Cleveland Mayor Tom Rowland poses for a photo with four young ladies from Cleveland invited to the Teen Board of Knoxville Presentation Dance. The high school seniors are Madeline Free, left, Mason Hunt, Mayor Rowland, Maggie Mason and Neeley Benton.
The Teen Board of Knoxville will present four young women from Cleveland Sept. 27, during the 54th annual Teen Board Presentation Dance.
Mayor Tom Rowland said this is the first time four young ladies from Cleveland have been invited. “We usually have one. Last year we had three and this year we have four,” he said. “The Presentation Dance is a reward for their community service. It is quite an honor to be invited.”
The social affair is a reward for seniors who have completed a minimum of 50 hours of community service.
The four invitees from Cleveland are: Madeline Free, a home-schooled senior associated with the Hilger School of Higher Education, is the daughter of Chris and Glenda Free; Mason Hunt, Walker Valley High School, daughter of Tammy Hunt; Maggie Mason, Cleveland High School, daughter of Mark and Kelly Mason; and Neeley Benton, Tennessee Christian Preparatory School, daughter of Brad and Wendy Benton.
The weekend begins Friday evening with a party. Saturday is a busy day that begins with practice and brunch for teenagers only. The day continues with the Mayor’s Dinner in honor of the teens and other dignitaries. The weekend closes with the presentation and dance, followed by a black-tie reception.
The mayor said each of the four invitees will wear a white gown and be surrounded by a court of seven or eight other young women of their choice. The court dresses in formal gowns of colors other than white. A young man, also of their choosing, will escort the invitees.
Knoxville native, the late Mrs. J. C. Moncier, founded the Teen Board of Knoxville in 1960 after her 17-year-old daughter, Marty, was killed in a car accident in 1957. It is in her daughter’s memory that Moncier founded the private, nonprofit organization. Moncier died in 1985 after 25 years with the Teen Board of Knoxville.
The organization is solely for teenagers 14 to 18. Its purpose is to encourage teenagers to take the lead in civic and welfare projects and to lift their social and moral life to higher standards.