Ten students advance in Richland Amazing Shakedown

By Billy Woods

WM School District

A simple handshake is the start of the most recent Richland Elementary project called The Amazing Shakedown.

Originated by the Ron Clark Academy in Georgia, the objective in the Amazing Shakedown is to teach life skills to elementary school students. And, or course, it starts with the most basic of skills, the handshake.

As with all West Memphis Schools, the RCA is fed off a group of teams (called houses). Each house had their turn meeting six local business people and WMSD employees, who were used as judges. The individual students were judged on presentation, handshake and a two-minute question-and-answer session.

"It's kind of like speed-dating, but it was speed-meet-and-greet, where you apply a firm handshake and make direct eye contact with the one you're meeting with," said Richland teacher Suzanne Elmore, coordinator of the event. "The meetings were totally kid-led. The adults were not allowed to speak until the students."

First-round activities included students were then asked to write down each of the names of the presenters and everything they learned about those people. That round reduced the qualifiers to 30.
The top 10 (round two) was announced March 14. The students were then given five topics of discussion. The students were to pretend that the presenters were school board members.

"Their objective was to get the school board members to see their side on the topics," Elmore added.

Some of the topics ranged from cell phone use in school, school uniforms, more recess time, homework and should a student be able to sit wherever they want in the cafeteria.

The top five finishers in each house advanced to the next round on April 9.

The top 10 students who were announced on March 14 included Emily Thorne, Hannah Dory, Taeveon Dancy, Drew Jenkins, Caleb Free, William Tennison, Saniya Barber, Nakhya Jackson, Carley King and Jack Carter.