Kira Bombace—Vocal Music
Mrs. Kira Bombace was a student at Santa Rosa High School when the ArtQuest program began!  Inspired by her high school choral experience with long-time SRHS director Dan Earl, she continued her musical pursuits at Santa Rosa Junior College with Dr. Curtis Sprenger, and then at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ, where she majored in Choral Music Education under the direction of Drs. Edith A. Copley and Alan J. Rieck.

She began her teaching career here in Santa Rosa, at Rincon Valley Middle School, where she taught 7th-8th grade performing arts classes for one year with Jennifer Brown, another Santa Rosa High alumnus!  Before taking the reins of the Choral Program at SRHS, she taught choir, band and guitar at Rancho Cotate High School in Rohnert Park.

Mrs. Bombace currently directs four outstanding SRHS choral ensembles: ACappella, Las Choralistas, Concert Choir, and Chamber Singers.  Over the past 30 or so years, these choirs have received many awards from the Western Division of the American Choral Directors’ Association (ACDA) and the California Music Educators’ Association (CMEA). The Concert Choir has also performed multiple times locally with the Santa Rosa Symphony, and last year toured to Mexico City, Taxco… and Disneyland (yes, in the same week!).

Tanya Braunstein—Photography
Tanya Braunstein  is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher in Art (NBCT 2006) who earned a BS with a specialty in Painting, Drawing, Graphics, Sculpture and Photography from New York University and an MS in Education, Curriculum, Teaching and Learning with an Art Emphasis from Sonoma State University. She has been teaching art and photography for the Santa Rosa City School District since 1992 and is the Chair of the Fine Art Department at Santa Rosa High School. In addition to her teaching assignments she is the Artistic Director and founder of the annual Zone of Focus juried photography exhibition for high school students. She has coordinated this exceptional show that is co-sponsord by the Friends of ArtQuest and the Arts Council of Sonoma County since its inception in 1999. Tanya has been a visual and performing artist for 30 years and has shown her work both in California and New York. She is currently working exclusively in the medium of fine art photography, as well as curating photography shows around Sonoma County.

Regina Brennan—World History
Regina Brennan received her MA in History with a concentration in Modern European History at Sonoma State University and her BA with a concentration in Modern European and Latin American History at California State University, Long Beach. She has taught the Social Sciences in California since 1991 and during the 1992-1993 school year, she was awarded Teacher of the Year at George Washington Middle School in Long Beach. She joined Santa Rosa City School District in 1994 and is currently teaching World History at Santa Rosa High School.

Vicki Carpenter—Drama/English
Vicki Carpenter: Education—prolonged! College and Universities—many. Degrees—several, including Theater Arts, English, MA English. Credentialed at Sonoma State University. Co-creator of Sun County Theater Arts. Former, current or retired member of Santa Rosa Players, Actor's Theater, SRJC's Summer Repertory, Gloucester Players, Hancock Players, LA Onstage, Sisters Onstage, etc. Started acting as soon as everyone else realized she couldn't dance! Started directing (100+ shows) when she realized she preferred the "whole" picture. Santa Rosa Teacher of the Month, Curriculum Coordinator for Child of Our Time in collaboration with the Santa Rosa Symphony which garnered the Cultural Arts Council of Sonoma County's Collaboration in the Arts Award for 2002. Favorite Award: The Silver Valium for a production of Long Day's Journey into Night. Favorite playwright: Tom Stoppard. She is fond of reminding her students that "Humanity is Theater—Love it!" Vicki also teaches AP English Literature at SRHS and English 1A and 1B at Santa Rosa Junior College. IF she grows up, she wants to be rich. If she can't be rich, she wants all of the chocolate in California.

John Craven—Drama
John Craven is a professional actor and director in addition to being a teacher. He received his BA in Philosophy and Theater from the University of Tennessee and spent five years as resident artist and teacher at the renowned Clarence Brown Theater, in Knoxville. Since 1979 John has acted in or directed over fifty plays in Sonoma County, worked with such acclaimed performance artists as Fred Curchack and John OKeefe, and co–founded Western Union Theater Company with Elizabeth Craven, his wife and an acclaimed director, along with well-known Bay Area director, Amy Glazer. His roles with Western Union Theater include Jerry in Harold Pinter's Betrayal, which had a successful run at the ACT Playroom in San Francisco, and Cassius in Charles Marowitz's world premiere of Caesar. At Sonoma State University, John served as co-director for God's Country, playwright for Hair, and acting coach for Grapes of Wrath, Red Noses, and Strider. In Spring 2004, he will direct the Actors' Theater production of Kushner's A Bright Room Called Day, and will appear as Doctor Dorn in Chekov's The Seagull at the Porchlight Theater. John has been a Drama teacher in the ArtQuest Program since 1990.

Brook Delello—Visual Fine Arts
Information Pending

Elizabeth Evans—Dance
Elizabeth Evans received her BS in Education (Dance/Physical Education) from Southwest Missouri State University and her MA in Creative Arts (Interdisciplinary) from San Francisco State University in addition to studying at the Joffrey Ballet School and the Naropa Institute in Boulder, Colorado where she studied with Meredith Monk, Barbara Dilley, Ann Vachon and Steve Clorfeine. In the Bay Area, she has danced at Sonoma State University, performed work by Nancy Lyons, been a member of The Ann Woodhead Dance Company and The Christopher Beck Dance Company, and created and performed her own choreography and performance art. In the ArtQuest Dance Studio, Elizabeth encourages her students to work cooperatively and as a community but to also develop individually as performing artists. She is an avid reader, plays the piano and has an on-going relationship with several of Chopin's Mazurkas.

Hollis Fennen—English Language Arts
Hollis Fennen has been teaching English Language Arts for nine years. She teaches sophomore ArtQuest and Honors English. For the past three years, she and fellow English instructor Darlene Pullen have edited the ArtQuest Anthology, a published collection of student artwork and poetry, and coordinated the ArtQuest Poetry Slam. She graduated with Honors from Pacific Union College and received her teaching credential from Sonoma State University. In addition to teaching, Hollis is a professional harpist and enjoys playing for events in the North Bay. She lives with her husband and son in the Napa Valley.

Tony Guaraldi- Brown — Visual Fine Arts
Tony Brown is a native of Santa Rosa but moved to Southern California when he was six. He attended Sonoma State University where he receiveda B.F.A. in Printmaking. He went on to receive a M.F.A. at the California College of the Arts. He currently does freelance art work for various musical groups and lives with his wife and two children in Santa Rosa.

Jim Helmer—Video Arts
Jim Helmer joined ArtQuest in 1999 and has been involved in teaching or working in various capacities with video since 1973. He has taught Television and Video Production classes in the Communication Studies Department at Santa Rosa Junior College since 1981. He has also worked at KFTY TV-50 as an Operations Engineer as well as an independent producer creating industrial videos for companies such as Optical Coating Laboratories, Inc. He received his BFA in Drama/Education from the University of Arizona and his MFA in Radio/Television from San Francisco State University.

Darlene Pullen—English Language Arts
Darlene Pullen has been teaching English Language Arts and Film Studies at Santa Rosa High School since 1995. A past co-editor of the ArtQuest Anthology—a published collection of student artwork and poetry—and co-coordinator of the ArtQuest Poetry Slam, she currently co-chairs the popular Morph(h) Ball, a yearly celebration and competition for ArtQuest students. She graduated Cum Laude from Sonoma State University with a degree and teaching credential in the English Language Arts.

Annie Samuels—English
Annie Samuels has been teaching English Language Arts at Santa Rosa High School for twenty years. After graduating from SRHS in 1974, she attended The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington where she received her BA. in Liberal Arts, specializing in Performing Arts. She then served for two and a half years in The United States Peace Corps as a math teacher in The Kingdom of Swaziland. After returning to California, she completed the English waiver program at Sonoma State University to obtain her teaching credential. Annie currently teaches all grade levels in the ArtQuest Program and is especially known for reading aloud to her students daily and maintaining an extensive classroom library of contemporary literature.

Lisa Schoutsen — Program Assistant
Since 1986 Lisa has worked as an independent video writer/producer, script supervisor, and location scout for a broad range of video/film projects produced for a wide variety of production companies, ad agencies, non-profit, and corporate enterprises. She has also worked in the advertising industry employed as an advertising manager and account executive working in marketing communications.
On the side, Lisa is a community actor and supporter of community theater Sonoma County. Lisa’s credits include:
Lysistrata, 2002
Once in a Lifetime, 2003
Winnie the Pooh, a Christmas Tail, 2003
The Beard of Avon, 2004
Appointment with Death, 2004
Winner of the Best Actor for short plays, in, The First Page, Kennedy Center; American College Theater Festival 2004
A Bad Day at Gopher's Breath, a melodrama, 2005
Les Liasions Dangerouses, 2005
Children’s Touring Company, 2006
East of the Sun, West of the Moon, 2007

Ralph Silva-Broussard—Digital Arts
Ralph Silva-Broussard has been the Digital Arts Instructor for the ArtQuest Program at Santa Rosa High School since 1999. He has over 20 years of teaching experience in the Arts including working as an instructor at California State University, Chico; the Philadelphia Museum of Art; Itawamba College of Mississippi; and Santa Rosa Junior College. Ralph earned his MFA at the University of Wisconsin, Madison in Mixed Media Sculpture in 1982. He has presented educational workshops for artists and art students at arts organizations throughout the United States including the San Jose Center for Latino Arts; the University of California, San Diego; the University of Alabama, Birmingham; and the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. As an accomplished artist, his work has been exhibited nationally in museums and galleries and he has received numerous awards working with a variety of mediums including ceramics, sculpture, and digital photography. He has been awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Grant; served as Commissioner for the Chico Fine Arts Commission; been listed in Who’s Who in American Professionals; and received, for three years, the Advanced Opportunity Fellowship at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Jan Sofie—Director of ArtQuest/Visual Fine Arts
Degrees: Sonoma State University—BA in Studio Art with a Minor in Art History, Single Subject Teaching Credential in Visual Arts. Supplementary Credentials: Dance and Literature, Administrative Credential. Currently completing Masters in Educational Leadership with an emphasis on Arts Education. Studied Journalism and Creative Writing at Michigan State University and Humanities at University of London, England with graduate work at UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz.
• She was the Founder and first Director of the Calistoga Elementary School Art Docent Program, the Adult and Children’s Art Educator for the City of Calistoga, Art Consultant for St. Helena Montessori Elementary School, and Co-writer and Co-Implementor of the California Arts Council’s Local Arts Education Partnership Grant and the California Department of Education’s Arts Work Assistance and Expansion Grants for the Santa Rosa City Schools District for four years. As William Morehouse's student, Jan worked on Christo's, California projects: Running Fence (1976) and The Umbrellas (1991). And, as an artist, designer, educator and businesswoman, she designed and implemented residential and commercial architectural renovations, including the Brannan Cottage Inn, for which she and her husband won the Napa Landmarks Association‘s Award for Historic Preservation in Napa County.
• Her memberships include: Board of Directors for the Cultural Arts Council of Sonoma County, Founding Member and Co-Chair of the Sonoma County Arts/Education Alliance, Board of Directors for Friends of ArtQuest, California Art Education Association, National Art Education Association.
• Her awards include: Circle of Excellence Award—Sonoma State University, Educational Excellence Award—California League of High Schools, Exemplary Excellence in Education Award—Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce, Teacher of the Month Award—Santa Rosa City Schools, Arts in Education Award for ArtQuest’s participation in the Child of Our Time—Cultural Arts Council of -Sonoma County, Golden C Award—Calistoga High School, Lottery Funds at Work Award for the ArtQuest Program—The California Lottery, California Assembly Resolution from Assembly Member Patricia Wiggins in recognition of the ArtQuest Program and Santa Rosa High School, the 1999 “Jack London Award” for the ArtQuest Program—School of Education, Sonoma State University.

Aleta Thomas — Visual Fine Arts

Information Pending

Vince Whitcomb—Science
Vince Whitcomb received a B.S. in Physics from Drexel University Philidelphia, PA, and then worked as an oceanographer with the U.S. Coast Guard. He then went on to earn his M.A. in Psychology from JFK University. He is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. While teaching at Cook Middle School he initiated the integrated Math and Science curriculum. He has had a long term interest in the arts and integrating the arts in the teaching of academic subjects.

Josh Zimmermann—Dance
Josh Zimmermann began a dancing career with the Mel Wong Dance Company. He moved to NewYork and worked there with various artists, and choreographers of the post-modern area. It was then he began to study choreography. He then accepted a residency in Brussels, Belgium where he worked for two years touring across Europe and Brazil. He then returned to San Francisco where he taught in the San Francisco public schools- investigating the nature of dance in society and it's diverse communities. He continues to investigate the making of art that will have "international appeal" and teaching in public schools. "ArtQuest is a dream job for me."

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