Forty honor senior girls from 17 Valley high schools made their formal debut at the 42nd-annual Phoenix Honors Cotillion Scholarship Debutante Ball, held March 22 at the Phoenix Civic Plaza.

    The “debs” descended through a saber archway provided by the Arizona State University Arnold Air Society Honor Guard. Each young woman was then escorted around the room on her father’s arm, wearing traditional white evening gowns.

North Central young women who were presented at the 42nd annual Phoenix Honors Cotillion Scholarship Debutante Ball included, from left: Katelyn Mullan of Xavier, Madison MacDonald of Bourgade, Karen Ellis of North High, and Jordan Lockwood of Xavier (submitted photo).

Forty honor senior girls from 17 Valley high schools made their formal debut at the 42nd-annual Phoenix Honors Cotillion Scholarship Debutante Ball, held March 22 at the Phoenix Civic Plaza.

    The “debs” descended through a saber archway provided by the Arizona State University Arnold Air Society Honor Guard. Each young woman was then escorted around the room on her father’s arm, wearing traditional white evening gowns.

    The presentation recognizes these young women for their personal achievements and not their social standing. They attended weekly seminars for six months, studying in the areas of time management, personal and professional goal-setting, and formal and informal entertaining. Personal safety and self-defense also were popular seminars.

    The young women must maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher, and as a group they contributed more than 3,000 hours in civic service with projects of their own choosing.

    Senior honor students from North Central Phoenix who were presented at the ball included Xavier College Preparatory students Margaret Broderick, Jordan Lockwood and Katelyn Mullan; Karen Ellis of North High School; Karen Feltz of Phoenix Country Day School; Madison MacDonald of Bourgade Catholic High School; and Elle Swol of Sunnyslope High School.