The Amazing Shake: Ridgeville Students Learn the Importance of Being Polite

It’s great to be good at academics. It’s even better when your social skills like shaking hands, looking folks in the eye, and basic telephone manners are part of the overall impression you make.

Teaching kids those social skills is the goal of The Amazing Shake, a program for North Ridgeville Schools 7th graders.

14 activity stations were set up in the gym at the North Ridgeville Academic Center last Thursday where 350 7th graders went through “The Gauntlet” – a series of stops hosted by ‘judges’ who tested them on life skills like interviewing for a job, making an appointment over the telephone and, yes, shaking hands!

The day represented the ‘final exam’ for 6 weeks of classroom work under the auspices of seventh grade language arts teacher Brittany Marino.

“What we have here today are 14 stations with students spending 60 seconds at each station,” said Marino. “This is our Shark Tank and it comes after spending 6 weeks of preparation in life skills.”

“This program is designed to teach students life skills such as learning how to shake a hand, order from a menu at a restaurant, make an appointment over the phone, interview for a job, among other things,” reported Nicole Roth, schools counselor.

“Students have been practicing these skills at school throughout the last 2 months. The judges at each station are district administrators, local community members, business owners, college professors and city officials.”

Students and station-leaders all expressed support for the program. “It’s like a lost art,” said Dave Kish, volunteer, of the interpersonal skills involved.

“It’s helping a lot,” said student Noah Sanson, “to learn how to talk to people.” “We are definitely learning good skills,” said student Dahlia Wolanski. “I am getting over my fear of interacting.”

Ms. Marino took the Amazing Shake idea from an idea that originated at the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, which now has a national organization that hosts a yearly national competition.

The top 64 students from each North Ridgeville team will advance to Round 2, which will be held in February.

The top 32 students will then each select a local non-profit for which they feel would benefit from a $500 donation. They will present to a panel of representatives from a local business who are willing to make this donation to the winning student’s non-profit.