A robust Fine Arts program has long been an essential part of our school’s curriculum. All NPES students engage in studying and creating visual art, music, and drama every year.

Developing one’s voice (self expression), windows into other ways of thinking and being (and into other identities and cultures), creative exploration and consideration of themes relevant to students today, plus the myriad of critical-thinking, communication, and executive-functioning skills embedded in our Fine Arts curriculum are among the benefits of the program. These benefits, along with the joy the NPES community finds in the arts, extend to all areas of the school.

We continue to advance our arts programming through the generosity of the Nielsen family, in memory of one of our founders, Faith Nielsen, who was committed to providing a fine arts education to all children as well as to the creation and success of North Park Elementary School.

• A full-time dedicated preschool atelierista (Reggio Emilia art teacher) embedded in the preschool suite
• A full-time art teacher for kindergarten through eighth grade, as well as full-time music and drama teachers
• New music and art classrooms completed in 2020 and 2021, and a new Innovation Lab completed in 2021 for design and STEAM activities
• A middle school band program
• Multiple dramatic and musical performances for students every year, including an all-school play that engages over 100 students in a single production
• After-school club programming in the arts
• An annual Fine Arts Night each spring, celebrating our students’ engagement, creativity, skills, and voice