Second Laurens County School District 55 Amazing Shake Winners and Participants Wow Judges and Audience

May 30, 2023

Sanders Middle School welcomed students, judges, Amazing Shake school coordinators, and special guests at the second Laurens County School District 55 (LSCD 55) Amazing Shake Competition on Saturday, May 20, 2023.

As promised, the Amazing Shake showcased the soft skills of LCSD 55 students in grades 5-8. The competition proved to be tough to judge for the fourteen guest judges who ranged from community business owners, community leaders, involved citizens, and district employees.  

Participating students were very competitive in all rounds. Students presented themselves in the best possible light, from their chosen attire to their verbal and non-verbal communication skills. The students spoke fluently and confidently during Job Interviews, Conflict Resolution, and Introduction & Handshake. 

The winners of the 2nd Annual Amazing Shake are:

1st Place – Mia Ramirez – Laurens Middle School (Prize: 32′ TV)
2nd Place – Junior Diaz-Reynoso – Laurens Middle School (Prize: Bluetooth speaker)
3rd Place – Miachanda Jacks – Sanders Middle School (Prize: Firestick)
Mia Ramirez is thrilled to win first place. She said, “I competed with a humble mindset, I didn’t expect to win like most would believe, but that self-confidence played a key role for me to win. I feel very grateful and more well-minded now.”

Special guests from the Laurens City Council, Joe Adair Center, Hadassah’s Crown Publishing, and the Keep Laurens County Beautiful Affiliate campaign were just as impressed as the judges. They were delighted to see and hear how personable our young students are.

Ms. Tanya Towne, Director of Joe Adair Center, commended the students. Towne said, “This event equips our young learners with essential tools for success!” 

Courtney Stonell, the Keep Laurens County Beautiful Affiliate Coordinator, said, “What a great opportunity to engage with the parents and share about the programs we offer to the community to help engage our youth in making a difference.” 

LCSD 55 Superintendent Dr. Thomas witnessed the event and expressed her admiration for all the students who participated in the second LCSD 55 Amazing Shake. She said, “The Amazing Shake competition showcased our students’ impressive communication, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills. The students’ professionalism and poise under pressure blew away the audience and judges. During the Amazing Shake competition, students faced challenges that tested their communication, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills. Some examples include conducting a mock job interview and navigating a networking event. The competition was a great opportunity for our students to develop and showcase these important skills that will serve them well in school, future careers, and life. Congratulations to all of the participants for their outstanding performances. A big congratulations to our winners!” 

Laurens District 55 High School (LDHS) English Coach Kelsey Kozar was one of the highly-impressed members of the audience. “I want to say how impressed I was with the Amazing Shake as far as the students, event, and program as a whole. This is such an important program to implement in our district that so many young individuals can benefit from,” said Kozar.

“After thinking and looking back I realized that this program or a similar one would benefit so many of our secondary students,” added Kozar. Kozar now hopes to get the Amazing Shake implemented with LDHS students.

LDHS 9th-grade student Jordan Stroud was the emcee of this year’s Amazing Shake. In 8th grade, Jordan won first place in the first LCSD 55 Amazing Shake. Jordan said, “I was extremely nervous when I started emceeing, but as the morning went on, I was able to gain the type of confidence I had demonstrated in last year’s competition.”

Jordan added, “I felt this year’s competition went by smoothly. It was nice to see how everything went by in the correct order. I could see the hard work that Dr. Barksdale put into this event.”

Dr. Tawio Barksdale LCSD 55 Behavior Interventionist and LCSD 55 Amazing Shake head organizer is delighted with the success of the competition and thankful for all the support the event received. He said, “Thanks to the invaluable efforts and contributions of the volunteers, judges, coaches, and parents, the L55 Amazing Shake competition is continuing to grow and provide a platform for students to develop practical and professional skills that will help them excel as students, aspiring professionals, and citizens. It is humbling to me that so many people – several who came from neighboring counties- were willing to sacrifice their time on a Saturday and invest it here with our L55 students! Most importantly, I am thankful to the wonderful students who were willing to follow through with their commitment to participate! I am extremely proud of all of them! It shows tremendous fortitude for them to be willing to accept constructive criticism and coaching to build their life skills and character!” 

Additional support is needed to help our winners participate in the Ron Clark Academy Global Amazing Shake in Atlanta. Please reach Dr. Barksdale at [email protected] or call 864 984-3568 to speak with him directly and learn how you can support the winners.