Like the ability to touch or taste, dancing has always been a part of life for Bellwood-Antis middle school English teacher Ms. Devin Poplin. And like those senses, without it, life would be livable but distinctly less enjoyable.
“Dance is important to me for so many reasons. I literally don’t remember life without it because I’ve been involved in it for so long,” said Mrs. Poplin.
Her passion for dance is one of the things that led Ms. Poplin to set the wheels in motion on a first-of-its kind dance team at Bellwood-Antis. Tryouts are set for the spring.
As a high school student at B-A (Class of 2015), Ms. Poplin participated at Andrea’s School of Dance from ages 4 to 18, dedicating her whole childhood to dance.
She went to Penn State for undergrad and majored in English with a minor in Dance Studies. At Penn State, she was a part of the Ivyside Dance Ensemble. Since 2021, Devin has been teaching at Blair Dance Academy.
For Ms. Poplin, dance was a beneficial activity that provided her with lessons that extended beyond the studio or stage.
“They all taught me much more than just dance. They taught me about work ethic and perseverance,” she said.
One school activity Ms. Poplin found time for in high school was BluePrint, and she was on the first staff in 2015 to earn a Distinguished Site award.
BluePrint advisor Mr. Naylor said it’s not surprising Ms. Poplin would want to spread the benefits of dance with young people at Bellwood.
“I remember her senior year she and some other kids from Andrea’s gave me tickets to their spring dance recital at the Jaffa Mosque,” he recalled. “She was very proud of all the work she put in and was excited to have people see it. For dancers, their dedication is every bit like an athlete because it takes time and hard work, and they push their bodies to the limit. You learn a lot of strong values in those situations, and Ms. Poplin is the perfect person at B-A to pass them on to the next generation.”
Ms. Poplin was a long-term substitute in the high school and now an English teacher in the middle school
When she graduated from Bellwood, she initially went to cosmetology school and worked in the beauty field for a short time. Then she realized that she didn’t see herself doing hair as a career.
When that didn’t work out, she decided to switch up to teaching. She completed a year as a long-term substitute in the high school English department in 2023-24 before a job opened in the middle school for this year.
After getting used to her new job role, Ms. Poplin thought the time was right for a dance team at B-A. Students in grades 7-12 will have the opportunity to join the dance team.
The goals right now, she said, are to gather up a group of students willing to participate, work hard, and support each other. The group will be dancing at football games in a way similar to the dance team at Penn State.
“The first few years will be a learning curve for both the team and for me, but I hope we can work together to make this program successful.” Ms. Poplin said
Ms. Poplin said she hopes to one day be a teacher like the ones she had growing up and hopes to pass on life lessons that everyone can learn from.
