Wolf Trap Foundation For The Performing Arts Awards 14 Grants To Public School Educators

Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts has awarded grants to 14 teachers at public high schools and middle schools in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC to fund theater and storytelling, dance and movement, and classical and contemporary music projects in their classrooms. The grants are part of Wolf Trap's Grants for Performing Arts Teachers, an annual program that issues financial awards to support area public school teachers who are working to bring new and exciting performing arts experiences to their students. All grantees and their students are invited to participate in Grants Day at Wolf Trap, featuring teaching artist workshops, tours of the Filene Center, and a panel for high schools students with arts professionals, who will discuss career pathways in the arts. Participating high school students will perform at The Barns at Wolf Trap on Monday, April 28.

"The performing arts play an important role in our schools and their surrounding communities: the arts build resiliency in young people, serve as a form of self-expression, and for some, become the inspiration for a future career," said Cate Bechtold, Director, Internships and Community Programs for Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. "Wolf Trap's Grants for Performing Arts Teachers program was created to acknowledge the creative, innovative work educators are doing across the region to support the performing arts in their schools, and provide them the resources necessary to take their projects to the next level."

This year's middle school grants include:

Sophie Rosenthal, Swanson Middle School (Arlington County Public Schools)

Grant Project: Synetic Theatre Physicality Workshops

Synetic Theatre will work with four seventh-grade theater classes to assist in the character creation for a condensed Shakespeare play of their choice. Students will be encouraged to step out of their comfort zones and take creative risks. These skills-confidence, risk-taking, and perseverance-will serve them in future theatrical pursuits and beyond, leaving a lasting impact on their learning and personal growth.

Chelsea Holmes, Sterling Middle School (Loudoun County Public Schools)

Grant Project: Play On! A Collaborative Adventure to the Crossroads of Classical and Video Game Music

The Videri String Quartet, an ensemble specializing in video game music, will coach small string ensembles, present a masterclass about communication in an ensemble, and perform side by side with the students for the school community. Students from various middle and high schools in Loudoun County will attend and make connections between video game and classical music, as well as explore careers in the arts and discover how they can be incorporated into their lives.

Destini Collins, Browne Education Campus (DC Public Schools)

Grant Project: Go-Go Browne: Teaching Community and Resistance through the Arts

In "Go-Go Browne," students will create an original Go-Go song under the guidance of professional go-go artists. In collaboration with the DC History Center and Teach the Beat, this initiative aims to deepen students' understanding of their local heritage, particularly the cultural and social contexts that shaped go-go music. Students will explore the history of go-go and engage in the creative process, producing an original song that reflects both their individual identities and collective experience as DC residents.

Dr. Faye Richie-Chandler, Friendship Armstrong Public Charter School (DC Charter School)

Grant Project: West African Dance Explosion

Through workshops with the DC-based KanKouran West African Dance Company, students will explore how natural phenomena, social issues, religion, and social and cultural traditions inspire dance in West African culture. Through their work, students will develop their own choreography to be later performed at a school and community performance. This project provides an intercultural exchange that will broaden students' knowledge of the diverse African population within their community and school.

Kristen Friend, Mercer Middle School (Loudoun County Public Schools)

Grant Project: Chamber Winds

Chamber Winds is a student-driven program where students rehearse self-selected music in small ensembles to prepare for performances. Professional musicians will coach individual ensembles, providing an opportunity for students to gain musical understanding, receive targeted instruction and feedback, and open their minds to new perspectives. The students will perform at a local retirement community, allowing students to create and witness the impact that live music has within the community.

Dr. NiLa Austin, Ida B. Wells Middle School (DC Public Schools)

Grant Project: Latin Dance Workshops

Students will train with bilingual dance professionals from around the world and learn about the rich culture and history of Salsa and Bachata, culminating in choreography that will be performed at their school and local community center. This opportunity will bring culturally responsive arts education programming to a largely Hispanic student body, free of cost. The class will celebrate students' cultural identities, expand their knowledge, and provide a sense of community.

Rebecca Svedin Tate, Kenmore Middle School (Arlington County Public Schools)

Grant Project: Every Child Can

Every Child Can will hire local musicians to work with beginner students to establish technique on string instruments. These musicians will provide the support and resources to allow every child in the program access to high quality small group music instruction. The program will also hire a composer to write harmonies of varying difficulty from the Suzuki repertoire. Through these efforts, the program will create more unity in the school and community as students create music together and share their art with family and friends.

Stacey M. Jones, Luther Jackson Middle School (Fairfax County Public Schools)

Grant Project: Reviving Ghanian Traditions Through the Blues Workshops

Students in Luther Jackson Middle School's advanced theater arts class will work with Kennedy Center Teaching Artist and Focus 5 Consultant Imani Gonzalez, to learn about Ghanian traditions, connecting the African culture to the African American tradition of the Blues. Studying the blues genre will allow students to explore and tell their own stories. Students will write monologues to connect with the long tradition of defiant storytelling in the face of adversity. Bringing this type of cultural integration into the classroom will strengthen students' sense of identity while promoting acceptance of other cultures through a better understanding of how we are all connected.

This year's high school grants include:

Corinne Fox, Potomac Falls High School (Loudoun County Public Schools)

Grant Project: "All My Sons"

For a production of Arthur Miller's "All My Sons," the Potomac Falls theater department will connect with Loudoun County Veteran programs and senior living communities to facilitate conversations about returning to civilian life after serving in the military. Students will then attend masterclasses with the National Michael Chekhov Association to translate their conversations into character-driven performances. Through multiple departmental and community collaborations, students will connect theater, performance, and storytelling to greater aspects of social change, inequity, and community through artistic expression.

Hope Lambert, H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program (Arlington County Public Schools)

Grant Project: Building Bridges

H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program and The Eunice Kennedy Shriver Program, two secondary programs housed in the same building, will utilize the power of storytelling to connect their school communities and celebrate the gifts of all students. The H-B Woodlawn Theatre Department will join forces with ArtStream Teaching Artist Patti Woolsey to write and produce an original play to be performed by students from the Shriver Program, a secondary school for students with special needs. H-B Woodlawn students will gain invaluable experiences in leadership, mentorship, and collaboration across multiple age and peer groups, while Shriver students will have an opportunity to share their talents and growth with their school community.

Kelsey Meiklejohn Bowen, Bowie High School (Prince George's County Public Schools)

Grant Project: Theater For Young Audiences: Dandelion Magic

In collaboration with teaching artist Ryan Sellers, students will write and perform an original production of the picture book Dandelion Magic at local preschools. Students will explore themes of imagination, growth, and discovery, ultimately bringing the story to life on stage to tour and perform for young audiences. Students will enhance their communication, collaboration, creativity, self-expression, and innovative thinking-all essential skills for success in the classroom and beyond.

Dr. CJ Redden-Liotta, Falls Church High School (Fairfax County Public Schools)

Grant Project: 75th Anniversary Composer Residency

In honor of the choir department's 75th anniversary, student singers will collaborate with composer Sherry Blevins to create a piece reflecting their own culture and experiences. Through creating a piece that honors and reflects the diversity of the school community, students will explore their agency and witness how their unique voices can be heard in their community. The final piece will be shared in the school's spring concert.

Courtney Betzel, West Potomac High School Academy (Fairfax County Public Schools)

Grant Project: Dance Masterclasses at West Potomac HS Academy

Partnering with ClancyWorks Dance Company, students will participate in lectures and dance instruction to understand the cultural and historical fundamentals of Hip Hop genres and classical Indian dance styles. Students will then work with artists to choreograph a piece that celebrates the similarities and differences between the genres to be later showcased at a spring performance. Through this project, students will gain a better understanding and appreciation for the diversity and richness of dance across cultures.

Kendra Smith, John F. Kennedy High School (Montgomery County Public Schools)

Grant Project: Fostering Relationships Using Intergenerational Techniques (FRUIT)

Collaborating with ClancyWorks Dance Company and Jewish Council for the Aging: InterAges Program, students will participate in weekly classes with a mixed group of older adults, using creative movement to share stories from their own lives. This interaction will help students to express themselves through dance, more actively participate in the arts, and build connections with mentors from a different generation.

Wolf Trap's annual grants program acknowledges high-quality instruction and performance achievements of public high school and middle school music, dance, and theater teachers. Awardees receive a financial grant in support of special projects that align with Wolf Trap's performance and education priorities. For more information about Wolf Trap's Grants program visit wolftrap.org/grants.

Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts has awarded grants to 14 teachers at public high schools and middle schools in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC to fund theater and storytelling, dance and movement, and classical and contemporary music projects in their classrooms. The grants are part of Wolf Trap's Grants for Performing Arts Teachers, an annual program that issues financial awards to support area public school teachers who are working to bring new and exciting performing arts experiences to their students. All grantees and their students are invited to participate in Grants Day at Wolf Trap, featuring teaching artist workshops, tours of the Filene Center, and a panel for high schools students with arts professionals, who will discuss career pathways in the arts. Participating high school students will perform at The Barns at Wolf Trap on Monday, April 28.

"The performing arts play an important role in our schools and their surrounding communities: the arts build resiliency in young people, serve as a form of self-expression, and for some, become the inspiration for a future career," said Cate Bechtold, Director, Internships and Community Programs for Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. "Wolf Trap's Grants for Performing Arts Teachers program was created to acknowledge the creative, innovative work educators are doing across the region to support the performing arts in their schools, and provide them the resources necessary to take their projects to the next level."

This year's middle school grants include:

Sophie Rosenthal, Swanson Middle School (Arlington County Public Schools)

Grant Project: Synetic Theatre Physicality Workshops

Synetic Theatre will work with four seventh-grade theater classes to assist in the character creation for a condensed Shakespeare play of their choice. Students will be encouraged to step out of their comfort zones and take creative risks. These skills-confidence, risk-taking, and perseverance-will serve them in future theatrical pursuits and beyond, leaving a lasting impact on their learning and personal growth.

Chelsea Holmes, Sterling Middle School (Loudoun County Public Schools)

Grant Project: Play On! A Collaborative Adventure to the Crossroads of Classical and Video Game Music

The Videri String Quartet, an ensemble specializing in video game music, will coach small string ensembles, present a masterclass about communication in an ensemble, and perform side by side with the students for the school community. Students from various middle and high schools in Loudoun County will attend and make connections between video game and classical music, as well as explore careers in the arts and discover how they can be incorporated into their lives.

Destini Collins, Browne Education Campus (DC Public Schools)

Grant Project: Go-Go Browne: Teaching Community and Resistance through the Arts

In "Go-Go Browne," students will create an original Go-Go song under the guidance of professional go-go artists. In collaboration with the DC History Center and Teach the Beat, this initiative aims to deepen students' understanding of their local heritage, particularly the cultural and social contexts that shaped go-go music. Students will explore the history of go-go and engage in the creative process, producing an original song that reflects both their individual identities and collective experience as DC residents.

Dr. Faye Richie-Chandler, Friendship Armstrong Public Charter School (DC Charter School)

Grant Project: West African Dance Explosion

Through workshops with the DC-based KanKouran West African Dance Company, students will explore how natural phenomena, social issues, religion, and social and cultural traditions inspire dance in West African culture. Through their work, students will develop their own choreography to be later performed at a school and community performance. This project provides an intercultural exchange that will broaden students' knowledge of the diverse African population within their community and school.

Kristen Friend, Mercer Middle School (Loudoun County Public Schools)

Grant Project: Chamber Winds

Chamber Winds is a student-driven program where students rehearse self-selected music in small ensembles to prepare for performances. Professional musicians will coach individual ensembles, providing an opportunity for students to gain musical understanding, receive targeted instruction and feedback, and open their minds to new perspectives. The students will perform at a local retirement community, allowing students to create and witness the impact that live music has within the community.

Dr. NiLa Austin, Ida B. Wells Middle School (DC Public Schools)

Grant Project: Latin Dance Workshops

Students will train with bilingual dance professionals from around the world and learn about the rich culture and history of Salsa and Bachata, culminating in choreography that will be performed at their school and local community center. This opportunity will bring culturally responsive arts education programming to a largely Hispanic student body, free of cost. The class will celebrate students' cultural identities, expand their knowledge, and provide a sense of community.

Rebecca Svedin Tate, Kenmore Middle School (Arlington County Public Schools)

Grant Project: Every Child Can

Every Child Can will hire local musicians to work with beginner students to establish technique on string instruments. These musicians will provide the support and resources to allow every child in the program access to high quality small group music instruction. The program will also hire a composer to write harmonies of varying difficulty from the Suzuki repertoire. Through these efforts, the program will create more unity in the school and community as students create music together and share their art with family and friends.

Stacey M. Jones, Luther Jackson Middle School (Fairfax County Public Schools)

Grant Project: Reviving Ghanian Traditions Through the Blues Workshops

Students in Luther Jackson Middle School's advanced theater arts class will work with Kennedy Center Teaching Artist and Focus 5 Consultant Imani Gonzalez, to learn about Ghanian traditions, connecting the African culture to the African American tradition of the Blues. Studying the blues genre will allow students to explore and tell their own stories. Students will write monologues to connect with the long tradition of defiant storytelling in the face of adversity. Bringing this type of cultural integration into the classroom will strengthen students' sense of identity while promoting acceptance of other cultures through a better understanding of how we are all connected.

This year's high school grants include:

Corinne Fox, Potomac Falls High School (Loudoun County Public Schools)

Grant Project: "All My Sons"

For a production of Arthur Miller's "All My Sons," the Potomac Falls theater department will connect with Loudoun County Veteran programs and senior living communities to facilitate conversations about returning to civilian life after serving in the military. Students will then attend masterclasses with the National Michael Chekhov Association to translate their conversations into character-driven performances. Through multiple departmental and community collaborations, students will connect theater, performance, and storytelling to greater aspects of social change, inequity, and community through artistic expression.

Hope Lambert, H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program (Arlington County Public Schools)

Grant Project: Building Bridges

H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program and The Eunice Kennedy Shriver Program, two secondary programs housed in the same building, will utilize the power of storytelling to connect their school communities and celebrate the gifts of all students. The H-B Woodlawn Theatre Department will join forces with ArtStream Teaching Artist Patti Woolsey to write and produce an original play to be performed by students from the Shriver Program, a secondary school for students with special needs. H-B Woodlawn students will gain invaluable experiences in leadership, mentorship, and collaboration across multiple age and peer groups, while Shriver students will have an opportunity to share their talents and growth with their school community.

Kelsey Meiklejohn Bowen, Bowie High School (Prince George's County Public Schools)

Grant Project: Theater For Young Audiences: Dandelion Magic

In collaboration with teaching artist Ryan Sellers, students will write and perform an original production of the picture book Dandelion Magic at local preschools. Students will explore themes of imagination, growth, and discovery, ultimately bringing the story to life on stage to tour and perform for young audiences. Students will enhance their communication, collaboration, creativity, self-expression, and innovative thinking-all essential skills for success in the classroom and beyond.

Dr. CJ Redden-Liotta, Falls Church High School (Fairfax County Public Schools)

Grant Project: 75th Anniversary Composer Residency

In honor of the choir department's 75th anniversary, student singers will collaborate with composer Sherry Blevins to create a piece reflecting their own culture and experiences. Through creating a piece that honors and reflects the diversity of the school community, students will explore their agency and witness how their unique voices can be heard in their community. The final piece will be shared in the school's spring concert.

Courtney Betzel, West Potomac High School Academy (Fairfax County Public Schools)

Grant Project: Dance Masterclasses at West Potomac HS Academy

Partnering with ClancyWorks Dance Company, students will participate in lectures and dance instruction to understand the cultural and historical fundamentals of Hip Hop genres and classical Indian dance styles. Students will then work with artists to choreograph a piece that celebrates the similarities and differences between the genres to be later showcased at a spring performance. Through this project, students will gain a better understanding and appreciation for the diversity and richness of dance across cultures.

Kendra Smith, John F. Kennedy High School (Montgomery County Public Schools)

Grant Project: Fostering Relationships Using Intergenerational Techniques (FRUIT)

Collaborating with ClancyWorks Dance Company and Jewish Council for the Aging: InterAges Program, students will participate in weekly classes with a mixed group of older adults, using creative movement to share stories from their own lives. This interaction will help students to express themselves through dance, more actively participate in the arts, and build connections with mentors from a different generation.

Wolf Trap's annual grants program acknowledges high-quality instruction and performance achievements of public high school and middle school music, dance, and theater teachers. Awardees receive a financial grant in support of special projects that align with Wolf Trap's performance and education priorities. For more information about Wolf Trap's Grants program visit wolftrap.org/grants.

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