An invitation to the annual Teen Board dance and presentation is one that every girl would dream of receiving: a chance to look your best in a beautiful white dress and spend time with your closest friends. Each girl chosen from the Knoxville area picks a court of ladies to support her in the presentation, alongside the Grand March and ballroom dance. The presentee dresses in white, and the court wears lovely pastel colors to compliment the color scheme of the dance. Sawyer Grace Simmons (12) greatly anticipated an invitation after watching her two older sisters participate in the event, and she felt ecstatic when she received a letter from the Teen Board of Knoxville. Simmons already had an idea of her court and schedule after following her sisters’ footsteps, yet she still wanted to take important factors into consideration to make the most of the night.
“At first I was like, ‘Who all am I choosing?’ It’s weird because it’s kind of like how you think you’ll feel picking your bridesmaids, so I was like ‘Oh no what am I going to do?’ Then I thought about okay, who’s gonna be there for me no matter what, who’s not gonna cause any drama, who’s always gonna support me and support each other,” Simmons said.
Simmons knew she made the right decision the second she saw her court on the day of the event with everyone dressed up, ready for photos, laughing and getting along. She couldn’t wait to spend her evening with the group, especially her childhood friend Emma Rainey. They anticipate being apart of each other’s weddings, and they feel this will be a similar experience of making plans and getting ready together.
“She helped a lot color choosing wise and hair wise, and she even drove two hours from a game and barely made pictures; no shower and made herself look gorgeous, so props to her,” Simmons said.
After pictures, the court and their escorts indulged in Italian food then made their way to the event center, where she and her escort Pierson Layer (12) got in line and waited to be presented. When asked about her favorite moment of the event, Simmons shared her comical experience of an unexpected moment on the ballroom dance floor.
“There was a mandatory three minute slow dance with my escort, and what I didn’t know was that my entire court had to be down there too. I couldn’t really communicate that they were supposed to slow dance as well, so instead they all just decided to form a circle around me and Pierson as we giggled for the three minute dance,” Simmons said.
Since her court got along so well, Simmons also enjoyed her time post-dance at Main Event.
“I loved playing laser tag and going bowling, and just getting to bond with all the girls, and I guess all the guys too,” Simmons said.
Despite the minor complications or potential stressors that Simmons could have endured, her long anticipated night of white and pastel dresses was better than she ever imagined. She greatly appreciated the support her friends and family provided, and she was honored to have participated in such a treasured event.
