Program
The Arts
The Arts are a critical component of Orchard Gardens’ vision for success. Every Orchard Gardens student participates in a minimum of four hours per week of art, including visual arts, dance, theatre and music (instrumental and choral).
We have two full-time Visual Arts teachers, a full-time Dance teacher, a full-time Theatre teacher, a Library Media teacher, and four full-time Music teachers.
A New Perspective for Students
The Arts allow our students access to multiple disciplines and provide the opportunity to build connections between content areas, allowing our students to better understand and retain what they are learning. Most critically, the Arts provide students safe venues to take risks, to push themselves in areas they have never experienced (the stage, the studio, etc) and in which they are often uncomfortable. The Arts help us teach our students that by working through the uncertainty and taking on the most daunting of challenges they can and will succeed. The Arts provide a new perspective for students, one in which they see themselves in a world where effort, not innate ability, leads to high levels of achievement.
An Opportunity to take Risks
An Arts education allows students structured opportunities to take risks; teaching students how to see the world from different perspectives; supports opportunities for students to learn about themselves; and – when linked to and integrated with multiple disciplines – structures learning in a way that enables students to better understand what they are learning and become more adept at applying what they have learned in new situations.
OGPS Pride in the Arts
We are proud of our Arts program, and we celebrate our students’ artwork and performances during two School-Wide Arts Showcases held at the school in the fall and spring. Our partners in the Arts include: the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, Boston Arts Academy, Berklee College of Music, and Celebrity Series of Boston’s Ailey Camp.

Calendar
- March 13, 2019
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March 13, 2019
3:30 pm - 4:45 pm
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- March 15, 2019
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March 15, 2019
12:00 am - 11:59 pm
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- March 21, 2019
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March 21, 2019
4:30 pm - 5:30 pm
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- April 10, 2019
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April 10, 2019
3:30 pm - 4:45 pm
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- April 12, 2019
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April 12, 2019
12:00 am - 11:59 pm
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The OGPS Blog
OGPS Students Were Guests at Governor Patrick’s ‘Lone Walk’
Students and other members of the OGPS community were invited by Governor Patrick to be guests at the traditional ‘Lone Walk’… Read More
NPR Profiles OGPS’ Arts Success
WBUR, one of Boston’s NPR stations, profiled the great work being done at OGPS. Read More