A program built on timeless principles.
The National League of Junior Cotillions® helps young people build confidence, character, and social ease. Through courtesy and modern manners, character education, and ballroom dance, students learn skills that strengthen relationships for a lifetime in a structured, encouraging environment. NLJC's story began in Lincolnton, North Carolina, in 1978, when Anne Colvin Winters began teaching etiquette and confidence-building classes with a purpose that has never changed. The first chapter was established in 1979, and in 1989 Anne and Charles Anthony Winters established the National League of Junior Cotillions® to expand the program by training and supporting directors in local communities. NLJC was incorporated in 1993, and today continues nationwide through licensed directors, local chapters, and families committed to honor, dignity, and respect. The NLJC® Loudoun County Chapter was established in 2004.
Andréa & James Symanski
Andréa and James Symanski bring deep experience in etiquette, dancing, and instruction to the Loudoun County Chapter. They have four children, all currently enrolled in NLJC® Programs.
Andréa and James are active members of the Belmont Country Club Social Committee, with Andréa serving as Vice Chair. Andréa is also a prospective member of the McLean Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Together, they have served on multiple NLJC® Chapter Advisory Boards, including the Great Falls and Loudoun County chapters. In 2024, their family was chosen to model for Invited Clubs' corporate dining advertising campaigns.
Both Andréa and James bring extensive event planning experience, highlighted by their own wedding at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
Andréa offers deep international experience, having studied abroad in London, England, with a focus on art, music, theatre, culture, literature, and history. She also completed language immersion programs in Sevilla, Spain. Earlier in her career, she served as head teacher and trainer for Berlitz Language Centers in Germany, coaching business professionals in international organizations. While a professor, she planned business meetings and conferences for the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, and served for two years on the planning committee for the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) anniversary ball.
Andréa holds a Master's degree in Literature with a focus on Shakespeare. She has taught at both the high school and college levels in California and developed a classical homeschool curriculum. Since 2015, she has served as a homeschool teacher, incorporating Classical and Western languages — Latin, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Hebrew, and Greek — into the program for the past ten years.
James is a West Point graduate who gained foundational training in etiquette and ballroom dancing during his time there. He later commanded troops in combat with the U.S. Army. An award-winning Professional Engineer, James holds master's degrees in Civil Engineering and Business Administration. He has organized numerous professional conferences, regularly trains large groups, and has held senior leadership roles, including participation in a White House Working Group, presentations at the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Capitol, and organizing a meeting with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in honor of their daughter's Debutante service project. Earlier in his career, he also served as a firefighter, emergency medical technician, and rescue diver.
James and Andréa own and operate Academy Engineering, PLLC, serving clients across Northern Virginia.
Contact the Directors
info@nljcloudoun.com
"Cotillion is truly remarkable because it allows us to treat others as we ourselves wish to be treated—without reinventing the wheel. We stand on the shoulders of giants, communicating what is deepest within us through honor, dignity, and respect."
Serving Northern Virginia families in Loudoun County
Including the following towns and communities:
- Aldie
- Ashburn
- Bluemont
- Brambleton
- Broadlands
- Dulles
- Hamilton
- Hillsboro
- Leesburg
- Lincoln
- Lovettsville
- Middleburg
- Paeonian Springs
- Paris
- Purcellville
- Round Hill
- South Riding
- Sterling
- Stone Ridge
- Waterford
Available to students enrolled in these schools
- • Academies of Loudoun
- • Aldie Elementary School
- • Algonkian Elementary School
- • Allder Montessori
- • Arcola Elementary School
- • Ashburn Elementary School
- • Ashburn Village KinderCare
- • The Aurora School
- • Ball's Bluff Elementary School
- • Banneker Elementary School
- • Bean Tree Learning
- • Belmont Ridge Middle School
- • Belmont Station Elementary School
- • Blue Ridge Middle School
- • Brambleton Middle School
- • Briar Woods High School
- • Broad Run High School
- • Broadlands KinderCare
- • Buffalo Trail Elementary School
- • Cardinal Ridge Elementary School
- • Cascades KinderCare
- • Catoctin Elementary School
- • Cedar Lane Elementary School
- • Christ Community Church & School
- • Cool Spring Elementary School
- • Countryside Elementary School
- • Creighton's Corner Elementary School
- • The Curious Minds Montessori School
- • Destiny School of the Arts
- • Discovery Elementary School
- • Dominion High School
- • Dominion Trail Elementary School
- • Eagle Ridge Middle School
- • East Gate Montessori School
- • Elaine E. Thompson Elementary School
- • Emerick Elementary School
- • Evergreen Christian School
- • Evergreen Mill Elementary School
- • Fairfax Christian School
- • Farmwell Station Middle School
- • Forest Grove Elementary School
- • Foxcroft School
- • Frederick Douglass Elementary School
- • Freedom High School
- • Fusion Academy Loudoun
- • Golden Meadow KinderCare
- • Golden Pond School
- • Good Beginnings School
- • Goshen Post Elementary School
- • Great Beginnings Preschool - Leesburg United Methodist Church
- • Guilford Elementary School
- • Gum Spring Middle School
- • Hamilton Elementary School
- • Harmony Middle School
- • Harper Park Middle School
- • Henrietta Lacks Elementary School
- • Heritage High School
- • The Hill School
- • Hillsboro Charter Academy
- • Hillside Elementary School
- • Homeschool
- • Horizon Elementary School
- • Hovatter Elementary School
- • Hutchison Farm Elementary School
- • Independence High School
- • John Champe High School
- • John W. Tolbert Jr. Elementary School
- • Kenneth Culbert Elementary School
- • Leesburg Elementary School
- • Legacy Elementary School
- • Liberty Elementary School
- • Lightridge High School
- • Lincoln Elementary School
- • Little River Elementary School
- • Loudoun Country Day School
- • Loudoun County High School
- • Loudoun School for Advanced Studies
- • Loudoun Valley High School
- • Lovettsville Elementary School
- • Lowes Island Elementary School
- • Lucketts Elementary School
- • Madison's Trust Elementary School
- • Meadowland Elementary School
- • Middleburg Academy
- • Middleburg Community Charter School
- • Mill Run Elementary School
- • Monarch Christian Montessori
- • Moorefield Station Elementary School
- • Mountain View Elementary School
- • The Newton School
- • Newton-Lee Elementary School
- • Our Lady of Hope Catholic School
- • Park View High School
- • Pinebrook Elementary School
- • Potomac Falls High School
- • Potowmack Elementary School
- • Providence Academy
- • Richard and Mildred Loving Elementary School
- • River Bend Middle School
- • Riverside High School
- • Rock Ridge High School
- • Rolling Ridge Elementary School
- • Rosa Lee Carter Elementary School
- • Round Hill Elementary School
- • Sanders Corner Elementary School
- • Seldens Landing Elementary School
- • Seneca Ridge Middle School
- • Smart's Mill Middle School
- • St. Paul VI Catholic High School
- • St. Theresa Catholic School
- • Steuart W. Weller Elementary School
- • Sterling Elementary School
- • Sterling Middle School
- • Stone Bridge High School
- • Stone Hill Middle School
- • Sugarland Elementary School
- • Sully Elementary School
- • Sycolin Creek Elementary School
- • Trailside Middle School
- • Tuscarora High School
- • Virginia Academy
- • Waterford Elementary School
- • Watson Mountain Middle School
- • Waxpool Elementary School
- • Willard Middle School
- • William O. Robey High School
- • Woodgrove High School
The NLJC® Loudoun County Chapter is licensed to enroll students from the above schools and locations only. If your child is not enrolled in a school in Loudoun County, please contact us at info@nljcloudoun.com to discuss options.