Spring Break
Local girls learn a more charming way of life
Courtney Bailey
Issue date: 10/30/07 Section: Mosaic
While 2007 university alumna Elizabeth Cepeda was still attending the university, she says opening a "charm school" for girls was one of her dreams.
"Opening the school was something that people asked me about a lot, and I eventually began to consider," Cepeda says. "I used to run the Miss Hispanic Delaware and it made me sad to see girls who didn't have the crown cry. This is when I thought, 'Why don't I have a class where I can teach these girls etiquette and manners, then crown them at the end?' "
Cepeda, who graduated with a degree in apparel design, opened Caché Productions, a charm school for girls ages 5 to 17, in June 2007. Her school teaches etiquette, manners and hygiene along with modeling and acting.
Cepeda says her school offers 20 different sections over several weeks where girls can better themselves. The girls learn table manners, social grace and modeling. She takes it a step farther and finds the girls modeling jobs and promotional work, and also plans events such as pageants.
When parents sign their daughters up, Cepeda explains they aren't simply learning to act or model, but they are developing other skills that may seem boring but will make them well-rounded individuals.
"I meet the parents and then I meet the girls," she says. "I give them an overview of what they are going to learn. The girls really seem to enjoy the classes - especially the acting. One of the girls asked her mom why I couldn't be her everyday teacher."
Cepeda says in New Castle County, there are no schools that teach quite the way she does. In Newark there are none, and in Wilmington there are a few modeling schools and an etiquette school, but none that offer both.
As far as her goals for her students, she says she encourages the girls to express themselves. She teaches them proper behavior for future careers, including fashion and how to put together appropriate outfits for different situations.
"I really just try to reinforce what the parents are teaching their children at home," Cepeda says. "Parents don't see the basic manner mistakes that they make in front of the kids. Parents tell me that the girls are going home and saying, 'Mom, don't do that.' "
"Opening the school was something that people asked me about a lot, and I eventually began to consider," Cepeda says. "I used to run the Miss Hispanic Delaware and it made me sad to see girls who didn't have the crown cry. This is when I thought, 'Why don't I have a class where I can teach these girls etiquette and manners, then crown them at the end?' "
Cepeda, who graduated with a degree in apparel design, opened Caché Productions, a charm school for girls ages 5 to 17, in June 2007. Her school teaches etiquette, manners and hygiene along with modeling and acting.
Cepeda says her school offers 20 different sections over several weeks where girls can better themselves. The girls learn table manners, social grace and modeling. She takes it a step farther and finds the girls modeling jobs and promotional work, and also plans events such as pageants.
When parents sign their daughters up, Cepeda explains they aren't simply learning to act or model, but they are developing other skills that may seem boring but will make them well-rounded individuals.
"I meet the parents and then I meet the girls," she says. "I give them an overview of what they are going to learn. The girls really seem to enjoy the classes - especially the acting. One of the girls asked her mom why I couldn't be her everyday teacher."
Cepeda says in New Castle County, there are no schools that teach quite the way she does. In Newark there are none, and in Wilmington there are a few modeling schools and an etiquette school, but none that offer both.
As far as her goals for her students, she says she encourages the girls to express themselves. She teaches them proper behavior for future careers, including fashion and how to put together appropriate outfits for different situations.
"I really just try to reinforce what the parents are teaching their children at home," Cepeda says. "Parents don't see the basic manner mistakes that they make in front of the kids. Parents tell me that the girls are going home and saying, 'Mom, don't do that.' "
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