The Louis Kurtz Civic Center was home yesterday to a ceremony recognizing five teenage girls who had completed Rites of Passage, a 10-month program inspired by an African tribal tradition of preparing girls for womanhood.

The program is run by the Psi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, a historically black sorority, and includes a series of workshops and field trips that teach young girls everything from etiquette and financial management to African-American history and dance.

Marie Clerveaux, Davine Louise Holness, Monique Jordan, Ashley Nicole Lowery and Jamila Samuel were honored during a two-hour event highlighted by African rituals, dance performances, remarks by proud parents and speeches by the girls themselves.   more >>