TONIGHT- Ceremony to Honor Oakland’s Top African American Scholars, Monday, May 9, 6:30-8:30 pm, Acts Full Gospel Church, 1034 66th Avenue:

More than 1,000 high-achieving Oakland students will gather under one roof when the African-American Education Task Force and the Oakland Unified School District host the 2011 African-American Honor Roll celebration. The annual event honors the city’s top African-American public school students enrolled in Grades 8 through 12. To qualify, students had to earn at least a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA) in the first semester of the school year. “At a time when the achievement gap between African-American and Latino students and their peers remains persistent, it’s critical that we celebrate students who present a model of scholastic accomplishment,” explained OUSD Superintendent Tony Smith. “Their academic success, while notable in its own right, can also serve as an inspiration for other students striving to succeed. More than that, it is a reminder of the potential inherent in all our students and our obligation as adults to help them fulfill it.”