Charleroi tea tradition continues
By TAYLOR BROWN
tbrown@yourmvi.com
The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t stop a decades-long tradition for senior girls in the Charleroi Area School District.
For the past 73 years, the Athene Club has held up a Cougar tradition to ensure young graduates a proper send off as they enter the next chapter of their lives.
The senior tea aims to motivate, educate, encourage and inspire young women each spring.
The COVID-19 pandemic postponed the event, which was originally slated for April, but Athene Club President Adele Hopkins knew if restrictions were lifted there would be a collaborative effort to uphold the tradition.
When Washington County entered the green phase of Gov. Tom Wolf’s reopening plan earlier this month, the club didn’t hesitate to start planning.
The event, held for the past several years at Mon Valley Country Club in Carroll Township, was already reserved for the event’s original date in April.
Though the country club does not currently have staff, it agreed to host the event Thursday if social distancing requirements and other CDC guidelines for events were followed.
“The Athene Club was organized in 1902 and we have held the senior tea for the young ladies of the Charleroi senior class since 1947,” Hopkins said. “It would have been the first time we ever canceled, which would have been a huge disappointment for the club and for the girls.
“When we went green, we decided we needed to do this and the rest of the club agreed.”
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