A Twist on the Tea Party Tradition

Late April for eighth graders means poetry and a tea party in the way of traditions – and this year it’s even better than normal! The 8th grade class is getting a taste of normalcy with specially planned Fabulous Fridays this spring — days designed to help them celebrate the end of the school year and experience a few traditions that COVID-19 upset. 

This week’s Fabulous Friday event, held at Laurel Hall, featured a combination of 8th grade traditions – the Midwinter Ball and the Victorian Tea Party and Poetry Recitation events. Usually held in February when students read Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, the Midwinter Ball is a time for students to learn and practice popular dances from the Regency time. The ball is a semi-formal event with a sit-down dinner usually catered by parents, which will be replaced with the afternoon tea ceremony this year. 

The tea ceremony followed the traditional order of three courses: scones and jam, tea sandwiches and desserts. This year’s Tea Party Tradition will still include many of the usual activities, including poetry recitations and color sketches in the morning and parlor games from Victorian times. Favorite games include the Minister’s Cat (an alphabetical adjective game), a Tongue-Twister contest, and Two-line Vocabulary.

While this Fabulous Friday was filled with fun and games, these Oaks Traditions still advance our curriculum and educational philosophy by connecting to the history and culture of another era. Check out some pictures from the event in the gallery below!