Who We Are

Seton Arts Service Corps

The Seton Arts Service Corps is a collaborative venture of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill and Seton Hill University. This unique, inter-generational program seeks to offer children and adults living in under-served, inner-city communities the opportunity to transform themselves and their surroundings through the arts.

The 2006-2007 academic year provided the opportunity to test this unique program. As you can see from the parents’ quotes, we succeeded.

• Seven Seton Hill University arts majors were trained as Seton Arts Scholars and led two sessions of the program.
• The first seven-week session was held at Word of God School in Swissvale, and the second six-week session was held at St. James School in Wilkinsburg.
• Students in grades five through eight were invited to participate. Seton Arts Scholars were successful in incorporating contributions from students in lower grades who accompanied older brothers and sisters to the program, as well as engaging the adults accompanying these children to the sessions.
• Both sessions ended with an art exhibit showcasing the work of the students and a live performance featuring music and dramatic skits. Adults who accompanied the young students to the sessions were also encouraged to participate. These end-of-session performances and art exhibits were proof of what can be accomplished in only six, four-hour sessions.

For more information about the Seton Arts Service Corps and how your child can participate, please call 412-225-7290 for Sister Mary Denise Diethrich, director of the program.

Quotes from parents:

“This program does a wonderful job of fostering students’ confidence and creativity. My daughter . . . thoroughly enjoyed exploring different artistic expression through many mediums. The program and student teachers truly embraced every child’s unique spirit, and encouraged the children to express themselves. . . . I saw my daughter’s confidence increase as the program progressed.”

“Our 13-year-old son has participated in this innovative program . . . The combined use of art, drama, and music enabled him to tap into his ‘creative side’ on multiple levels. . . . It was an invaluable resource for helping our son to grow personally, gain self-confidence, and practice leadership skills in a dynamic, diverse, and fun environment.”

“I’m very glad my son, a 7th grader, had the opportunity to participate in a creative arts program. He loved it and it was a great outlet for him. My son has a variety of learning disabilities and is challenged by the standard school setting. This program allowed him to use his creativity, his most valuable asset, and he thoroughly enjoyed it. All of the student artists were exceptional. I was especially pleased that some of them were art therapy majors.”

“The students from Seton Hill have a love for their profession and have unique and creative ways of sharing this with the children. The [Arts Scholars] create a relaxed environment allowing the children to pursue their creativity

. . . while providing extensive positive feedback. . . . The staff not only taught the children aspects of art and drama, the children have also learned respect, patience, and kindness. . . . I am extremely grateful my daughter had this opportunity to be part of this positive, incredible experience.”