Fayette Students Shine at Global Amazing Shake Competition, Build Lifelong Skills

Before the interview could begin, the students did what Amazing Shake students are trained to do.

One by one, the nine Fayette County finalists stepped forward with firm handshakes, steady eye contact, and crisp introductions—names, schools, and grade levels delivered with confidence many adults never fully develop.

It wasn’t a performance. It was muscle memory.

Those introductions reflected the communication, confidence, and critical-thinking skills these students have built through Amazing Shake clubs at their schools. The after-school clubs, led by teacher volunteers at six Fayette schools, meet weekly to develop interpersonal and “soft skills” students will use for the rest of their lives. Each participating school hosts a club led by a coach, where students practice everything from handshakes to high-pressure interview scenarios in preparation for regional competition.

From Fayette to the global stage

Out of more than 10,000 students who competed at regional events worldwide, 519 advanced to the global competition at Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta. Twelve of those students were from Fayette County.

Seventy-five students from six schools—North Fayette Elementary, Robert J. Burch Elementary, Crabapple Lane Elementary, Kedron Elementary, Flat Rock Middle, and J.C. Booth Middle—competed in the county-level Amazing Shake on Feb. 28 at Crabapple Lane Elementary, representing grades four through eight.

“We went to our first regions Amazing Shake, and that helped us qualify into the globals,” said Cameron Heckstall, a fifth grader at Robert J. Burch Elementary. “At first, it was just one winner that was going because we did not have enough funds, but eventually we raised enough, and now we had sent the top 12 to the Amazing Shake global competition.”

Laila Bollar, a sixth grader at Flat Rock Middle School, said advancement came down to consistency under pressure.

“I believe how we got to the top 12 was by all of our engaging skills and our perseverance throughout the whole competition,” Laila said. “Even though some people didn’t succeed as far as they wanted to, they still got recognized because of their perseverance and the hard work they did.”

The county competition was supported by school-level coaches, administrators, parent volunteers, and community sponsors who helped fund the event, along with more than 75 community volunteers who staffed gauntlet stations and the work-the-room space.

Michael Wamsley, who helps coordinate the Amazing Shake program across Fayette County schools, credits the at-school leadership with the success of the 12 students.

“Everybody’s got a coach,” Wamsley said.

Wamsley, along with educators Mary Beth Thompson, Julie DuPriest, and Kelly Crews, accompanied the students to the global competition in Atlanta.

The top 12 students from that competition advanced to the global Amazing Shake at Ron Clark Academy, held March 27–29, where they competed against 519 students from around the world.

The gauntlet: thinking fast under pressure

The gauntlet is one of the most demanding parts of Amazing Shake—a fast-moving series of real-world scenarios where students must respond in real time.

“My group was the first to go in gauntlet,” said Piper Villarreal, a seventh grader at Flat Rock Middle School. “It was challenging for me.”

At the county level, the theme was an amusement park. Students rotated through stations simulating everyday situations.

“The gauntlet is basically like a set around different scenarios,” Piper said. “One round you were checking in for your flight. Another, you were on the airplane making small talk. Another, you lost your luggage. There was one where someone was trying to sell you something for a really high price and you had to negotiate.”

Other stations tested emotional intelligence.

“One round was you were with someone on a roller coaster who was very afraid of heights, and you had to calm them down,” Piper said.

And some tested composure in awkward moments.

“When the lady farted next to me, I told her it happens to the best of us,” Laila said.

Cadence Charton, a fifth grader at Kedron Elementary, stood out in one of the most difficult stations involving upset teens.

“I was telling them, ‘Hey, you’re not the one in charge. I get where you’re coming from, but we have rules,’” Cadence said. “I know this might disappoint you, but we have to move on.”

At just 10 years old, Cadence earned one of the higher scores in that station for her assertiveness—demonstrating leadership in a moment where many students hesitated.

Working the room: controlled conversations

If the gauntlet tests reaction, “work the room” tests intention.

“Work the room is basically, like, literally, work it,” said London Maihorn, a sixth grader at J.C. Booth Middle School. “You have to introduce yourself, have a real conversation, and make sure it’s not awkward.”

Students had to balance depth and efficiency.

“Work the room was definitely my strongest round, because you can control the conversation,” said Addison Tofanelli, a sixth grader at J.C. Booth Middle School. “We talked about traveling and realized we both loved the beach. That connection really carried the conversation.”

Tara Rowland, a sixth grader at J.C. Booth Middle School, said familiarity helped in one exchange.

“We both remembered each other from previous competitions,” Tara said. “It made the conversation flow naturally.”

Cold-call questions: no script, no warning

As the competition narrows, students are asked questions on stage with no preparation time.

“There was a lot of different questions,” said Jazlyn Johnson, a sixth grader at Flat Rock Middle School. “Some were personality-based, and some were about the future. You had to be ready for anything.”

She said delivery mattered as much as content.

“Sometimes it’s not what you say, it’s how you answer,” Jazlyn said.

Ford Rowland, a fifth grader at Crabapple Lane Elementary, reflected on a question about creativity.

“I think it puts a really big impact on your life,” Ford said. “If you think of mechanics fixing cars, they have to know how to do that, and they have to have creativity.”

Globals: raising the stakes

At Ron Clark Academy, the difficulty increased immediately.

“When you walked into the gauntlet, you were blindfolded,” London said. “They were testing how confident you are, even when you don’t know what’s happening.”

The theme shifted to “Survivor,” and every round became more demanding.

“You had Delta, Coca-Cola—people from those companies,” Jazlyn said of the networking round.

From 519 students, only 50 advanced.

Tara Rowland was one of them.

A top-10 performance on the global stage

Tara’s success began in the gauntlet, where she scored among the top 10 students in the world.

One of the most memorable stations tested both endurance and awareness.

Students were placed in groups of four and asked to hold onto a vertical pole while judges observed.

“At first, in my group of four, no one was talking,” Tara said.

But she noticed something others didn’t.

“I noticed the judges probably weren’t judging how we talked to each other, but how we interacted with them,” she said.

So she shifted her focus outward.

“I started talking to the judges—asking how they were doing, asking about the challenge,” Tara said.

While others focused on the task itself, Tara engaged the people evaluating it—earning one of the highest gauntlet scores globally and advancing to the top 50 overall.

She also reached the top 50 at globals last year, making this her second time advancing to that level. She did so this year as a sixth grader competing against a field largely made up of eighth graders, making her placement even more notable.

“I feel like there’s not really a big secret,” Tara said. “You just have to go in there and be yourself and not put too much pressure on yourself.”

Growth that goes beyond competition

For many students, the biggest takeaway wasn’t placement—it was growth.

“At first, I wasn’t taking it seriously,” Piper said. “Now I go in focused on learning and doing my best, and I feel much more confident.”

Jazlyn, who earned a global leadership award, pointed to small moments that mattered.

“In one of our stations, I stayed behind to clean up some of the puzzle pieces,” she said.

Parents say those lessons extend far beyond the competition.

“It was a super special year with Tara and Ford both competing,” said Briana Rowland, mother of Tara and Ford. “I truly believe in the skills that these teachers have poured into them and spent time teaching them. It’s something I never thought about until Tara got involved last year, and how important it is—using these skills throughout your life, in college, after college.”

Rowland said watching her daughter compete at that level has been eye-opening.

“She amazes me getting up on a stage with her personality and her confidence,” Rowland said. “I don’t like public speaking, and I wish I had some of those skills. They’re just such useful skills, and we’re so proud of her.”

Jameelah Bollar, Laila’s mother, said the program is teaching skills most students don’t encounter until much later in life.

“I think one of the most valuable things she’s learned so far is critical thinking, presentation skills, thinking on her feet, being a team player,” Bollar said. “These are some of the skills that you probably will never—you kind of learn them as you grow and become adults. They’re not learned typically this early unless you’re afforded opportunities like this.”

She added that the experience has helped her daughter grow.

“Being able to work the room and be with people in her peer group, and even globally, those are things that have been definitely life-changing for her so far,” Bollar said.

Andrea Johnson, Jazlyn’s mother, said the program is refining leadership traits she has seen for years.

“She has been a leader since birth,” Johnson said. “Anytime you can get a young child who can get adults to do things, and they don’t even question it, she has something there.”

Johnson said Amazing Shake is sharpening those instincts.

“I think this is really just fine-tuning and getting to see her grow her networking skills,” she said. “This is something really amazing that you don’t get to do every day, and it’s preparing them to be the leaders that we need.”