Katheryn Pourcho is an imaginative, animated, and inspiring educator who infuses her experience as a professional artist into her classroom. Pourcho is a recipient of the 2016 Lilly Endowment Teacher Creativity Fellowship and a graduate of Ball State University’s Honors College. She teaches art to Pre-K to 2 students at Danville North Elementary School and studied oil painting under artists CW Mundy, Pam Newell, and Thomas Kegler and has painted in residency at the La Romita School of Art in central Italy and the L’Abri Fellowship in Huemoz, Switzerland. Her work has been exhibited at the Harrison Center for the Arts, Carmel International Arts Festival, and the Danville Paint Out. During the summer, she offers engaging art experiences for her students in Danville and children abroad. Her passion for global causes led her to work with children in countries, such as Nicaragua, Lebanon, and Thailand.  Pourcho’s classroom is a magical experience and she shares her experiences as a professional artist and world traveler with her students and colleagues at North Elementary. Based on latest research that promotes the power of play in learning, her teaching incorporates a dramatic flair. She nurtures a healthy balance between individual responsibility and team-oriented relationships whether it’s rapping about studio rules or taking a moment to practice mindfulness, she and her students create a safe place for collaboration and conflict resolution. This studio atmosphere has transformed North Elementary into a work of art through the hands of her students.