Cotillion – a series of classes for 7th and 8th-grade students to learn etiquette and protocol in various situations – returns to the Western Kentucky Botanical Garden’s historic WeatherBerry home this winter.
Certified etiquette instructor Neena Gaynor will lead the event, encompassing protocol for dining, social dancing, decorum and more. The sessions will transpire on February 11, 18, 25, and March 3.
The final Cotillion is on March 10, where Gaynor invites parents to enjoy hors d’oeuvres and to encourage the students in all they have learned at their dinner dance. The sessions run from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on those Sundays.
“Our goal is to promote thoughtful behavior towards others, increase the student’s awareness of the world in which they live, and develop the student’s confidence in their knowledge and ability to handle various social situations,” Gaynor said.
Gaynor said cotillion is more than just how to make a proper introduction, dining skills, waltz steps, or writing thank-you notes. She added that the program had had a lasting impact on her.
“Cotillion elevates our awareness of others by emphasizing the inherent dignity of all people,” she said. “Because of my faith, I believe in the most basic pillars of proper etiquette – that all people are valuable and deserve to be treated with respect.”
Gaynor said space is limited. For more information or to enroll, call Gaynor at 859-230-6171 or email her at [email protected].
Gaynor reflected on the impact Cotillion had on her. Because of her faith, she said she believes in the most fundamental pillars of proper etiquette – that all people are valuable and deserve to be treated with respect.
“Lessons in etiquette can provide us the confidence to engage with the world, one that, despite all the devices that were supposed to connect us, has become increasingly less friendly and social,” she said. “I hope that Cotillion participants will be our community’s next generation of difference makers and servant leaders.”
