Southern Pines, North Carolina—Thousands of homeschool students across the country will get a crash course in etiquette this spring.
High school students in Challenge I, II, III and IV programs at more than 2,000 Classical Conversations’ communities across the country will be participating in the programs’ Spring Protocol in February and March. Classical Conversations is a classical, Christian education resource used by 122,000 K-12 homeschoolers in 2,500 local communities.
These high school students spend several weeks studying proper etiquette for formal occasions in both dining and theater events such as concerts, plays and ballets.
Called the Spring Protocol, the annual event is not a prom or dating occasion, but a chance to practice the proper protocol, or etiquette, during formal events. Dressed to the nines, the students will not be intimidated about which fork to use with their salad during their meal at fining dining establishments across the country. The young men have been coached to open doors and help seat the young ladies in their company. While the teens may be a little nervous about the new experiences, if past protocols are any evidence, the students will all have fun together throughout the evening.
“Proper etiquette is partly about knowing the accepted way of behaving in a formal setting, but it is also about being comfortable in a formal setting and being able to show respect to one’s companions,” said Robert Bortins, CEO of Classical Conversations. “We are raising up students to value what is true, good, and beautiful, and to seek to spread an appreciation for truth, goodness, and beauty as they fulfill the Lord’s purposes in their lives. Spring Protocol is, therefore, about exploring how to behave with deep respect for one’s fellow human beings who are all made in the image of God.”
Parents will chaperone the events and provide transportation to and from the various restaurants and theaters.
Leigh Bortins, founder of Classical Conversations, says about the underlying principles for the Spring Protocol, “I pray our students will one day be world leaders and ambassadors to unsaved peoples, and I want them to know what to expect in formal settings.”
Classical Conversations® is a classical education resource used by homeschoolers in all 50 states and 39 foreign countries. CC now has more than 122,000 students enrolled in its tutoring programs, which are provided by 2,500 CC communities. CC provides resources, guidance and a community for a Christian homeschool curriculum using classical education in three developmental stages: grammar, dialectic and rhetoric.
Leigh Bortins started Classical Conversations in 1997. The family-owned company is headquartered in Southern Pines, North Carolina. For more information, visit www.classicalconversations.com.
