African American history team headed to Las Vegas

African American history team headed to Las Vegas

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

By Aaron Weidman, Allderdice High School (City of Pittsburgh Schools)

When senior Chris Carter and junior Brittani Taylor go to Las Vegas, Nevada, for the national finals of the African American History Challenge Bowl, the trip will most likely have a more business-like feel than when Carter visited sin city on a family vacation in the summer of 2006.

“We’ll try to catch whatever we can in the city,” said Carter. "I’m excited to represent ‘Dice and bring home a championship.”

Carter and Taylor earned the trip to Las Vegas on June 6-10 by placing first in the regional African American history Challenge Bowl on February 16.

Junior Charmaine Jamison joined Carter and Taylor to form a three-person team in preparation for the event, but did not participate in the competition because only two students from each school were allowed to participate. Jamison had participated in the regional competition previously while attending Brashear High School and felt she could help the team out with perspective from that experience.

“Charmaine was an invaluable guide for us even though she decided to bow out,” said world cultures teacher Traci Castro, who along with social studies teacher Joelle Armenti is in her fist year as the coach for the Allderdice African American History competition.

In preparation for the competition, the team studied “Before the Mayflower,” by Lerone Bennett. The regional competition was based on the first four chapters of the book, while the national competition will be made up of questions from the entire text.

“The book taught me many things I never knew,” said Carter. “I felt as though I was getting information that I had always wanted.”

“The material was really interesting and it was fun to work with the team,” said Taylor.

Carter, Taylor and Jamison took full advantage of the four to five weeks they had to prepare.

“The preparation was a little hurried but we were totally prepared when we walked in [to the competition],” said Taylor.

Castro commended the students' diligence.

“These are three extremely bright students and they were very serious about studying the material,” said Castro. “They were excited about the competition because it is their heritage as well as America’s heritage. They were very hardworking students.”

The Pittsburgh chapter of 100 Black Men, the sponsoring organization for the regional competition, granted Carter a $1000 scholarship for his performance that will go towards whichever college he attends next fall.