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An ArtistYear Teaching Artist Brings Dancing Into The Mix at W.B. Saul Agricultural High School

Students at the W.B. Saul High School of Agricultural Sciences on the northwest edge of Philadelphia are introduced to farming, food science, and now, dance.

ArtistYear AmeriCorps member Coralie-Michele Francois is combining a love of dance and science at Saul. She's one of 12 teacher-artists serving in the Philadelphia schools this year. WRTI’s Meridee Duddleston went to the school to watch her in action.

Coralie-Michele Francois

Many educators and concerned citizens see the arts as a necessity, not a luxury. The Philadelphia-based nonprofit ArtistYearwas formed to fill a gap in arts education, felt most deeply in economically disadvantaged communities. It enables young musicians, writers, filmmakers, fine artists and many other creative young people to spend a year sharing their talents with those most in need.

MD_ADLF_171024_ArtistYearAmeriCorps.mp3
Listen to portions of Meridee Duddleston's interview with Coralie-Michele Francois, recorded in October, 2017.

This past summer, ArtistYear received a grant from the national service program AmeriCorpsto expand beyond Philadelphia, and to provide teacher-artists to underserved schools, often lacking a music or art teacher. 

Coralie-Michele Francois graduated from Cheltenham High School.  She was awarded a dance scholarship and went on to graduate from Drexel University in 2017.