About Leap Arts in Education:
Leap was established in 1979 in response to severe budget cuts in arts programs in California schools. These cuts continue to affect arts education in our schools today, and the need for high-quality arts programs is now greater than ever. Leap’s programs place professional teaching artists in classrooms to work with grades K-5. Every year, these educational programs—in music, dance, theatre, creative writing, visual arts, and architecture—serve over 8,000 students in more than 30 elementary schools throughout the Bay Area.
Leap’s goal is to raise $300,000 from this year’s Sandcastle Classic to help provide high-quality arts education programs.
Your participation will make a meaningful difference
in the lives of Bay Area students! Join us by becoming a Sandcastle Classic team or Event Sponsor today!
Through Leap’s extended arts residencies, children build skills that are conducive to success in 21st-century skills:
- Creativity, entrepreneurialism and inventiveness
- Critical thinking and cognitive skills
- Ability to set goals, experiment, solve problems and learn from mistakes
- Acceptance of diversity and differing viewpoints
- Ability to work collaboratively
Learn more about Leap at www.leaparts.org.
About the Sandcastle Classic:
2025 marks the 43rd annual Sandcastle Classic, the biggest sandcastle competition in Northern California.
Teams typically comprised of architects, engineers, contractors, designers, corporations, and local elementary school students work together to build giant sand sculptures. The funds raised by teams and sponsors make it possible for Leap to continue to provide arts programs to Bay Area students.
- Thousands of people come out to Ocean Beach for Leap’s annual Sandcastle Classic, which is free to the public to attend.
- The event is covered by regional print and online media, and celebrity judges evaluate the final sand sculptures.
- More than 25 local schools and 500 donating companies and advertisers participate.
- The highest grossing team in the event’s history raised $60,000.
- This year, we’re accepting a maximum of 30 teams. Sign up early to reserve your spot!
Past Sandcastle Classic Themes:
2024 – Out of this World
2023 – Halloween Haunts
2022 – Sandcastle: Remix
2021 – Onward and Upward!
2020– Rebuilding Together (Virtual)
2019– Let’s Play!
2018 – Building Bridges
2017 – Castles, Castles, Castles!
2016 – Makers & Movers
2015 – Sand Cinema
2014 – Food, Glorious Food
2013 – Masterpieces in Sand
2012 – Leap Year (Things That Jump!)
2011 – Sandblast
2010 – ‘Sand’ Francisco
2009 – Stories in the Sand: Classic Children’s Books
2008 – Freestyle
2007 – Nature Rocks
2006 – Leap Around the World
2005 – Comic Book Adventures
2004 – A Race to the Finish
2003 – Extreme Sandsculptures
2002 – Westward Ho!
2001 – A Sand Odyssey
2000 – Sandcastles from the 1st to the 21st Century
1999 – Animals
1998 – Bridges
1997 – Education
1984 – 1996 – Leap Sandcastle Classic
1983 – The FIRST Leap Sandcastle Classic!
Take a look at photos from past Sandcastle Classics here.
Leap Sandcastle Committee 2024:
Andy Pippin, LPA Design Studios
Andy is an Educational Facilities Planner with LPA Design Studios. She was first introduced to Leap and the Sandcastle Classic in 2015. By 2016, she co-founded the team led by LPA and Novo Construction now known as Jefferson Pirateship. Andy’s favorite aspect of the Sandcastle Classic is engaging with the students in the classroom before build-day and setting the foundation of the team castle. Andy was thrilled to have been invited to sit on the Sandcastle Classic Planning Committee. She looks forward to digging in deeper to all-things Sandcastle, and to help strengthen the event to ensure everyone has a great day at the beach and to continue to build support for Leap.
Christina Rosenberger, Rider Levett Bucknall
Jacqueline Haudek Marquez, Operations Manager, Leap
Jacqueline Jimenez – Owner of Truly Loved Events
Jill Dineen, Executive Director, Leap
Julie Hagelshaw, IMEG Corp.
Kenta Kamei, Smithgroup
Natalie Raya, Garland Co.
Natalie Raya is a Bay Area native and San Francisco resident working as an Architectural Sales Manager for The Garland Company. Garland is a full service manufacturer, delivering high performance roofing and building envelope waterproofing solutions to our clients across the US, Canada and the UK. Natalie’s daughter was raised attending Bay Area public schools, and she realizes the positive impact that programs like Leap Arts In Education have on our children’s academic achievements. She is honored to be a member of the 2024 Leap Sandcastle committee.
Ryan Lee, Woods Bagot
Ryan’s first introduction to Leap came in 1997 as a 5th grader attending Claire Lilienthal Elementary in San Francisco and participating in Leap’s annual Sandcastle Classic, where his team constructed a giant brain linked to a computer – the theme being “Education!” He’s since participated multiple times in Sandcastles and considers the classroom workshops the highlight of the multifaceted event season. Ryan received his Bachelor of Architecture from California College of the Arts and is currently employed at Woods Bagot – a global design and consulting studio. As someone who was interested early on in design, Ryan’s path to his career in architecture not only included participation with Leap but with the Architectural Foundation of San Francisco as well, another local educational nonprofit serving students of multiple backgrounds. As a board member with both organizations, he relishes in the ability to come full circle and serve students in the same creative community that he was raised in, hoping to inspire others to pursue their passions.
Thaddaeus Allen, Whiting Turner