Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 29, 1994 TAG: 9410310026
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MELISSA DeVAUGHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
When entering a party, don't head straight for the food table.
Never openly spit out food that tastes bad; discreetly slip it into your napkin.
And never, never talk with your mouth full.
Blacksburg Middle Schoolers learned these etiquette rules and more Friday at a "Sprite and Cheese Reception" they held for their parents and teachers. This was the culminating event to a unit study on microorganisms.
"They have learned how cheese is made and we've studied the different types of cheeses," said teacher Jon Utin of the festivities. "This has been a truly interdisciplinary unit."
Utin, a native of Oxford, England, said it also is important for young people to learn to use good manners during social events.
"All children have good manners, they just don't use them, and that's a real pity," Utin said. "So often in life we tell kids 'don't do that' and 'don't do this.' We rarely tell them how they should act because we're always too busy correcting them on how they shouldn't act."
The pupils were the picture of sophistication Friday - if you could ignore the athletic shoes-dress combinations, the untucked shirttails and the uncontrollable giggling.
One young man, showing half confidence and half caution, held out his right hand and said, "Hello, I'm Austin. And you?"
Austin, an 11-year-old sixth-grader in Sunday slacks, a shirt and tie, and combed dirty-blond hair, said learning how to hold a cup, plate and napkin in the same hand, while shaking hands with the other was the toughest part for him.
Part of the pupils' assignment for the day was to sample some of the many cheeses available at the reception and judge its quality.
"He picked up a piece of Limburger cheese, smelled it, and in a fit of politeness brought it to me so he wouldn't have to return it to the tray," said Art Keown of his son Artie. "This is great."
Keown also told his son another secret: If you're in an uninteresting coversation with someone, politely excuse yourself, head toward the bathroom and don't come back.
Classmates Jamie Chappell and Jae Hee Choi huddled in the corner, nibbling cheese and scrawling down their impressions of the various cheeses. Which was their favorite?
"Umm ...," mumbled Jae Hee, "I can't talk to you now because my mouth's full."
As in past years, Utin's social gathering was a success and the children, gnawing on cheese and sipping Sprite, learned some valuable lessons of life.
"Children need to be more at ease at social functions," Utin said. "They need to learn to be comfortable and to be able to speak with people they don't know. For children of this age, that is quite a difficult thing to ask."
by CNB