In the News
In The News
Gift giving takes thought and care, says Nikki Sawhney, director and founder of the New England School of Protocol. “Be mindful of what and who the gift is for,” she says. “Wedding gifts are given based on your relationship with the bride and groom. You don’t have to break the bank or take out a loan to buy the bride and groom a gift,” says Sawhney. And remember, “If you cannot attend a wedding, it is not a requirement that you send a gift.”
Navigating the pandemic landscape is “new for all of us,” said Nikki Sawhney, Director and Founder of New England School of Protocol in Marlborough, Mass. Even asking someone if they’ve been vaccinated can be considered rude, “because you are perhaps crossing some boundaries,” she said. “So courtesy and grace is very important in asking those kinds of questions. Regardless of what the situation is, you want to treat people the way you want to be treated,” Sawhney said. “That’s just the golden rule of etiquette.”
Manners do matter. Some may say that that they are old fashioned and antiquated but six youth ranging from grades two to seven (or maybe their parents) thought that they were still relevant in today’s society. The students participated in a special Dining Etiquette class offered by the Shrewsbury Parks & Recreation Department held Feb. 13 at Sherwood Middle School. During the class, which was taught by Nikki Sawhney, Director and Founder of the New England School of Protocol, the students were taught various elements of dining etiquette. They learned proper napkin usage, all about the place setting and the bread and butter plate, appropriate table conversation, correct way to eat soup, use of silverware, passing food at the table, disposal of unwanted food and so much more.
In total, the students will be responsible for designing five sections of the new school’s sprawling lobby: the visual school entrance display, the history wall, the digital wall, the word wall and the lobby mural wall. Six students are doing most of the work on those designs, meeting roughly twice every week after school on the project. Last week, those students presented their work so far to representatives from Lamoureux Pagano, which will keep close tabs on their progress. The students mostly have free rein creatively, however – a responsibility they’re taking seriously as they plan the look of a building that will be around for decades.
“With technology comes a lot of wonderful things, of course,” said Nikki Sawhney, founder of the New England School of Protocol in Marlborough. ”…. but with that also comes a great deal of responsibility.” Sawhney’s school teaches children and adults social skills and rules of etiquette in everything from eating to dressing to interviewing. The school’s offering of “netiquette” instruction has become a common addition to the traditional etiquette school courses, and shows how pervasive digital citizenship has become. Under Sawhney’s netiquette instruction, students learn how and when to write online, use a phone in public and understand privacy settings. Enforcing what children are now learning in public school, Sawhney emphasizes caution in what is posted online. Some of the lessons, however, are timeless. “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”