Eleanor Brown, a fourth-grader at Augusta Independent School, is being interviewed on The Tonight Show by KEDC Staff Member Carla Kersey.
Rachel Adkins/The Ledger Independent
Xander Foster, a fourth-grader at Augusta Independent School, is giving Noah Dockery a play-by-play of a recent basketball game.
Jazlyn Curtis, a fourth-grader at Augusta Independent School, is handling cash from Leigh Ann Ruggles as she prepares to give her change for a $5 bill.
AUGUSTA — On Thursday morning, about 110 students and 20 judges gathered in the Augusta Independent School gym for the school’s first Amazing Shake competition.
According to Brett Lawson, a faculty member at AIS, he pitched the idea to host an amazing shake in Augusta after he saw Fleming County Schools doing the competition.
He explained that he used to be employed at FCS.
“I thought it’d be beneficial to bring it to Augusta,” Lawson said. He continued to discuss the competition details.
According to Lawson, he used the knowledge he had from FCS to head the competition at Augusta. He added that he also did some research on the history of the competition at The Ron Clark Academy in Georgia.
In the first round of Amazing Shake, fourth through eighth-grade students were given the chance to compete to be in the top 25 of the gauntlet round, Lawson said. He noted students would be given one minute at each station.
According to AIS Principal Robin Kelsch, there were 20 booths set up throughout the gym with one volunteer at each booth. There were several different activities and topics to engage students in interviews and test their “people skills.”
Some of the topics and themes included etiquette, how to handle an upset customer, cooking, giving change, saying the Pledge of Allegiance, and being interviewed for a position at a corporate job.
Students were also given a chance to be interviewed by a “talk show host” and play the role of a sports commentator.
One fourth-grader, Eleanor Brown, was the first to be interviewed on The Tonight Show by Talk Show Host Carla Kersey. Kersey could be heard asking Brown what she was feeling as a contestant in the Amazing Shake competition.
Brown said she was feeling good in the first round.
Across the room, fourth-grader Xander Foster could be heard commentating on a recent basketball game between UK and Tennessee. Foster was giving Noah Dockery a play-by-play of the game and exclaimed, “He shoots, and he scores!”
At the change-giving station, Leigh Ann Ruggles tasked students with giving her change for the amount she paid for an item. Fourth-grader Jazlyn Curtis was one of the students tasked with giving change for a $5 payment on an item that cost $2.50.
Curtis could be seen carefully counting out dollar bills and quarters as she calculated how much Ruggles would get back.
Throughout the first round, students were graded specifically on their handshake, eye contact, common sense, poise under pressure, charisma, and overall confidence, according to Lawson.
Several of the judges could be heard complimenting students on their behavior and skills throughout the competition.
According to Kelsch, several students who typically do not perform well in class were at the top of their game during the gauntlet round of Amazing Shake. He noted some of them made it into the top 25.
Round one of the competition concluded once each student had visited each station in the gym. According to Lawson, round two of the competition will take place two weeks from the first round.
He briefly discussed round two of the competition.
According to Lawson, round two of the Amazing Shake will be a “work the room” round. The judges for this round will be in the school’s library to engage in conversation with students.
Students will not be given a dedicated time with each judge as they did in round one, Lawson said. There will be a set time where students can go around the room and initiate and end a conversation with each judge.
“They may not see all the judges, but they’re going to try to work the room the best they can,” Lawson remarked. He noted the differences between round two and round one.
Kelsch went on to discuss scores from the first round of the Amazing Shake.
According to Kelsch, students were able to get a maximum score of 10 from each judge in the gauntlet round. Judges could give students a score of 0, 3, 5, 7, 9, or 10.
The highest score for the first round was 179 out of 190 and the 25th-highest score was 145 out of 190. Kelsch noted the top 25 scores would advance to the second round to be held in two weeks.
He shared some brief comments regarding the competition.
“I’m really excited. It’s one of the coolest things we’ve done,” Kelsch said. He noted the significance of community involvement in judging the competition.
Lawson later released the top 25 students who will advance to round two of the Amazing Shake. Their names and grades are listed below in the order of scores.
First: Karl Blackburn, eighth grade.
Second: JoBeth Schmidt, sixth grade.
Third: Bryanna Hatcher, seventh grade.
Fourth: Jadah Farrell, seventh grade.
Fifth: Michael Singleton, eighth grade.
Sixth: Alayna Cornette, sixth grade.
Seventh: Riley Saunders, seventh grade.
Eighth: Lilly Steele, seventh grade.
Ninth: Haley Stevens, eighth grade.
10th: Alaina Gilliam, fourth grade.
11th: Ayden Courts, eighth grade.
12th: KK McDowell, eighth grade.
13th: Kaine Moore, fifth grade.
14th: Cecilia Bauer, seventh grade.
15th: Cyana Linsinbigler, eighth grade.
16th: William Hildebrand, sixth grade.
17th: Carlee Courts, seventh grade.
18th: Jase Taylor, fifth grade.
19th: Liam White, fourth grade.
20th: Kenyon Peed, fifth grade.
21st: Aryanna Davis, seventh grade.
22nd: Emily Gillespie, fourth grade.
23rd: Benjamin Gill, sixth grade.
24th: Tanner Potts, seventh grade.
25th: Kadee Bach, seventh grade.
