When people first drive onto Upland’s campus, they often tell us their first impression is an immediate sense of belonging and security. Our beautiful 23 acres of green fields and wooded groves are home to Upland’s students, faculty and staff. Surrounded by nature, a cluster of academic buildings, and a nurturing faculty, a lifetime of learning begins.

Surrounded by nature, a cluster of academic buildings, and a nurturing faculty, a lifetime of learning begins.

At Upland we structure each day around the “Four A’s,” the concept of which defines our Lower and Upper School programs. Our first “A,” Attitude, is about positive relationships and consideration of others and is based on our motto “Understanding, Trust and Responsibility.” Attitude informs the other three “A’s,” which are Academics, Arts, and Athletics. The second “A,” the academic program, is developmentally appropriate and sequential; each year builds upon the previous year’s foundation. The final two “A’s,” the arts and athletic programs, are designed to provide further opportunities for students to explore and develop their talents. By requiring participation in academics, arts and athletics, students are given experiences that may awaken in them a passion that was previously unacknowledged. Watching young people learn something about themselves through the work they do in and out of the classroom speaks to the joy of participation and the joy of belonging.

There are a number of aspects of our curriculum that make an Upland education unique. For example, laboratory science, taught by a full time Lower School science teacher, begins in Kindergarten. By second grade students have forty minute science classes three times a week. Additionally, instruction in Spanish begins in Kindergarten, and by first grade, students have Spanish twice a week with a teacher who is a native speaker. When students get to Upper School they take one year of Latin to further build their foundation for language and can then choose between Latin and Spanish for the remainder of Upper School.

Additionally, class trips augment the curriculum beginning in Pre-K and multi-day curricular adventures begin in grade 5. Some trips are meant to enhance appreciation of art or academic studies and others have the purpose of promoting class bonding and team building. Our traveling classroom experience culminates in the Upland Overseas annual trip to Finland by our 8th and 9th grade students. Begun in 1977, this program of friendship and cultural exchange is the oldest one of its kind in the country at the Middle School level. Not only do our students travel to Finland, Upland hosts two or three Finnish students each year. In addition, every three to five years the Upland community welcomes Finnish gymnastics and ice hockey teams for a similar cultural exchange.

To further encourage cultural understanding and a broader view of our world, Upland hosts several visiting artists each year who spend anywhere from 1 day to 1 week with our students teaching them about craft and artistic expression.  All students have each of the four sections of the arts (music, drama, 2-D and 3-D art) during the year; therefore, all students experience the visiting artists at some point during their stay.
 
In the winter, as part of our athletics program, Upland students get to do something most students don’t do--skate! Our ice rink, The John M. Cleveland Ice Rink, is located on our campus and is run in collaboration with the Chester Country Skating Club. Lower School students learn basic skating skills during winter physical education and then in Upper School both boys and girls have the option of playing ice hockey during the winter athletic season. If they do not want to play hockey, girls have the option of playing volleyball and boys can participate in cross-country. The Rink is also home to the Alumni Association’s annual reunion Winter Weekend.

So, why Upland? -Partly because of the unique elements of our curriculum, our full participation philosophy, and our “Four A’s”-  Partly because of our commitment to finding the spark in each child and to helping every child learn how he/she learns best- Partly because of our beautiful country campus- And partly because of our small classes and dedicated faculty who care deeply about children. -But mostly because of the spirit and values that wander unhindered between our classrooms, our athletic fields and our art studios -Because we educate the whole child with the belief that a bright future cannot rest on an incomplete foundation- And because we believe that our students never leave Upland; it is always a part of them, and they are always a part of us.