[...] The success of Smoky Creek Summer School for Girls, whose graduates number more than 300, underscores a reality of the times, says [Dixie] Gallaspy, who grew up in rural Washington Parish, La., and attended Texas Woman's University.

"The basic thing is this: Both parents are working, they're sending their kids to the best schools they can afford, but they just don't have any time left over," she says. "A lot of these little girls are growing up without any kind of domestic understanding. I'm trying to recapture those skills." [...]

At Smoky Creek, Gallaspy limits her classes to about 25 girls and charges only $50 for the week. Most of her students are 11-year-olds, and most of the out-of-towners stay with grandparents or other relatives who live in the area.

Community volunteers are a primary reason she's able to charge only $50 for the week. One doctor speaks to the girls about clean living, and a high school teacher helps with music.

"This is a wonderful age because they're still listening," Gallaspy says. [...]

As might be expected, change doesn't occur haphazardly in this part of the world. But even the guide to becoming a Southern belle needs a tweak every now and then.

Blended in with traditional lessons such as using the proper fork and penning that perfect note are topics that might make Scarlett O'Hara blush -- body piercing and tattooing.

Of course, the message is: A true Southern lady would never do anything to permanently alter her body.

"What we tell them is there's a reason God made it hurt," says Annie Hughes, Ellie's [a student] mom and one of the school's coordinators. "We tell them, 'You can do fads. Fads aren't bad. But don't do anything that's permanent."' [...]