Girls blossom after graduating from Blossom School of Etiquette

March 29, 2008|By MARLO BARNHART

HAGERSTOWN -- As the 25 young graduates of the Blossom School of Etiquette marched into the Memorial Recreation Center auditorium Saturday afternoon, they smiled and seemed confident with their new skills.

Ladetra Robinson, program director, said it was a far cry from the girls' first day at the school.

"A lot of the girls came in with their heads low and they couldn't talk, but by the end of that first night they would take turns coming in with their heads held high," she said.

Several girls prepared speeches for Saturday's graduation. Jasmyne Harris-Gilmore said she liked learning about manners, while Micaela Fleetwood said she knows how to act like a lady.

"And I learned how to make an omelet," Amber Robinson said.

Partnering with Memorial Recreation Center, which provided the venue and the participants, this first class won't be the last, Robinson vowed.

"Ladetra and Mary Jane Koontz really wanted to do this," said Robert Petties, executive director of the center at 109 W. North Ave. "They had a burning desire."

Additional support for the school came from the Washington County Commission Board for Women.

Randy Robinson taught the cooking classes, and Tiffany Arnold was the creative writing instructor.

Ranging in age from kindergarten to 12 years old, the girls learned crafts, cooking, creative writing and etiquette.

The motto at the school is "Be The Best You Can Be."

The classes are ongoing and a monthly calendar will be posted at Memorial Recreation Center for signup.

Members of the first graduating class are Haylee Allen, Ishaya Campher, Nishay Campher, Mercedes Campher, Cheryl Deal, Kristen Downing, Nicole Downing, Brianna Ebersole, Jasmine Ebersole, Micaela Fleetwood, Jasmyne Harris-Gilmore, Kiarra Harris, Lovelei Holly, Tysin Lewis, Rukeria Mooney, Aneka Moore, Anesha Moore, Amber Robinson, Chanel Sellers, Hannah St. Clair, Alexis Stoner, Akela Taylor, Emily Weller, Madison Weedon and Sara Weller.

Names were provided by the Blossom School of Etiquette

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