Roc Nation And Alicia Keys Pledge $60K To Help Students Save NYC Performing Arts Program
Alicia Keys, Roc Nation, and others are rallying to help save the performing arts program at a renowned NYC art school. When the students of Hell’s Kitchen’s Professional Performing Arts School (PPAS) were notified that their drama program was in danger of being canceled, the students sprang into action and set up a GoFundMe.
The crowdfunding effort has already surpassed half of their $102,000 goal, and they recently received a hefty pledge from Roc Nation and Alicia Keys for $60,000. The program boasts notable alumni like Keys, Jeremy Allen White, Claire Danes, Britney Spears, Jesse Eisenberg, and more.
The message on the GoFundMe page reads as follows: “Hi! We are the 7th grade students at The Professional Performing Arts School in NYC. Due to unfortunate budget cuts our performing arts program was cut short and will be ending early in April for both middle school and high school! This affects hundreds of students and we are heartbroken to have such a horrible thing happen. Please help donate to bring back our program that brought so many students joy, and made their dreams come true! Thank you so much, we really appreciate you making a difference in the children that are the future of our world!”
Some of the students spoke with ABC 7 NY about the news and the success of the plan. “I had no idea that it was going to be this big and blow up this huge,” said 7th grader Tennyson Artigliere. “Today we found out that Roc Nation is going to be donating $60,000 and will also pledge to continue to fund the program until the DOE can sufficiently keep the program going.”
Another alum, Jeremy Allen White, also caught win of the GoFundMe and posted the link to his Instagram story to help save the program as well.
An email obtained by W42ST provided information about why the performing arts program is going to be cut short. Sent by Waterwell Director of Education Heather Lanza to PPAS parents and students, the email stated that the organization was told by the school’s Principal Leah Dyer that the department would be receiving a 20% budget cut for the remainder of the 2023-2024 school year.
