DIANE MAKAR MURPHY Strategy and smarts meet at black history contest

Armed with 200 cards from the game Black Americans of Achievement, Joseph Clark III, a student at The Rayen School, spent last weekend studying and studying and studying.
"He was up at 6 a.m. practicing," his mother, Deborah Clark, said. Joseph was prepping for Sunday afternoon's African American History competition -- the final round in a battle that pitted teams from Rayen, Woodrow Wilson and Chaney high schools.
The competition is like a chess tournament-"Jeopardy!" combo with competitors huddled around game boards, rolling dice and patiently awaiting their chance to answer multiple-choice or true/false questions. Players bet Monopoly-style money on themselves or against the competition. Teachers read questions; then, two of three team members have 30 seconds to confer, then answer. An alternate team member sits attentively by.
Strategies: The game requires luck, betting skills and more than a little knowledge of history. Questions are about inventors, soldiers, singers, actors, scientists, explorers and athletes, among others.
A bit of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" was thrown in there, too. Donations from Home Savings and Loan, National City Bank, Youngstown State University, the Youngstown Islamic Center and Youngstown City Schools not only made the tournament possible, but allowed for trophies and cash prizes -- first place, $1,500; second, $750.
Patterned after a competition in Pittsburgh, Youngstown's tournament -- its first -- began with students forming three-member teams in each high school.
Seven teams competed at Rayen, six at Wilson and four at Chaney until the one with the most "money" from each school was chosen to go on. A wild-card berth was given to the team, from any of the schools, that had the best overall points but hadn't already qualified. That was one of the Rayen teams.
"Last year, I saw the competition in Pittsburgh, and I was impressed by the level of enthusiasm," Imam Abdullah of the Islamic Center said. Abdullah approached Ben McGee, city schools superintendent, with the idea of mounting a tournament here.
Growth: In Pittsburgh, the event is sponsored by 100 Black Men, an organization that seeks to improve the quality of life in the black community. "If 100 Black Men comes here," Abdullah said, "our students may be able to participate in the African American History competition at a national level in years to come, not simply citywide."
In addition, Abdullah said he would like to see the contest extended to the middle schools.
The competition: The first citywide elimination round was in YSU's Ohio Room in Kilcawley Center, while nervous parents, teachers and administrators watched.
Students sat around game boards at two tables. Rayen's wild-card team was dismayed to learn it would play Rayen's top-seeded team in the first round. On one side of the table were Joseph and teammates Natasha Clemons and Rodney Norris. On the other were wild-carders Marcus Rutledge, Larry Barksdale and Joshua Groce.
Meanwhile, Wilson's Renee Martinez, Melissa Johnson and Nancy Crespo did battle with Chaney's Gabby Pacheco, Roy Austin and Robert Drake.
"Who is the author of 'The Color Purple?' "
"Traffic lights were invented by ... ?"
Questions and answers were carefully given for about 25 minutes before time was called and money was counted. Chaney would continue, as would Joseph's team.
Moment of truth: The final round was in Kilcawley's ballroom-sized Chestnut Room amid the hubbub of the annual African Marketplace. Vendors occupied the floor, but the history competitors occupied the stage.
Dr. Victor Wan-Tatah, director of African studies at YSU, introduced the tournament. "We feel this is an important milestone," he said. "It's not enough to continue our program [at YSU] without reaching out to the children in our city schools."
About three dozen people stopped shopping to watch the teen-agers, seemingly unrattled by the marketplace sounds and music. Joseph's mother was not among them. "It just makes me nervous. I can't watch!" she said.
She may as well have. When time was called, her son and his two teammates were awarded a trophy, a plaque for Rayen, and $500 each.