Metter Middle School

 The Amazing Shake is a contest that places an emphasis on teaching students manners, discipline, respect, and professional conduct. Through the Amazing Shake, a competition originally created by the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, Georgia, students are introduced to the nuances of professional human interaction as they are taught various skills such as how to give a proper handshake, how to provide high-quality answers in interviews, and how to remain composed under pressure. At the end of the contest, the school aims to prepare their students to present themselves exceptionally well for opportunities today as well as those that will come in the future.

At Metter Middle School in 2023-2024, we had 22 students that experienced numerous tests and challenges as they interacted with community professionals from local businesses in “The Gauntlet,” a creative course consisting of 15 stations. At each station, students had 2 minutes to provide their best display of professional tact with the hope of earning respectable scores from the community judges. After the conclusion of the Gauntlet, the top 10 students will move onto subsequent rounds. Top 10 Contestants: Catherine Hill, Cassandra Hill, Marley Thigpen, Kinsley Harrison, Emme Hendrix, Rosa Ramos, Lexi Rigdon, Janette Villegas, Whitley Harrison, and Lila Ulmer.

In January, the Top 10 Amazing Shake participants joined the Metter Rotary Club to host the Circle of Doom to find out just who our Top 5 participants would be. The Circle of Doom is a roundtable discussion between the participant and two Rotarians to discuss current issues at the local, area, state, and national levels. To prepare, students met with Mrs. Hannah Mullins, Executive Director at Candler County Industrial Authority, and Mrs. Brianna Dillon, Chamber Executive Director to discuss pressing local and area issues. They also met via Zoom with Georgia State Senator Billy Hickman to discuss trending topics related to the state of Georgia. After the Circle of Doom, the Top 5 Amazing Shake participants are: Catherine Hill, Cassandra Hill, Lexi Rigdon, Marley Thigpen, and Lila Ulmer.

In February, the Amazing Shake Competition held its “Work the Room” Round at a Business After Hours event, where contestants had to introduce themselves to many people around the room and have conversations with them. Judges were secretly placed in the room for the purpose of evaluating them on how they "work the room." Following the event, Amazing Shake coordinator Mrs Haley Todd announced the top 2 finalists….Cassandra Hill and Catherine Hill.

Mid-March, Miss Catherine Hill was named the local Amazing Shake Champion after competing at the Retired Teachers Luncheon. All 5 participants went to the Ron Clark Academy in late to compete in the global competition. While Miss Hill did not win the Global competition, all of these ladies are winners to us!