‘Shaking for success’: Tioga Jr. High hosts Amazing Shake Competition

ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) - Some say that making a good first impression starts with a good handshake.

Students at Tioga Jr. High School learned how to introduce themselves with a proper handshake and other skills for success during their first-ever Amazing Shake Competition.

“Skills like having an engaging conversation,” said Blake Quales, a math teacher and organizer for the competition. “Just developing those character traits that often sometimes get overlooked or underdeveloped even in younger kids, such as middle school kids.”

The Amazing Shake Competition was originally created by the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, Georgia. Students are introduced to professional human interaction as they’re taught various skills, such as how to give a proper handshake, provide high-quality answers in interviews and remain composed under pressure.

Local business and community leaders participated in the competition as station leaders and judges. Students were able to put their skills to work, through different challenges, while learning new skills.

“My favorite part about the Amazing Shake was learning the new skills that I can learn in the real world,” said 8th-grade student, Emily Wolford.

The students were scored throughout the challenge, but Quales said that the biggest takeaway for the students was the experience they walked away with.

“I feel like it developed courtesy, confidence, common sense, and conversation in all of these students,” Quales said.

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