They used to be called “finishing schools,” the places where blossoming young southern ladies attended classes to learn poise, etiquette and basic social skills when it could no longer be assured that those lessons could be passed down appropriately by parents who had to work outside the home. And for generations, attendance at such a school was like a rite of passage for girls in families that value gentility, grace and tradition.

But in this era of split second communications, fast foods and even faster lifestyles, such institutions have become as rare as unhurried face-to-face conversation. Only a few remain, dotted across the country, like treasured family jewels offering a direct connection to the elegance of the past.

One of them has drawn girls to Bogalusa from across the region and beyond every year since 1986. And while Dixie Gallaspy’s Smoky Creek Summer School for Girls is still “your grandmother’s” finishing school, the curriculum has expanded. Now it’s lessons are about much more than simple southern charm.

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Besides table manners, poise, sewing, cooking and loyalty, the subject matter includes dating safety, nutrition, careers, decision making and yoga.

Gallaspy, herself an interior designer, community volunteer and graduate of Texas Women’s University, calls in people from throughout the community to share their expertise and enthusiasm with the pre-teen students. The teachers include professionals in a variety of fields. There are doctors, nurses, hospital administrators, educators, city officials, models and more.

Most of the schooling takes place at Smoky Creek Plantation, a two-story English Colonial home/bed and breakfast nestled amidst quiet, verdant acreage. The class spends one morning at the nearby historic YWCA. 

In five morning sessions in July, girls are transformed into young ladies, prepared and equipped to gracefully and safely step into adulthood.

The nearly 30-member Smoky Creek Class of 2009 has now joined those timeless ranks.