"Whether acting in a play, working on the potter’s wheel, drawing with charcoal or playing the hand bells, Upland students learn to look for the details in life that often go unnoticed while refining values and developing interests."

At a time when many schools throughout the US are eliminating art programs, Upland is more committed to its art programs than ever. Upland believes that by engaging children in the arts they are nurtured cognitively, emotionally and socially. Recent research is concluding that involvement in art programs increases academic achievement, improves attitudes and decreases youth involvement in delinquent behavior. Researchers are discovering what Upland has always known - Art develops a child’s imagination and judgment, contributes to the acquisition of critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and encourages communication, interpretation, analysis and synthesis.

Our fine arts and performing arts programs are an important component of Upland’s program and one of the four A’s. Because children learn in different ways, the arts provide a progression of experience that allows them to develop creative perspectives for looking at the world, past and present, and to express themselves through active participation. Whether acting in a play, working on the potter’s wheel, drawing with charcoal or playing the hand bells, Upland students learn to look for the details in life that often go unnoticed while refining values and developing interests.