Mrs. Teel, wife of Severn’s founder, Rolland Teel, recreated her traditional tea lessons, a practice she began over a century ago to teach students proper etiquette.

While the Teels don’t represent colonial times, Mrs. Teel’s emphasis on etiquette and manners connects well with themes in Meet Felicity: An American Girl: 1774, a book students will read during this unit on the colonial era.

Severn was founded in 1914 as a boys’ boarding school. Students came from all over the country to live at Severn and prepare to apply to the United States Naval Academy.

Mrs. Teel recognized that because these students weren’t living at home with their parents, one aspect of their upbringing was getting overlooked – learning proper manners and etiquette for special occasions such as teas, dinners, and dances.

Therefore, it became her tradition to invite the boys to the Principal’s House for tea on Sundays. The purpose of these visits wasn’t just to have an afternoon snack; she was delivering etiquette lessons. It has been said that over the years, Mrs. Teel “served enough tea at Severn to float a battleship and enough cake to sink it!”

Mrs. Teel’s sons, Richard and Marshall, graduated in the 1930s, nearly 100 years before today’s third graders, who will graduate in 2035.

Students returned to the classroom after an outdoor break to find it had been transformed for a lovely tea party. Mrs. Teel’s tea set from the 1900’s was on display, and the tables had been set with tablecloths, pretty napkins, teacups, and trays of biscuits.

In character as Mrs. Teel, Campion guided students through five etiquette lessons, including the proper way to sit and what to do with their napkins upon being seated, making introductions and light conversation, the right way to hold a teacup, using polite language and waiting one’s turn, and finally, gracefully leaving the table.

She also shared bits of Severn history, such as the origin of the school colors, which were inspired by blooms from Mrs. Teel’s garden. Each year, she would decorate the graduation stage with the prettiest flowers, which happened to be maroon and white. In time, they became the official school colors.

Students also viewed correspondence from the Severn Archives, which was all written in cursive – a skill they are currently learning. Because it’s something they’ve been practicing, students were able to decipher much of what was written in those old letters and cards.

This delightful experience offered a meaningful blend of history, manners, and hands-on learning, connecting the school’s storied past with modern classroom teachings.