Wolf Trap Awards Grants to 13 DC Area Educators for Arts Projects

Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts has awarded grants to 13 teachers at public high schools and middle schools in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC to fund theater, music, and dance 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 innovative performing arts experiences to their communities.

Six theater-based projects are among the grants, featuring work that explores storytelling and technical theater, varied topics addressing mental health and environmental issues, and creative re-imaginings of A Raisin In the Sun and Macbeth.

All grantees and their students will participate in a day of learning at Wolf Trap featuring teaching artist workshops, peer shares, tours of Wolf Trap's performance venues, and an enrichment project exploring arts career paths; participating high school students are invited to perform at The Barns at Wolf Trap on Monday, April 20.

This year's middle school grantees are:

Amber Gartrell, Inspired Teaching Demonstration School (DC Charter Schools)

Grant Project: Evoking Emotion Through Technical Theatre

Inspired Teaching Demonstration School (ITDS) will partner with Rachel Witt-Callahan, the long-time Props Manager for the Washington National Opera, to support the school's production of Matilda, Jr. Witt-Callahan will lead classes to help students develop and create production-ready props, sets, and costumes. She will also spearhead a technical theatre curriculum that staff and students can implement and build upon in subsequent years. The production, which will directly involve over 250 ITDS students at every stage of development, will equip students with valuable leadership and collaboration skills as they work towards a common goal.

Andrew Sharrock, Glasgow Middle School (Fairfax County Public Schools)

Grant Project: Resonancias Culturales: A Commissioned Work by Jorge Vargas

Glasgow Middle School will commission Texas-based composer Jorge Vargas to create an original band composition for their June concert. Vargas will work directly with students, guiding them through the new piece before conducting the world premiere performance that evening. Students will develop technical and expressive performance skills, broaden their cultural perspectives by engaging thoughtfully with contemporary music by the Mexican American composer, and experience the excitement and responsibility of performing a world premiere.

Anola Douglas, River Bend Middle School (Loudoun County Public Schools)

Grant Project: Finding Your Voice: A Tenor/Bass Workshop for Middle School and Emerging Singers

This inaugural workshop will bring in veteran educator Andrew Kerper to work with Tenor/Bass voice students from River Bend Middle School and the nearby high school. Through intentional repertoire, collaborative singing, and confidence-building activities, participants will discover the power of their voices and the strength of singing in community. By creating a supportive space where boys can explore their voices without judgment, the workshop hopes to shift perceptions of masculinity, breaking down stereotypes around singing and fostering a sense of belonging.

Meghan Pafumi, Rocky Run Middle School (Fairfax County Public Schools)

Grant Project: Middle School and Macbeth: Appearance vs. Reality

Teaching artists from Precipice Theater Team will collaborate with students to devise an ensemble-based theater piece inspired by Shakespeare's Macbeth. The new play will explore nuanced topics such as appearance vs. reality, ambition, power, and morality, with the intention of sparking conversations that can lead to increased empathy, social awareness, and transformation. The premiere will be presented on the same evening as a one-act version of Macbeth. During intermission, the audience will be invited to participate in activities that foster artistic dialogue, underscoring the power of theater to inspire reflection, connection, and the possibility of social change.

Robert Simmons III, Stuart-Hobson Middle School (DC Public Schools)

Grant Project: Stuart-Hobson Middle School Go-Go Preservation & Education Hub

Students, teachers, and community members will establish a Go-Go Preservation & Education Hub, a first-of-its-kind, middle school-based initiative to safeguard and celebrate one of Washington, DC's most unique musical exports. Go-Go music, recently designated as the official music of Washington, DC, is already proudly platformed at Stuart-Hobson, one of several middle schools with a full Go-Go band. Through archival preservation, student workshops, public performances, and community partnerships, students will continue to help raise awareness about this culturally significant genre.

This year's high school grantees are:

Bayardo Martinez, Northwestern High School (Prince George's County Public Schools)

Grant Project: ClancyWorks Residency at the Jim Henson Academy of Visual and Performing Arts at Northwestern High School

Northwestern High School will host ClancyWorks Dance Company for a residency focused on choreography and technology in the arts. An experienced team of two dance teaching artists and one theater technician will work with students to create an original dance piece focused on the role of artificial intelligence in daily life, helping students weave personal perspectives into creative expression. Through workshops and hands-on mentorship, the ClancyWorks team will encourage students to question, collaborate, reflect, and deepen self-confidence while honing and enhancing dance technique. The final piece will be presented at NHS's Spring Dance Concert.

Brandon Kalbaugh, Lightridge High School (Loudoun County Public Schools)

Grant Project: Theatre Artists for Mental Health

Students will work with teaching artists from Precipice Theater Team and school counselors to create an original one-act play about the student-chosen topic of mental health. The show will be staged at the school for the public; it will also be professionally recorded and sent to other schools and youth organizations, with the goal of spreading mental health awareness within the community.

Candis Taylor, Fairmont Heights High School (Prince George's County Public Schools)

Grant Project: Hair Stories through Dance: Empowering Students with Umfundalai

This project presents a unique opportunity for deeper technical and artistic refinement by introducing students to the African diasporic dance technique of Umfundalai under the guidance of a master teacher. Dancers will learn original choreography rooted in personal and collective narratives about Black hair and present their work at school and community events, culminating in a showcase at the Maryland Dance Alliance. This project seeks to provide students with a powerful outlet for self-expression and connection, as well as affirm identity and celebrate heritage.

Christine Maxted, Westfield High School (Fairfax County Public Schools)

Grant Project: Youth and Senior Collaborative Storytelling Project

This project aims to bring together young students and senior community members to create and perform an original theater piece based on the life stories, experiences, and wisdom of the senior participants. Through interviews, workshops, and collaborative rehearsals, teaching artists will guide students and seniors to co-create a performance that bridges generational gaps, celebrates shared history, and fosters meaningful relationships. A documentary of the entire process, encompassing the initial interviews and conceptualization of the show all the way to post-performance dialogues, is planned.

Christopher O.J. Alberts, School Without Walls High School (DC Public Schools)

Grant Project: The Art of the Mix: DJing as Creative Expression

"The Art of the Mix" is an eight-week artist residency designed to introduce School Without Walls Digital Music students to the fundamentals of DJing. Led by a professional DJ, the program equips students with the technical skills of cueing, beatmatching, and mixing, while empowering them to explore identity and artistic storytelling through curated sets. The project meets a critical need by connecting students' musical interests with real-world skills and technology, offering a culturally relevant, uniquely engaging alternative to traditional music instruction. The residency will culminate in a student showcase, giving participants the opportunity to perform live for their school community.

Christopher Rushing, C.G. Woodson High School (Fairfax County Public Schools)

Grant Project: Finding Nemo Musical: Protecting Nemo's World

Teaching artists from Signature Theatre and Imagination Stage will support C.G. Woodson theater students in their production of Finding Nemo, which will be recontextualized to address environmental issues relevant to Nemo's world. The production itself will feature puppets and scenery created from found, recycled, and donated materials, and the whole process will emphasize community building through workshops and performances at local elementary schools and Frost Middle School. Through this multidisciplinary approach to a classic and beloved story, the project aims to increase awareness of the problems waste poses to our oceans and aquatic ecosystems while simultaneously encouraging younger students to participate in theater and the performing arts.

Hannah Kerr, Albert Einstein High School (Montgomery County Public Schools)

Grant Project: Dancing the World: UNESCO and Cultural Heritage in Motion

"Dancing the World" is a dynamic project that explores global movement traditions by drawing on UNESCO, embassy, and consulate resources. These resources, paired with master classes, artist residencies, and culturally relevant commissioned works, will allow students to effectively "travel the world" through dance, spanning every region and style from the Colombian Cumbia to the Hawaiian Hula. The project seeks to give students a greater appreciation for the diversity, richness, and interconnectedness of global cultures, while also giving space for students to explore and cherish their own cultural identities.

Maurice Stevenson, DuVal High School (Prince George's County Public Schools)

Grant Project: The Flavor of Dreams: A Raisin in the Sun Experience

"The Flavor of Dreams" is a student-led dinner-theater experience that reimagines Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun through live drama, a themed culinary menu, original dance, and fashion design. Students in DuVal High School's drama, culinary, art, dance, and fashion departments will partner with local performing artists, costume designers, chefs, musicians, and sound technicians to co-create every aspect of the production. Audiences will dine on period-inspired cuisine while immersing themselves in a deeply researched, interdisciplinary performance. By having direct involvement in each aspect of production and step in the process, students will be empowered with the responsibility of leadership and collaboration, all while engaging with important themes including resilience and cultural identity.

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.