NAACP kicked off Black Arts Week on Monday March 30 in Hart Chapel with the Miss Brick House Competition.

The show consisted of a Mr. Brick House Competition as well with five contestants. Those five as well as the two female contestants of the Miss Brick House Competition each presented a talent and underwent a question and answer period.

The male contestants went first and performed their talents. Contestant one, Thomas Ramsey, performed two poems, “Understand Me,” and another poem without a title that he wrote for his mother. Patrick Pettis was next, and he played the piano, followed by contestant three, Douglas Spencer, performing a joke for the audience. Ronald Hollis performed his talent next, which involved singing while playing the piano. The final contestant, Jamie Lucket, did a series of front and back flips for his talent.

The talent portion of the show was followed by a question and answer period. Ramsey was up first and was asked what qualities he thought make a strong man.

“I believe that the most important thing is a solid foundation and believing in God, and next would be a man that knows his responsibilities. Also, someone who is innovative and can make something out of nothing,” Ramsey responded.

Next up was Pettis who was asked which five things in his life are the most important to him. His response listed God first, followed by family, school and sports. He also tried to score points with the host of the show by saying that she was the fifth most important.

Contestant three was asked what qualities Mr. Brick House should have. Spencer’s response listed faith, being a nice person, intelligence and being athletic as important qualities.

The fourth question was asked to Hollis. He was asked which activities he is involved with on campus and how he thinks they help him to be a better student.

“I am on the basketball team, so that keeps me motivated to do well in school so that I can play. Also, LEV (Lift Every Voice Choir) helps me stay focused and be a better student,” Hollis said in response to the question.

The last contestant, Lucket, was asked what he would do with $500 to plan an event on campus.

“I would probably do a wrestling event, because I’m a wrestler. Maybe a body building type of event,” Lucket replied.

Next up were the girls: Deanne Perry and La’Shawna Henry.

Perry performed her talent first, which was singing, followed by Henry, who danced with a male partner.

In the question and answer portion of the show, Perry was asked what qualities she believes make a strong woman.

“A woman has to be able to be independent and well educated. Also, God is most important, so a woman needs to have him in her life,” was Perry’s response.

Henry was asked what the five most important things in her life are. She replied with God, family, friends and the kids at the elementary school where she teaches. She listed her last most important thing as herself, stating that she helps to keep herself motivated and encourages herself everyday.

After the female contestants finished, the audience was asked to vote for their favorites. All seven contestants were brought up on stage and the winners were announced. Deanne Perry took the title of Miss Brick House and Ronald Hollis became Mr. Brick House.

The Brick House competition is not a new competition at Clarion University. It was reintroduced to Clarion through NAACP president, Erica Pickett by her mother who remembered the competition taking place while she was attending Clarion.

The competitions name comes from the popular ‘70s song, “Brick House” by The Commodores. The lyrics to the song suit the ideals expressed in the Brick House competition.