Art
Our students in grades K-8 take three hours of art each week.

Music
Our students in grades K-5 have music for two hours each week.

Drama
Our middle school students average three hours of drama each week

Lower School Storyline
The lower school of Cascades Academy uses the Scottish teaching method called Storyline. This teaching method creates a fun learning experience because the children create their own storyline character, develop a setting or frieze and interact through events or incidents of the story.

Our commons area has come to life as a Rainforest, Medieval Castle, Research Ship, and Art Museum as examples of various storylines. The kindergartners through fifth graders work individually or cooperatively in multi-age groups on the various projects associated with the storyline. These projects may include research, team building, construction, art, science experiments, brainstorming, inventions, or musical performances.

Each teacher brings the storyline into the classroom by integrating the topic through other curriculum areas. There may be a novel read pertaining to life within the setting, science experiments, writing, research topics and/or math problems. For example, for the medieval storyline the upper grades read "The Battle for the Castle" and created rat traps to stop the bubonic plague that was killing the peasants of the castle in the frieze.

The culmination of a storyline is an exciting showcase of the children's knowledge and creative work. For example, during the showcase for the Art Museum storyline, each classroom was a separate exhibit of an art type from the 20th century including Impressionism, Expressionism, Surrealism, Op-art as well as a performing arts area, cafe and a gift shop complete with a security system.

Movement
Our lower school students participate in creative movement for one hour each week. Generally, creative movement classes are chock full of concepts offered in a playful way. We begin the year with a definition of self space vs. general space which helps to give students clarity in how to respect others space and define safety in all of our activities. The main goal of all classes is to give the students opportunities to experience the varied ways that their bodies can move. All students learn in different ways, and a creative movement class is designed to appeal to the varied learning styles of all children. The concepts and activities are many including: expansion and contraction, timing & rhythm, shaping, acceleration & deceleration, rising & sinking, balance, coordination, strength, flexibility, locomotor vs. non-locomotor movements just to name a few. A typical class will end with a very constructive practice of relaxation and breathing.