On Tuesday, Feb. 5, a group of fifth and sixth grade students from Bow Lake Elementary had lunch not in the school cafeteria, but in a restaurant with linen tablecloths.

The SeaTac Airport Doubletree Hotel hosted lunch for the Bow Lake Explorer class.

The Explorer program provides multi-grade classrooms for gifted students. The luncheon was the grand finale to a series etiquette lessons they had been learning in class.

Students arrived at the Doubletree at 11 a.m., ordered from the menu and demonstrated their command of proper manners as they had lunch.

In class, students learn skills such as how to answer the telephone properly, make introductions, write thank you notes, and deal with sticky social situations.

Reading, writing, and math are all incorporated into the lessons, as students write about what they are learning, read etiquette books, and learn how to calculate a tip.

"The students have learned that good manners are really just common sense and civility," says teacher Carlyn Roedell.

At the Doubletree luncheon, Roedell checked for napkins on laps and proper use of place settings, among other things.

"Of course, thank you notes will follow!" she added.