The third time was the charm for this year’s Comal Shake district champion, a fifth-grade student from Oak Creek Elementary.
Lyla Harrington became the champion of the Seventh Annual Comal Shake competition for her exceptional poise, confidence and conversational skills, but she wasn’t new to the competition. She had advanced to the semifinals two years in a row, and she never gave up on her goal to win the title. Her perseverance paid off this year.
Comal ISD started the competition seven years ago to highlight the importance of cultivating interpersonal skills such as starting a conversation, showing confidence and shaking hands. This year, hand shaking didn’t factor into the contest, due to COVID-19 safety protocols. Annually, the competition begins at the campus level with every Comal ISD elementary campus selecting two representatives to compete in the semifinals. The top six out of those 32 advance from the semifinals to the championship round.
This year’s six finalists competed Wednesday, Jan. 27, at the District’s headquarters for the championship title. Representing their schools, the competitors were given two minutes with each of three judges to show off their interpersonal skills.
This year’s judges for the championship included Superintendent Andrew Kim, Comal ISD Board of Trustee Tim Hennessee and Comal ISD Board of Trustee Michelle Ross. Besides Harrington, finalists were Ethan Jaramillo, third grader, Indian Springs Elementary; Wyatt Lipsey, fourth grader, Freiheit Elementary; Kynli McComb, fourth grader, ISES; Macey Wunderlich, fifth grader, Bill Brown Elementary; and Sienna Litton, fifth grader, Garden Ridge Elementary.
Congratulations!
-Oak Creek Elementary fifth-grade student Lyla Harrington is this year’s Comal Shake champion. Picture with Carla Schumann, Comal ISD director of fine arts.
-Pictured from left in back are Comal ISD Board of Trustee Tim Hennessee, Comal ISD Board of Trustee Michelle Ross and Comal ISD Superintendent Andrew Kim. Pictured in front are this year’s Comal Shake finalists from left are Sienna Litton, Macey Wunderlich, Lyla Harrington, Kynli McComb, Ethan Jaramillo and Wyatt Lipsey.