Wolf Trap

Wolf Trap Speed
Wolf Trap provides creative performing arts programs to enrich and educate people from different backgrounds. They focus on quality, diversity, and making the arts accessible to everyone. Founded in 1966, Wolf Trap works with the National Park Service to combine arts and nature in a 117-acre park, with the goal of using the arts to make a positive impact worldwide.

Wolf Trap is a presenter for STEMIEFest and has shared a little about their staff and their resource library.

Laura
Laura Annunziata is the Assistant Director for Professional Development at the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning through the Arts, part of the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. With over 30 years of experience in resource development, training, and management, Laura has a strong background in community-based early care, education, and health programs. She has contributed to the Head Start Training and Technical Assistance Network and the Early Head Start National Resource Center and Zero to Three. A Family Nurse Practitioner, she has also held clinical and leadership roles in Arizona’s Rural Health Team and the Maricopa County Department of Family Practice. Laura holds a Bachelor’s in Political Science from Davidson College, a Bachelor of Science and Master’s in Nursing from the University of Virginia, with a focus on community health.

Penny
Penny Russell is a Master Teaching Artist and Trainer with Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning through the Arts, at Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts – located at the nation’s only national park for the performing arts in Vienna, Virginia. She is a puppeteer, teacher and performer based in Prince George’s County, Maryland. And began working with Wolf Trap Education in 2010. In addition, Ms. Russell has worked as a writer, director and performer with the Blue Sky Puppet Theatre since 1994. She has also performed for the Kennedy Center, The Puppet Company at Glen Echo Maryland, and Bread & Puppet Theater. She has taught puppetry for Camp Jabberwocky and Camp Tulgey Wood in Massachusetts; the Iona Community in Scotland; The Actor’s Center in Washington, DC; and in schools, churches and camps throughout the DC and Baltimore region. Ms. Russell also sings with the Swing Set Trio and the Roland Cumberland Orchestra.

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Wolf Trap is committed to the belief that the arts have a profound, transformative impact on early childhood education. By integrating music, drama, and movement into learning, they enhance young children’s creativity, cognitive development, and social-emotional growth. Wolf Trap recognizes that the arts not only enrich the educational experience but also foster critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and a lifelong love of learning from an early age. Through their programs, they strive to empower educators and inspire children, ensuring that the arts remain a vital component of early education.

STEMIE