Six of Trigg County High School’s best and brightest took center stage last Friday in the Little Theater — answering a wide variety of questions from News Edge Director Alan Watts.
As finalists of the district’s first-ever “Amazing Shake” competition, their goal — in front of a packed house — was to stay calm under pressure, articulate thoughts and feelings, and come away as a champion.
In the end, a panel of secret scrupulous judges scattered throughout the audience made their notes. So tight was the finish, it was Sydney Bryant’s decision to shake Watts’ hand before the interview that made her the winner over another standout in Emma Dollison.
Ethan Curling took third, while Avery Kesty, Abigaile DeWitt and Natalia Slover rounded out the captivating top six.
A sophomore, she’s involved in Trigg County’s band programs, and is currently following a medical pathway to graduation.
Asked about Trigg County’s strengths and weaknesses, Bryant was poignant.
She also noted it was valuable to be in tune with one’s surroundings, even in high school.
Dollison, meanwhile, isn’t originally from Kentucky. With life experiences in Alabama, North Carolina, New York and Washington before hunkering down in Cadiz the past decade, she’s a military transplant who has experienced life on both U.S. coasts.
A sophomore pushing down the engineering pathway, she’s also a multi-sport athlete and has a love for art.
Video games, she laughed, got her into design.
Curling, meanwhile, is also a sophomore. He’s a member of FFA, DECA and FCA, a seventh-generation member of Oak Grove Baptist Church, a varsity Wildcats golfer, and an elite turf and lawn care specialist.
He’s looking at agriculture communications as a career, following studies at Murray State University, and he wants to bring those skills back home.
Through a series of week-long impromptu gauntlets, games, social mixers and deep-dive interviews, these six rose above a crop of more than 200 students — many of which proved they are more ready for the real world than some would perceive.
For her win, Bryant will receive a personalized prize — befitting of someone looking to take the next step in life.
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