ALBANY, Ore. (KMTR) -- One Albany elementary school's library was transformed into a fancy restaurant Tuesday with the goal to teach kids proper manners Tuesday.
Once a year, the Greater Albany Public School District chooses one elementary classroom to take part in the event. It’s called the Fine Dining Experience and the goal is to encompass everything that comes with just that.
This year, Mrs. Obermeyer's third and fourth grade class at Takena School was chosen because of good behavior. The experience happens in two stages: the first was last week's lesson on dinner etiquette and the second came today, when the library was transformed into a fancy restaurant.
“When the kids first walk in the door and everything's staged and ready to go, I love their faces and the smiles and I just really feel that this is an important piece [of education],” says the district’s Nutrition Services Director, Sharon Short. “I love that it's innovative and I love that we're going to have some impact on some kids in the future,” she added. Short says these lessons will hopefully stick with the kids, helping them lead a more successful adult life in the future.
Mimi Mills is one of the fourth graders treated to the experience. She says she learned some important etiquette rules like "no elbows on the table and no . . . burping or slurping'. Mills also says she learned it’s important to always treat service professionals kindly.
Matthew Manske is another fourth grader who got to take part in the experience. He said his favorite part of the day was having local high school students as waiters. He also just enjoyed all the company, saying, “You just get to sit and converse with your friends and your superiors and yeah, it was quite fun."
The kids were served a three-course meal that ended with a chocolate cupcake. Each table had a special guest, including the district's superintendent and the Takena Elementary School principal.
When finished, students were awarded a certificate for completing the training. Nutrition Services also donated a book on manners to the school's library.
