Cherry Avenue Hosts Guests For Formal Luncheon

Cherry Avenue Elementary School, part of the Sayville Union Free School District, recently hosted its inaugural formal luncheon. The event, held as part of the school’s Back to Basics program, featured formally dressed students practicing their manners and conversation skills during an elegant lunch with special guests from across the community.

The Cherry Avenue cafeteria was transformed into a restaurant-style setting; round tables were set with tablecloths, napkins, utensils, and plate resembling fine china. Students were joined by leaders from around the Sayville community, including members of the Sayville School District administration and Board of Education, local legislators, teachers, and Suffolk County police officers. Peer Leaders from Sayville High School volunteered as servers for the three-course meal, during which students and their guests engaged in meaningful conversation and connection.

Leading up to the event, Cherry Avenue’s younger students received etiquette lessons from fourth and fifth graders in the advanced S.T.R.E.T.C.H. program (Supplementary Teaching Resources for Educationally Talented Children). The older students taught them how to say “please” and “thank you,” how to properly use napkins and utensils, and how to engage in polite conversation. They also created conversation cards to guide the discussion at each table.

“Here at Cherry Avenue, we are all about getting back to the basics,” said Dr. Lisa Ihne, principal of Cherry Avenue Elementary School. “Being able to implement social skills and real human connection—instead of screens—is the most important thing I can give to my students. After COVID-19, it seems that we lost something, and events like these help us reclaim it.”

For more information on the Sayville Union Free School District, visit the district’s website at sayvilleschools.org. Happenings in the district can also be found on the district’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/saydistrictpr. #CaringAndLearning