Faculty at a Soundview public school are making sure their students grades are up, as well as have proper manners at the dinner table too.. For the last two years, teachers at P.S. 69 on 560 Thieriot Avenue have taught their fourth and fifth grade students table etiquette to improve their dining and social skills.
The class, taught by Lyudmila Bloch, an international etiquette expert and founder of Etiquette Outreach, was introduced by the school’s former principal Alan Cohen. P.S. 69 is the only elementary school in the entire city that offers the etiquette class and is thriving under current principal Sheila Durant.
On Thursday, December 8, the fifth grade students put their etiquette knowledge to the test. The school library was transformed into a restaurant with dining tables, fancy silverware and dining glasses, and tasty food.
During their time in the library, students were tested and further educated over a three course meal that included soup, an entree, and desert.
Bloch asked students particular questions about utensil usage, napkin placement, proper ways of eating food when it is served, and topics of discussion that are proper at the dinner table.
Bloch explained to students that etiquette skills mean more than just the way to hold a fork or knife, but also emote a level of respect towards the people around them, making it a life lesson that truly helps an individual exude confidence and dignity towards others.
For the sixth consecutive year, P.S. 69 achieved an A grade by the city Department of Education and has climbed into the top 50 public schools in the entire city. Durant said the etiquette classes offered by the P.S. 69 is just another example of how much the school cares about improving the school and its students’ education.
Reach Vito Signorile via e-mail at vsignorile@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 742-3383.
