s to encourage education once the school doors are closed.”
The competition is divided into disciplines of science, humanities, performing arts and visual arts. Each discipline has a number of categories.
“It’s very difficult for you to come up with something we don’t cover,” Blakely said.
The national program was started locally with the help of the Okaloosa County School Board and has flourished with the school district’s continued support, he said.
The competition kicks off at 9 a.m. Three judges will review each project and select winners based a point system, Blakely said.
Students will be awarded gold, silver and bronze medals, and also might be up for scholarships at a banquet in June.
Winners of the local competition could go on to compete in a national competition this summer. Local students have won at the national awards five times over the years, Blakely said.
However, the prizes are secondary to the lessons students learn when they participate in ACT-SO and receive mentoring from adult volunteers.
“Education is the key to continuing their flight in life,” he said.
WANT TO ATTEND? The event begins at 9 a.m. in the Spirit Theater at the Mattie Kelly Fine & Performing Arts Center at Northwest Florida State College in Niceville.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Katie Tammen at 850-315-4440 or ktammen@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KatieTnwfdn.