ST. LOUIS – Fourth graders at Earl Nance Elementary School enjoyed an elegant tea party Tuesday afternoon. The memorable event was filled with smiles, laughter, fancy clothes and hats, along with various teas, cupcakes, finger sandwiches, sweet treats, and much more.
“We just like to get together and have tea and teach manners and respect,” school volunteer Tiffany Thompson said. “The kids were already really good at that. But it’s just a fun way to gather together and celebrate spring. They get all dressed up and they pull out chairs and they wear white gloves and get to have some good tea snacks.”
You had to be a very special person to receive an invitation to Mr. Smith’s fourth-grade class tea party. Students and staff knew how sweet the event felt in the classroom.
“I feel like it’s a very nice experience for us…for people who hasn’t done a tea party before. I feel like it’s a great experience for them,” Cra’Niesha Rozier said. “Like I’m one of those people. So, with me being at this tea party just makes me feel like I’m a fancy person.”
Fellow student Kolin Kimbrough said he felt fancy and enjoyed seeing how other people dressed up for the event.
“I dressed up today, because I like the way people look when they dress (up) and they look good; like when they dress like this. And on the tea party, it’s very fancy. So, I put something fancy on.”
Caleb Smith said he’s proud of his students. The mission of the school is to empower students to have a voice within the community, with each student achieving success through literacy, innovation, and having a culturally responsive classroom.
“I knew how important it was. A few years ago, I was teaching first grade the basics of just saying please. Thank you. Yes, sir. Yes, ma’am,” he said. “And so, one of the things that I wanted to help our kids know is not even in school, but just in the real world, it’s okay to have manners.”
Smith said the event provided the students a different vibe and experience.
“But I think it also means so much to them that it shows that we care about them as individuals and want them to be the best man that’s woman that they can be, whether it’s here in St. Louis, abroad, wherever they go in life,” he said.
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