Urban River Arts

Our curriculum attends to the ongoing exploration, discovery and practice of our community’s core values. Together, teachers, employees, students and all members of our community practice and model speaking and acting with the following core values alive in our own hearts and minds:

Self Responsibility: Developing the confidence to show initiative and be enterprising in one’s approach to life’s challenges; to acknowledge and accept both positive and negative outcomes of personal actions, as an individual or as a member of the community; to acknowledge one’s mistakes and successes; to accept the consequences of failures to act, and personal actions both negative and positive.

Civic and Social Responsibility: Exploring and promoting the common good and meeting individual needs without infringing the basic rights of others; working towards creating beauty in one’s community; working towards the betterment of one’s community through economic participation, public service, volunteer work, and other such efforts to improve life for all citizens; reporting harmful or hateful behavior to a trustworthy authority figure; using strategies of cooperation and reconciliation, rather than coercion and confrontation, in conflict.

Environmental Responsibility: The commitment to developing an appreciative awareness of the interdependence of all elements of the environment, including humans and human systems, and encouraging a respect and concern for the natural and cultural heritage of one’s community; seeking out daily practices of living that are regenerative and sustainable and respect the earth.

Respect: Appreciating and honoring diversity; tolerating views and beliefs different from one’s own; helping resolve conflicts in a way in which everyone feels valued; supporting and contributing to healthful habits and a safe environment for one’s self and others; communicating in a positive and respectful tone, with body language and words, both written and oral; listening to different perspectives before making judgments; caring for the physical environment and the tools and materials within the Urban River Arts  Center and community.

Truthfulness: Practicing honesty in all endeavors and interpersonal relationships; seeking to speak the truth respectfully; recognizing that trust is an essential part of all relationships, including relationships with peers, parents, teachers, co-workers.

Compassion: Being kind in dealing with the limitations and suffering of others and one’s self; treating people with kindness; noticing, understanding, and empathizing with others’ joys, hurts, pain, concerns and feelings; offering to help those in need; listening to other perspectives and considering other ideas and points of view.

Courage: Doing the right thing, even if it is not popular in the face of ethical challenges; taking intellectual, emotional, and physical risks within safe parameters; welcoming opportunities for learning from all sources, seeking the advice or assistance of a trustworthy person when making difficult decisions or when in a dangerous situation; holding high aspirations and expectations for one’s self and the community; celebrating one’s successes.¹