Debutante program encourages girls to pursue goals, support community

Down, up, up ... down, up, up ... down, up, up ... and again!" 

It's 7 p.m. on a Monday night in the Booker Elementary School cafeteria, and all you can hear are the sounds of anxious teenagers scuffling across the dance floor. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the night you have all been working hard for," yells Shelby Brown, head choreographer and one of the many people in charge of preparing these young men and women for their night of excellence. "Let's make it great!"

The night in question? The Les Femmes Douze 47th annual Debutante Cotillion Ball, a tradition normally practiced on the East Coast and in the South by families of a certain status. However, Nevada's Les Femmes Douze organization is open to any high school junior girl who meets the group's qualifications. All year long the girls participate in workshops and fundraising efforts, and work to meet the description of a debutante. The Cotillion Ball is the wrap-up event where each girl is presented to society as a young woman.

Les Femmes Douze, or "The Ladies Twelve," was established in 1964 when a group of 12 female educators at Carson Elementary School decided to create a program that would promote youth success and benefit the community. Only nine girls were presented at the group's first cotillion; today the organization proudly presents almost 35 girls a year from across the city.

"When I heard about the debutante program, I knew it was an opportunity I had to take advantage of," says Shaylen Kinsey, a senior at Shadow Ridge High School. "I've always heard of cotillions, but I never knew what it was all about until I got to see for myself."

Each year the committee members put applicants through a credentials process. All potential girls must be recommended by a school counselor, write an essay and submit transcripts proving a grade-point average of 2.5 or higher.

The debutante program begins halfway through the girls' junior year in April and ends roughly nine months later at the end of November in their senior year. Each week the girls meet and participate in workshops focusing on bettering themselves.

"The etiquette workshop was the most enlightening," says Astasia Lucas, a senior at Arbor View High School. "It really made me more aware of the proper eating habits when I'm in a fine-dining situation."

There are 16 workshops, one for each week of the program. The topics range from health to finance management to law enforcement, where participants interact with female police officers.  

However, the organization is not just about teaching. The group encourages girls to get involved, learn for themselves and support their community. The debutantes are required to perform a minimum of 40 hours of community service over the summer.

"I grew up going to the Lied Children's Discovery Museum, so I thought it would only be proper if I performed my community service there," says Laqoia Smith, a senior at Northwest Career & Technical Academy.

Though Les Femmes Douze had small beginnings, the group hopes to maintain a tradition of helping girls become successful women in the community.

"Our main goal is really to mentor young senior ladies so we can encourage them, provide them with guidance, opportunity and information," says head adviser Stephanie Simmons. "We want all of our girls to succeed and pursue careers, go to college and then return back to our community to instill those same important qualities in the next group of girls. It's a 'pay it forward' kind of thing,"

"At the end of the day, the ball gowns, dancing and fun are just a plus, but the knowledge that I will take away from this experience is lifelong," Smith says.