A struggling inner-city high school can finally listen to the sound of music. Grammy-winning rapper Drake donated $75,000 to help create a studio space at Strawberry Mansion High School in Philadelphia, district officials said.
Although the studio was completed last summer, Linda Cliatt-Wayman, the school’s principal, said that due to budget problems and the school’s reputation for violence, the institution was having difficulty landing an instructor. At long last, part-time music teacher Ben Diamond arrived to take the reins in early February.
“We thought we were going to be ready to go in September. They’ve been dying to get into the studio,” Cliatt-Wayman said of the students.
The Toronto native, 28, first became involved after ABC News aired a segment focusing on Cliatt-Wayman’s tough-love efforts to improve the school, which serves one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods. Since Cliatt-Wayman’s arrival nearly two years ago campus assaults have dropped dramatically. However, academics and resources remain a struggle. Less than a quarter of Strawberry Mansion students perform at grade level in math and reading.
