Rummel orientation: Manners make the man

By Kim Roberts
Clarion Herald

More than 100 incoming eighth- and ninth-graders from Archbishop Rummel High School were introduced to the school during a three-day summer orientation that included meeting new teachers and classmates, visiting classrooms, a retreat, team-building games and learning the alma mater and fight song. 

The orientation culminated with an etiquette lesson at the school, followed by a formal luncheon at Austin’s Restaurant in Metairie.

A long-standing tradition for new students, the etiquette class and luncheon were led by teachers Matthew Kennedy, Danielle McLeod and coach Chip Bonura, who guided the young men through the “dos and don’ts” of proper etiquette and manners for young men.

“Not only do the students enjoy ending summer orientation with the luncheon, they also have an opportunity to practice what they learned in the class in an everyday setting,” Kennedy said. “Another reason why we have the luncheon is for the guys to start to develop relationships with each other. And I feel like it really does a good job of doing that. They enjoy being with one another and having a nice meal together.”

Skills that last a lifetime
   
Prior to loading the buses and arriving at the restaurant, the students attended a 90-minute etiquette class where they received instruction on how to conduct themselves in a nice restaurant, how to ask girls out on dates, how to interact with parents and how to tie a tie. how to ask girls out on dates, how to interact with parents and how to tie a tie.
   
“The class is important because it helps the students learn valuable social skills that they can use beyond the classroom,” Kennedy said. “Also, since they attend Mass weekly at the school, they really need to know how to tie a tie by themselves before they leave orientation.”
       
Kennedy said the student council performed a skit for the students that gave the boys valuable information about how to behave during a date. The helpful tips included: A student should make sure to give the girl his undivided attention and not scroll through his phone; ask his date questions and stay engaged in the conversation; make sure to be respectful at all times, especially when meeting her parents; always walk up to the door and pick up his date rather than stay in the car and honk his horn.

Work from the outside in
   
Upon arriving at the restaurant, McLeod gave the boys tips about fine dining etiquette. She told them they should place their napkin on their laps, showed them how to order from the menu and how to work from the outside in with their utensils.
   
“The guys were served a three-course meal that included a salad and bread pudding for dessert, and they could choose their entrée, either chicken Parmesan, crab cakes or seafood pasta,” Kennedy said.
   
A 2014 Rummel grad, Kennedy said he remembers his own summer orientation and the etiquette class and luncheon he attended as an eighth-grader.
   
“I remember sitting around the table having a good time with some new friends,” Kennedy said. “The most useful lesson was how to act like a gentleman on a date, dress professionally, always hold the door open and pull the chair out for her when she is sitting down.”
   
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