ERIE'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Carla Hughes (1971-2021)

Carla Hughes was a beloved member of the faculty at Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy, where she taught dance for the entirety of her 17-year career with Erie's Public Schools.

In addition to serving as director of Collegiate Academy's Dance Ensemble (CADENCE), she was an Erie Playhouse actor and member of the organization's board of directors. She was artistic director for her solo performance company, SheWorks Dance Theater, and a teaching artist for the Erie Arts & Culture, Art in Education Program. At the time of her death in 2021 she was serving as president of the Erie Dance Consortium and was also a participating director J&J Productions, a local theatre production company. 

"She was an integral part of our Collegiate Academy family and of the Erie community," Collegiate Academy Dean James Vieira said in an interview with the Erie TImes-News. "It's impossible to measure her impact on our students, who were very faithful to her, not just as a great teacher but as a great person."

A  mural of Hughes designed by Miami-based artist Mwanel Pierre-Louis adorns the outside of the Erie Center for Arts and Technology, 650 East Ave.