Students pause from book studies to take time for tea

Cathy Tilton’s first-grade classroom at Franklin Elementary was transformed into a tea parlor on April 10 for an annual Teddy Bear Tea Party.

Desks draped with pretty linens and set with china cups and saucers greeted the students, who brought their favorite stuffed animals to the party.

Some of the girls wore fancy dresses and frilly bonnets.

Most of the boys eschewed formal wear but did put on hats in honor of the occasion. Baseball caps perched sideways were favored, but 6-year-old Sam Krupp’s princely crown added to the festive feel of the room.

The tea party tradition began six years ago when literacy volunteer Joanne Sepulveda arrived at the classroom dressed up and wearing a hat.

“Where are you going?” the children asked.

She told the class that after her time with them she was meeting some friends for tea.

“Can we have tea, too?” the children asked. So Tilton, Sepulveda and volunteer Loretta Miller decided to bring a tea party to them.

This year the children labored on hand-written invitations, which they sent to their families. They decorated the room with teddy bears and regaled their guests with a selection of songs.

Tiered stands on every table brimmed with homemade delicacies, prepared by the volunteers. Tiny tea sandwiches and a huge assortment of cookies and pastries tempted little fingers.

Tilton had spent some time on etiquette instruction prior to the event, so the children waited with varying degrees of patience while Sepulveda told them about the origin of afternoon tea.

“There was a day when there was no radio, no TV and no computers,” she told the class. “The only way to share the news of the day was for ladies to gather over a pot of tea.”

Parents and grandparents stood nearby, ready to fill the teacups at each table.

“Smell the aroma before you taste the tea,” Sepulveda advised.

“Remember your manners and be polite,” Tilton added.

And at last the children were free to sample the tasty treats arrayed so beautifully before them.

Some were a bit intimated by the delicate cups filled with hot tea. Sam Krupp preferred to leave his cup and saucer on the table and bent over to slurp his beverage.

Aidan Severn wore his great grandfather’s cap. He and a buddy took to heart the advice to smell the tea before tasting it and energetically sniffed each other’s cups.

“I like the green Jell-O the best,” he said as he reached for a slippery square of gelatin.

But the sugar cubes meant to sweeten the tea proved to be an even bigger hit.

Across the room, Ethan Jones said he put just one cube into his cup of raspberry tea. His friend Dylan interrupted, “I put in five sugar cubes!” and then he popped one into his mouth.

Julia Russell borrowed a lace-trimmed hat from her grandmother. The budding writer wrote and illustrated a special story about the day.

The picture depicted her and her classmates being interviewed by a reporter wearing a beautiful flowing gown.

Within a half-hour the brimming trays were reduced to crumbs, and most of the teacups were emptied.

Joanne Sepulveda glanced around the room.

“I think it’s good for them to use the nice teapots and dishes,” she said. “You take on a certain air.”

As the children left for the day, most stopped to express appreciation to the volunteers who hosted the party. They waved sticky fingers, and their satisfied smiles spoke volumes.

Perhaps afternoon tea has been more refined, but it’s never been more fun.