RBR students step out at Cotillion

(Center) Chairwoman Denise Hawkins; (l-r) Yolanda Jones, Tiffany Jones, John Moses Cross, Vanessa Coates and Kat'rina Veney will participate in the 57th Annual Scholarship Ball Saturday at Convention Hall in Asbury Park.

Red Bank Regional High School has bragging rights to having five students - Yolanda Jones, Tiffany Jones, John Moses Cross, Vanessa Coates and Katrina Veney - participating in the 57th Annual Scholarship Ball.

Known as The Cotillion, the ball will take place Saturday at Convention Hall in Asbury Park. The annual Cotillion ball is an elegant affair at which young women, known as debutantes, dressed in white evening gowns are presented by their fathers or significant males in a waltz. They are then joined by their escorts, who are decked out in tuxedos.

The Cotillion is the culmination of a seven-month-long process that starts in November when applications are due from prospective participants. Criteria for acceptance include academic achievement, and debutantes and escorts must attend weekly meetings that encompass both mentoring sessions for careers and college selection as well as dance and fashion show rehearsals for the ball.

Scholarships to are awarded on ball night with funds raised by the Monmouth County Cotillion Committee through a series of fundraisers and donations. Last year, over $47,000 of scholarship money was awarded to participants. This year, 66 students from 14 different Monmouth County high schools are participating in the Cotillion.

The junior debutantes open the ball with a special dance. Senior debutantes and escorts perform a jazz dance together as well as separate dance numbers. Fourteen weeks of practice and choreography make for a very entertaining evening.