The administration of Bristow Elementary in Bowling Green, Kentucky needed someone to teach dining etiquette to their Leading Ladies group. Kristi Shive, Warren County Family and Consumer Sciences Agent delivered the “Dining in Style” lesson from the Positive Employability curriculum at the Leading Ladies lock-in. 

Leading Ladies is a leadership program for young ladies who wish to strengthen their emotional, social, and academic growth and development.  The goal of the program is to develop soft skills that help build confidence, communication skills, work ethic, leadership, teamwork, interpersonal skills, problem-solving skills, and adaptability. Th administration relies heavily on community partners to help with this leadership club.

The lesson included: How to properly set a table, banquet dining etiquette, proper tipping etiquette, appropriate meal selections during a business setting, and overall etiquette for positive impressions.  Kristi provided a placemat to every participant that showed proper placement for each utensil, napkin, and cup. 

Paper evaluations were collected at the end of the program to gather information learned from the workshop. 27 participants completed a pre- and post-evaluation survey. From the evaluation results, 85% of participants indicated that they plan to practice dining etiquette protocols. 78% reported an increase in understanding of how to properly set a place setting and dining etiquette. 65% indicated an increase in understanding of proper tipping etiquette. 

One student wrote in their evaluation, “I learned new skills to prepare and/or improve myself for the workforce”.