2026 Conference Schedule
8:45-9:30 am - Keynote Speaker
Dovie Thomason
Before and Beyond the Text
9:30-9:45 am - Break
9:45-10:50 am - First Session
Visual Art Workshop
Story Through Collage: Habitats, Animals, Portraits
Presenter: Laura Hawley
Grades 3-6
Room 137
Music Workshop
Musical Math Creations
Presenter: Kim Montano
Grades K-2
Room 134
Visual Art Workshop
Pieces of Nature: Creating Art with Found Objects
Presenter: Melissa Wrigley
Grades K-2
Room 139B
Dance Workshop
Exploring and Expanding Movement in the Natural World
Presenter: Tina Misaka
Grades 3-6
Gym
Drama Workshop
Turning Movement into Momentum: Using Drama to Inspire Vocabulary
Presenter: Sarah Butterfield
Grades 3-6
Room 136
10:50 am - 11:00 am - Break
11:00-12:00 am - Second Session
Storytelling Workshop
Listen as if Your Life (or Laugh) Depend On It
Presenter: Dovie Thomason
Grades K-6
Auditorium
Music Workshop
From Seed to Song: Integrating Music & Literacy Through Dear Acorn, Love Oak
Presenter: Katie Hejazi-Far
Grades 3-6
Room 134
Visual Art Workshop
Arpilleras: Celebrating Personal Stories Through Textiles
Presenter: William Estrada
Grades K-6
Room 139B
Dance Workshop
Moving Connections in the World Around Us
Presenter: Tina Misaka
Grades K-2
Gym
Drama Workshop
Actors Turned Authors
Presenter: Cyndi Davis-Nordfelt
Grades: K-6
Room 136
12:00-1:00 pm Lunch
1:00-2:05 pm Third Session
Storytelling Workshop
Conversations Between Big and Little
Presenter: Dovie Thomason
Grades K-6
Auditorium
Music Workshop
Fact Fluency, But Make it Musical
Presenter: Kim Montano
Grades K-2
Room 134
Visual Art Workshop
STEAMpunk Robots: Making Artists into Engineers, Inventors, and Problem-Solvers
Presenter: Melissa Wrigley
Grades 3-6
Room 137
Visual Art Workshop
From the Ground Up: Garden-Based Learning & STEAM
Presenter: Aurora Villa
Grades K-6
Room 139B
Drama Workshop
From Wiggles to Words: Using Drama to Inspire Vocabulary
Presenter: Sarah Butterfield
Grades K-6
Room 136
2:05-2:15 pm - Break
2:15-4:00 pm Fourth Session
Puppetry/Visual Art Workshop (Deep Dive)
Paper Puppets: Exploring Themes of Agency Through Personal Narratives
Presenter: William Estrada
Grades K-6
Room 139B
Music Workshop (Deep Dive)
Any Book, Any Classroom: Designing Music-Integrated Literacy Lessons that Stick
Presenter: Katie Hejazi-Far
Grades K-6
Room 134
Bookmaking/Visual Art Workshop (Deep Dive)
Let’s Make Books! Simple Student-Tested Bookmaking Techniques
Presenter: Laura Hawley
Grades K-6
Room 137
Dance Workshop (Deep Dive)
Behind the Blinds: A Movement Exploration of Hidden Fears & Emotions
Presenter: Tina Misaka
Grades K-6
Gym
4:00-5:00pm - Networking Reception
Networking Reception & Refreshments at the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art
Hands-on Button-making Activity with William Estrada and Tours of the NEHMA Exhibitions
*Breakfast, lunch and post-conference refreshments included with conference registration