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Carole Cascio Fund’s Gabby Pfeifer Brings “Move & Groove” Residency to Over 400 Students at Kennard Elementary School in Centreville

March-June 2026 Centreville – CCF Teaching Artist, Gabby Pfeifer, recently completed a successful week-long residency at Kennard Elementary School (KES) in Centreville, leading 16 “Move & Groove” classes for students. The residency took place during the week of March 23, 2026, and ran in collaboration with School Librarian and Media Specialist, Heather Gray. The program continued through mid-June to ensure that all of the students have an opportunity to take a class with Gabby.

The program spanned a full day from Monday through Friday and was designed to cover 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade homerooms. In total, Gabby worked with just over 400 students in these grades. The “Move & Groove” classes involved students practicing specific moves and creating combinations to foster movement and dance activity.

CCF Teaching Artist teaching her Move & Groove class to Kennard Elementary School students.
CCF Teaching Artist teaching her Move & Groove class to Kennard Elementary School students.
CCF Teaching Artist teaching her Move & Groove class to Kennard Elementary School students.
CCF Teaching Artist teaching her Move & Groove class to Kennard Elementary School students.
The classes were met with enthusiastic student participation and positive feedback, highlighting the program’s ability to engage students who might be initially hesitant to dance. “It was such a pleasure to have Ms. Gabby as our resident artist this past week,” said Heather Gray. “Some students are really hesitant to dance. It can sound intimidating, especially for those that don’t see themselves as ‘dancers.’ Ms. Gabby showed them that dance isn’t always about performing on stage in front of an audience. It’s social and can help you communicate with others. It’s also a great way to stay in shape and reduce stress”. According to Gray, the enthusiasm for movement extended beyond the gymnasium: “Students were taking the dances back to their classroom to teach their teachers and performing them on the playground at recess”. The successful spring residency concluded with a clear desire for more programming, as KES expressed that they “can’t wait to have Ms. Gabby back again in May and June”. The positive impact of the March -June residency has confirmed the Carole Cascio Fund’s approach, with KES actively discussing a proposal to offer movement classes three days a week for 5th graders at the school this fall. CCF is going to launch this pilot program in collaboration with Heather Gray, Principal, Sarah White and Michael Bell, Supervisor for Instruction for Queen Anne County Public Schools.

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