Dupage Policy Journal

The Addison School District Board of Education received an update at its recent meeting about the Addison Great Shake program, an opportunity to celebrate students’ abilities outside of the classroom.

Dean Constantopoulos, director of communications and community engagement, and Carolyn Stelter, assistant to the superintendent, provided the update during the meeting, which was streamed on YouTube, noting that the program provides a boost to students who generally don’t thrive in academics as much as some of their fellow students.

“We've got kids in our schools that may not flourish immediately in the classroom, but they've got a huge personality or they've got a lot to offer outside of the classroom,” Constantopoulos said. “And this Addison Great Shake is an opportunity for us to recognize those students and everything that they have to offer.”

The initial Addison Great Shake program kicked off on Nov. 11, Stetler noted, offering students an opportunity to receive instruction in many of the soft skills that are important for them to thrive outside the classroom, including to shake hands, look a person in the eye during a meeting or interview, conversation skills and other key abilities.

Volunteers and judges from the community were to be on hand to help instruct and evaluate the students’ efforts, according to the pair.

Constantopoulos pointed out the program is a year-long event and multiple events will be offered, giving students a chance to learn, hone their skills and be scored on their progress. He said the program will be seeking volunteers to serve as judges and students will be recognized for their progress at the end of the program.