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Who will be Sonoma County Arts Educator of the Year for 2026?
Nominations close Friday, December 4, 2026! |
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Pictured: Tobias Sparks, Sonoma County Arts Educator of the Year 2025 |
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Nominate a deserving arts educator TODAY!
Nominate YOUR favorite arts education teacher for the Sonoma County Arts Educator of the Year Award! This award, presented by Luther Burbank Center for the Arts and Creative Sonoma, recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of arts education over an extended period of time. The award seeks to honor professional arts educators working with the K-12 population, including, but not limited to, teaching artists and classroom teachers who teach visual art, music, drama, dance, or multimedia arts. The nomination window closes December 4th.
Questions? Contact Debbie Yarrow at Creative Sonoma.
This award is made possible by Daniels Chapel of the Roses. |
| Learn more and submit a nomination |
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Pictured: Jorge Flores (center), LBC Fiesta de Independencia Community Leadership Award Recipient, Individual Category, 2026; with Pam Rivas (left), Petaluma River Parks and LBC Latino Advisory Council Member, and Herman G. Hernandez, Los Cien Sonoma County |
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Pictured: Staff and Board of Graton Day Labor Center / Centro de Laboral de Graton, LBC Fiesta de Independencia Community Leadership Award Recipient, Business/Organization Category, 2026; with Pam Rivas (left), Petaluma River Parks and LBC Latino Advisory Council Member, and Herman G. Hernandez, Los Cien Sonoma County |
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LBC and Los Cien Honor Youth Advocate Jorge Flores and Graton Day Labor Center with 2026 Community Leadership Awards
LBC and Los Cien of Sonoma County proudly presented the 2026 Community Leadership at LBC’s 17th Annual Fiesta de Independencia in September. Both the Community Leadership Awards and Fiesta de Independencia were developed by LBC’s Latino Advisory Council.
Jorge Flores, a community mentor, advocate, and entrepreneur, received the Community Leadership Award for an individual. Through his work with young people and the Latino community, Flores creates pathways to healing, opportunity, and connection. He leads restorative circles at Sonoma County Juvenile Hall, is a founding board member of Corazón Healdsburg, and co-founded Groundwork for Youth, which helps formerly incarcerated young people gain employment and develop the skills they need to successfully return to their communities. As head chef and manager at Costeaux French Bakery, Flores uses his workplace to mentor young people in building job skills while developing emotional regulation, active listening, and confidence.
After an experience with healing circles helped him confront childhood trauma and give up gang involvement, Flores was inspired to pay it forward. Today, through programs including Voices Inspiring Values and Action and From Ashes We Rise, Flores uses mentorship, |
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restorative practices, music, and creative expression to help young people build a stronger sense of identity and purpose.
“Once I experienced what it meant to have a space where I could be vulnerable and talk about what I was carrying, I knew I wanted to create that for other young people,” said Flores. “So much of our work is about helping young people understand that their past does not define them and to help them see a different future for themselves.”
Centro Laboral de Graton (The Graton Day Labor Center – or GDLC) received the community leadership award for an organization. GDLC is a worker-led center in West Sonoma County that that organizes with day laborers and domestic workers to advance their rights and dignity, locally and statewide, while connecting them with employers through a fair and democratic hiring process built over 25 years. The Center also provides members health and labor rights education and wage theft support services, as well as community and cultural gatherings that foster social connection and cohesion.
“It means a lot to be recognized as a safe place for the immigrant community to come and look for work,” said Board Member Maria Carmen Diego. “We hope more of the immigrant community learns about us in case they are in need of our services.”
¡Felicidades! Congratulations to this year’s award recipients! |
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TOOLS FOR TEACHERS
Yes, And: Using Drama to Build Empathy, Connection, and Courage
$10 each
Wednesday, October 21
4:30 – 7:30 pm
Grades Covered: 3-12
Subjects Covered: Drama, Social Emotional Learning
CEUs available
Open to all educators!
Diversity by definition includes the range of human differences. Many times, we forget that diversity can have many facets: race, gender identity, mental/physical ability, communication skills, religion, socioeconomic status, and many more. Join us for an exploration of the dimensions of diversity, how they connect with power and privilege, and how we, as educators, can create learning environments that are inclusive and equitable for all.
Scholarships available! |
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TEACHING ARTIST TRAINING
Creating, Building, and Maintaining the Classroom Container
$10 per person per workshop
Complete all three sessions or choose your own adventure!
Open to all educators!
This three-part professional development series, offered in partnership with Creative Sonoma, is designed for actively practicing teaching artists who are seeking to strengthen their classroom |
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presence, instructional clarity, and professional confidence. Using the concept of the “container” as both a personal and a structural framework, participants will explore how identity, intentional practices, and responsive strategies create learning environments where creativity, safety, and accountability can coexist.
Across three two-and-a-half-hour sessions, teaching artists will examine who they are in the room, how they establish systems that support learning, and how they navigate challenges when the container is tested. Through reflection, peer exchange, and real-world case studies drawn from teaching artist contexts, participants will leave with practical tools they can immediately apply in classrooms, residency settings, and professional interactions.
Scholarships available!
Scholarships available!
Workshop 1: Defining Your Container
Wednesday, November 4, 4:30 – 7:00 pm
This session centers the teaching artist as the foundation of the classroom container. Participants reflect on their teaching artist identity, values, and presence, and examine how their energy, tone, and expectations shape student experiences and professional relationships. Emphasis is placed on intentionality; understanding not just what we teach, but how we enter and hold a room.
Workshop 2: Building the Container
Wednesday, November 18, 4:30 – 7:00 pm
This session focuses on the practical systems that sustain a strong classroom container. Participants examine how routines, agreements, pacing, and transitions support creativity rather than limit it. Teaching artists will explore strategies that proactively support engagement, reduce disruption, and maintain momentum across varying classroom environments.
Workshop 2: Maintaining the Container
Wednesday, December 2, 4:30 – 7:00 pm
This session prepares teaching artists to respond skillfully when the classroom container is disrupted. Participants explore de-escalation strategies, boundary-setting language, and repair practices that support both student learning and professional integrity. The session also addresses when and how to escalate concerns appropriately. |
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ARTS INTEGRATION RESIDENCY
Origins of Popular Music in the Americas
Grades: 4-5
Subject: Music, Social Studies |
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New this year!
In this fun and unique residency, your students will explore the history and culture of the Americas through the lens of popular music. Educators can choose three of five music styles as the avenue to best fit student learning: Jazz, Folk, Rock, Mariachi, or Pop. This residency can also be customized towards your classroom’s coursework. |
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The Three Little Pigs and Other Tales
by Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia
Tuesday, October 27
9:30 am
Grades PK-2
Told with Mermaid Theatre’s trademark puppetry style, enjoy this engaging version of three cherished children’s stories —The Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and The Three Billy Goats Gruff. Embark on an adventure, with humor and heroism as we follow a brave raccoon and clever mouse on their journey to collect treasure. Along the way, they unknowingly prevent disaster for the goats, bears, and pigs, without any of the animals ever encountering a true villain. This imaginative retelling seamlessly interweaves three classic tales into a heartwarming adventure celebrating friendship, courage, and wonder. |
| Register now |
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Journey to Oz
by Experiential Theatre Company
Wednesday, October 28
9:30 am
Grades 1-5
In this fantastic adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s most beloved tales, we travel to Oz with Dorothy as the audience becomes part of the performance—singing, dancing, and acting alongside professional actors. Student volunteers play 16 individual roles in addition those picked to dance in the Emerald City. The entire audience will sing, create sound effects, participate in call-and-response, and play favorite supporting characters such as Munchkins, Winkies, Crows, and Flying Monkeys. Don’t miss this participatory version of a great American classic! |
| Register now |
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Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical
by TheaterWorksUSA
Monday, November 2
11:30 am performance added!
Grades 1-5
Cat Kid and Molly Pollywog have started an epic club to teach 21 rambunctious baby frogs how to make their own comics! Their fishy father, Flippy, is overjoyed that his kids will learn to unleash their creativity, but when the frogs’ constant bickering and outrageous imaginations send their comics comically off the rails, Flippy flips out! Will the club survive? Will the frogs ever get along? And will creativity finally save the day? All will be answered in this madcap musical based on Dav Pilkey’s irreverently hilarious Cat Kid books, a spin-off of his hit Dog Man series.
Scholarships available for 11:30 am! |
| Register now |
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Literature to Life®’s production of
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Tuesday, November 10
9:30 am
Grades 6-9
One actor takes the stage in this adaptation features verbatim portions of the critically acclaimed novel The Giver. In a seemingly utopian world where all predictable, 12-year-old Jonas is selected to receive the memories of a far different life. As Jonas begins his training for a special role in the community, the buried truth becomes hauntingly clear, leaving Jonah to carry this burden in secret. A powerful solo performance of a new classic which explores themes of individuality, ethics, and social constructs.
Please be advised. In keeping with the novel, this performance contains depictions of violence against children.
* 11:30 am performance may be added based on demand. |
| Register now |
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Dr. Seuss's
The Cat in the Hat
Live on Stage!
Monday, January 25, 2027
9:30 am & 11:30 am
Grades PK-3
Few children’s books have stood the test of time quite like Dr. Seuss’s masterpiece, The Cat in the Hat. Bored at home on a rainy day with their babysitting pet fish, a brother and sister encounter The Cat in his red and white striped hat. Along with his friends, Thing One and Thing Two, they turn the house upside down, then magically manage to undo the mess in the nick of time. Written in the 1950s, this zany and imaginative story is brought to life on stage to enrapture both children and adults alike. |
| Register now |
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Information about scholarship opportunities is available here.
#YourLBC #ArtsEducation #ArtsMatter |
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Education & Community Engagement Department
707.800.7504
lutherburbankcenter.org/education |
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Mark Adams/Armorous Whitestar Group
Joe Anderson and Mary Dewane
David and Deborah Ballati*
Michael and Susan Barrett
Mike and Karen Bergin*
Gordon Blumenfeld*
Jim Bone
Sara and Dixon Browder*
David K. Brown and Stacey McLaughlin
Sarah and Michael Browne
Healthcare Strategists
Dr. John Buzza and Martha Buzza*
David and Corinne Byrd
Stacey Carlo
Carmen and Perri Castaldi*
Brooke Clyde and Ruth Skidmore*
Stacey Cody/G3 Enterprises
Audrey Bush and Chris Crispo
Albert and Sally Davies*
Evan and Sophie DeRouen
Chad Door
Gordon Dow
Joanne Dow/JPMorgan Charitable Giving*
Max And Victoria Dreyfus Foundation Inc.
Marcia and Steve Ellis
Susanne and Andy Esquivel*
Daniel and Denise Fenton
Robert Forrest
Cheryl Fox
Ray and Katrin Fullerton
Ellen Geohegan
Joe Gibbs
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Tobin and Maricela Ginter
Julia L. Grant*
Anthony and Angela Guerrero
Mark Hanson
Gary Heck/The Heck Foundation*
Joshua and Julia Hochberg
Jeff Hudson and Ann Lobdell Hudson
Christopher and Amy Hunsberger
Jay Hunsberger and Chad Hostetler
Jeff and Barbara Ireland*
In memory and honor of Selma Mayer
Isenberg and her son, Jean Isenberg
Evan James
Marla and David Jeffrey
Joel Kemmerer & Catherine Orman
Fatima Lassar
Susan Leary
Alberto and Dina Lopez
Monica Lopez
Lise L. Luttgens and Richard R. Johnson
Ansley Majit
Teresa Mangiapani
Kevin and Cathy McCullough*
Robi McMinn/Luxe Places Int’l Realty
Myrna and Andy Mejia
Lewis Meyers and JoAnn Koppany*
Rod Mickels
Bruce and Lauren Morrison*
Katie and Denny Murphy*
Bill and Christine Nelson
Clay Nesbitt and Chet Wilson
Daniel Ocampo
Samantha Paull
The Pecoraro Family Fund
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Virginia Pitts
Preston Family Charitable Fund*
Carlo Proto and Sheila Abdallah in memoryof Nathan Abdallah Proto
Bonnie Raines
Susan Reese and Tom Hirt
Jennifer Richardson
Gary and Rebecca Rosenberg*
Russian River Watershed Association
Dalya Sachs and Ben Bentzin
Troy and Tasha Sanderson
Scott and Christine Schadlich
Mack Schwing, in loving memory of Joan*
Alan and Susan Seidenfeld*
Kurt and Debra Shaver
Caroline and Shawn Shaw
Scott and Denise Silveira
Toni and Kevin Sprouse
Mark and Terri Stark/Stark Reality
Restaurants
Bert and Nancy Steele
Daniel T. Steele, III*
Daniel T. Steele Jr. and Juneko Steele
Lynn Steele
Marlene and Martin Stein*
Tristan Stidham
Sherry and Pete Swayne*
Lorraine Webster Tunzi
John and Laura Whiting/Schwab Charitable Fund*
Anonymous (2)
*Pillars of the LBC: Those who have been giving for 10 years or more |
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