Thanks to a local educational partnership, over 20 students grades K-6 are now well-versed in being well-mannered. Providence Academy students recently graduated from a one-week Etiquette in Action children’s summer camp guided by Doors of Success School of Etiquette director Bethany Miller.
Through Miller’s program, students received hands-on training in proper introductions, first impressions, telephone etiquette, the importance of saying “please” and “thank you” (even thank you notes), dining skills and courtesy and respect.
This wasn’t a first-time venture for Providence and Doors of Success, which collaborated for after-school specialty classes offered during the 2010-11 school year. It didn’t take long for them to become a hit. “With the continual lack of basic common manners being demonstrated in society, concerned parents are looking for another positive voice to reinforce that having good manners makes a difference,” explains Miller, a 20-plus year Plymouth resident who opened the doors to her school in 2010. “Every class we offered in the schools was filled last year. Students, boys and girls alike, learned valuable manners skills in a fun and memorable way.”
Following the one-week camp, kids were rewarded with the opportunity to put their new manners to use at a fine dining establishment—Wayzata’s Northcoast Restaurant. Seeing kids excited about demonstrating their newly-learned etiquette is Miller's biggest reward.
“The most thrilling part of teaching etiquette is to see children become more aware of the world around them and be excited about making a difference for good by how they behave,” she explains. “Our camp was called 'Etiquette in Action'—students were encouraged to actually put their new social and dining skills to the test all week outside of class.”
Providence Academy and Doors of Success Etiquette will team up again for classes at the beginning of the 2011-12 school year. For more information on Doors to Success, visit the company website.
