Never too young for style and grace

The stylish diners who met for drinks and dancing Wednesday at The Gouguenheim were less than 4 feet tall, yet most of them seemed to enjoy themselves as much as people two times their size.

The St. Edward Elemen-tary School prekindergarten students were dressed for their annual spring tea, with some young girls and boys in full formal attire, while others opted for more casual but still suitable for spring society finery. The event has been a yearly tradition for so long, no one questioned could say for certain when it began.

“I can’t say exactly when it started,” said St. Edward Principal Dave Cavalier Jr. “But it’s been held here for the last four to five years, ever since I’ve been here.”

The mid-morning tea is the culmination of each of the pre-k class’ prior lessons in etiquette and courtesy, a hands-on experience involving china, silverware and literally dozens of parents happily enjoying the role of papparazi armed with video and still cameras.

“The teachers give lessons in etiquette,” Cava-lier said, “and then we have this. It’s a wonderful event.”

Music played and the conversation level was high as the children seated across from one another at the round white tables were served cheese, crackers and grapes. Despite the event being a formal tea service, as one unidentified boy pointed out to several bystanders, “This is really just Coke and Sprite mixed together,” he said over the several nearby conversations. “It’s not really tea.”

Upon completing their tea, the students were invited to meet at the dance floor, and soon the joy and abandon only 4-year-olds can muster took over, or at least as much as was allowed by the attending adults.

Both Javella Raheem and her 4-year-old daughter Sydnee were enjoying themselves when the elder Raheem took the opportunity to stress the importance of the morning’s activity for Sydnee and all the children.

“I think this gives them some exposure to proper etiquette at an early age,” Raheem said. “They also have the opportunity to socialize outside of school. I think this is good exposure for her.”

In the background the sounds of laughter and music emphasized her point.