In their quest to be mannerly, the Ironton Elementary School’s Gentleman’s Academy spent some time at Patties and Pints restaurant in Ironton on Thursday learning how to both politely order food when out in public and also how to properly take orders and deliver food.

“Today, they are taking orders and they are serving each other, so half the academy will take the orders and go to the kitchen and see how things are prepared and then they will serve food to their friends,” explained IES Assistant Principal David Ashworth.

He said the core of what the Gentleman’s Academy tries to instill in the boys is “serving others and thinking of others before ourselves” and that was the point of this session.

The IES Gentleman’s Academy started about six years ago, but wasn’t held for the past two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wednesday’s event was part of a series of things that boys were taught. In previous sessions, they learned how to sew on a button with the help of members of the Ironton Child Welfare Club, how to cook with the Ironton High School teachers and Ashworth taught them how to tie a tie, how to shake hands properly and how to iron clothes. Soon, the members of the academy will have a lunch event with the Ironton Child Welfare Club to put all their skills to the test in a real-life situation.

There is also a similar program for IES’s female students called the Ladies Academy.

“Our ultimate goal is that we have young men and young ladies who possess the skills, not just to think of others, but to actually serve others,” Ashworth said. “I want our young men and young ladies to be able to go out in public and people will say ‘I know that those kids must have been brought up at Ironton Elementary School because they treat people right, they treat people the right way and their actions show that they aren’t all about themselves.”

This year’s group was five fourth graders and two fifth graders.

One of the fourth graders, Trace Fraley, said he joined the academy because he wanted to hang out with his friends and it sounded cool.

And what was his favorite part so far?

“Probably making food, because I got to enjoy it. I made garlic bread sticks,” he said.