Between her roles as a communication arts teacher, head of aftercare and department head,   Shakendra Moorer trained, competed and placed in  a ”Dancing with the Stars” competition on December 17th, 2022. Moorer competed in this competition to raise money locally for a charity and to try a new experience while going outside of her comfort zone. 

“I was blown away by the experience as it really pushed me outside of my box. I was doing something completely new as far as dancing with a professional, so it was an amazing learning experience. I learned so much about myself, and it was a lot to get my face out there a little bit more in the community, but definitely worth it,” Moorer said.

Dancing on stage can be difficult, but along the journey of competing, Moorer got lots of support from many of her students and co-workers. 

“I’m very proud of Ms. Moorer and she deserves to be in this competition. Overall, she’s just a really genuine person, and she deserves the best, so I’m glad she is getting the opportunity to have some fun and compete,” seventh grade communications major, Grayson Murray said.

For Moorer all of the extra rehearsals and extensive practicing paid off at the end when getting to preform on stage and enjoy the experience of dancing with the stars.

“Dancing is actually the perfect venue for Ms. Moorer , with her dance moves, and she was nice enough to come on our TV Magazine and be interviewed to share more about what the organization was and how the money was being raised. Then to see the video at the end, it looked so professional, and the energy was amazing. ” Shannon Owens, communications teacher said.

When stepping out of her comfort zone and having the courage to try something new, Moorer ensured she made the most out of it and ended up enjoying it.

“I was nervous but when I got onto the stage I had to pull myself together and say ‘hey, just have fun, and just go out there,’ and I ended up placing second in the competition. I don’t have any dancing experience, but being able to say ‘what you did on stage really stood out’ and all the judges really liked what you brought out is an amazing feeling,” Moorer said. 

Being in this competition required plenty of training from going straight from afterschool curtain calls, to rehearsals, but with family and friends encouraging her, Moorer was able to overcome these challenges.

“I was not surprised when she was chosen. She’s perfect for it. I was so excited for her to begin training and to learn some new moves while performing in front of a crowd to help raise money,” Owens said. “It was a really fun event and I was so excited to see the final routine.”