Roundtable Q&A Discussion About Crescent School (2021)

I think what I appreciated most was that there's a really strong support network at Crescent School. There's always people to talk to, whether it's about advice for university, or you're struggling with academics. You've always got solid friends, good teachers, and staff to talk to. I found that they were always there to catch me whenever I was falling over. I think that's really something that's special about Crescent School. I appreciated it then, and I still appreciate it now. I think the people are something that really sets Crescent School apart.

The staff, the students, teachers, coaches, everyone is there to support you, and there to make it a really enjoyable experience. It was always a pleasant experience coming to school every morning, something I look forward to. So I think that's something I definitely appreciated.

I think that there's something for everyone at Crescent School. That's something I also recognized at the moment, whether you're into artistic, extracurricular athletics, or student leadership, there's really something to cater to everyone's interests. What that results in, is you coming out of high school, really having a good understanding of who you are, what you like, and what you want to do with the rest of your life, maybe in the next few years, at least. I think that is definitely something that is really valuable to have at that age, as a recent grad.

I would just say that my appreciation for Crescent School, and its strong support network of staff and students, only grew over time. I realized that you don't always have such a strong support network with you, you don't always have an opportunity to get involved in everything that you could possibly want.

I think the teachers care an unbelievable amount about student’s academic success, and their personal growth, which I think is really special and really unique about Crescent School. The people are amazing at Crescent School, whether it's the students or the teachers or staff, you have a network of support, and feel like you are supported.  When you meet someone from Crescent School after you've graduated, that connection is immediate. You do feel more comfortable, whether it's like an interview or just like a casual conversation.

I never could have imagined that my teachers would be so invested in seeing me succeed both in and outside the classroom. They really do care. That is very evident from the moment you get to Crescent School. I've heard from, like, a lot of other students at various other schools. They didn't really have the same connections to their teachers, and they didn't really feel that support and that genuine investment in their success as a student both at present and afterwards.

I think what differentiates Crescent School is there's a culture of collaboration, teamwork, and unity that essentially creates a brotherhood among the students. Of course, it's like more of an extended family because you have teachers, parents, everyone else involved, too.

Among the students, you are part of a brotherhood. You really care about each other more than just peers at school. It goes beyond that. Most of my best friends nowadays were my friends from Crescent School, and I imagine that a lot of them will be my friends for life. I think that's definitely something that I wouldn't say every high school creates. I think that's something really unique about Crescent School and I'm very happy I was able to experience it. It's benefitted me years down the road as well.

I'd say the three words I'd go with to describe our personification of Crescent School would be caring, committed, and thoughtful.

Everyone at Crescent School, from your peers, to the staff and admin, to the teachers, they care about your growth, your development, and your success. I think that really shines through in everything that Crescent School does. That's something that was apparent for me from when I started to when I finished, and even until now. There wouldn't be such a tight community with the alumni network if there wasn't that caring aspect of Crescent School.

Crescent School wouldn't be what it is if it wasn't committed to seeing students succeed, throughout the school and beyond. From the experiences you have in your classroom, to your sports practices, to band practice, to robotics, and everything in between. Crescent School is really committed to helping shape students into the person that they want to be, and make sure that they succeed throughout their time there and beyond.

Everyone at Crescent School is committed to seeing you succeed, well after you've left the school, and makes sure that what you've learned there goes on to make you a successful person, and a happy person later in life. I think Crescent really cares about the little things, I would see that people were recognized for small acts of kindness, whether it was in a leadership position at school or as an outreach effort.

As a Grade 6 student, I never could have imagined that the school I went to could be so much more than the academics, and that really caught me off guard. I think it becomes a lot more obvious once you go into the school, you get a really good sense of how it's much more of a community beyond just going to class, taking your notes, doing your tests and going home.

The number of late nights and early mornings I spent at Crescent School: I never could have imagined wanting to dedicate that much of my time and energy to the school I attended. Yet I'm sitting here looking back on it and very proud of all those moments that I spent at the school. I guess the big thing is, it's not just a stepping stone to get into a nice university or college.

I think every experience at Crescent School is a good one. If you jump in and give your full effort to figure out if it's something you like, or don't like, and you're going to meet new people in the process. You'll enjoy yourself in almost everything you do. So I would recommend new students just hit the ground running, and make the most of your time there because it's going to fly by faster than you can expect.

The biggest thing that I appreciate at Crescent School was the relationships and the connections I made at the school. That network, whether it be my peers, teachers, students in other grades, faculty, and even parents, everyone was part of this really big extended family. To this day, some of my closest friends are the ones I met at Crescent School.

Beyond my peers, the relationships that I have with the teachers at Crescent School really helped me develop into who I am today. They invested their time into helping me to become who I am in my life after Crescent School. So much so that whenever I run into a teacher, whether it's at the school or outside the school, they still remember me. That's something that's really special to me, because after 10 years of being away from the school, I know how many students they teach and meet on a yearly basis.

My appreciation has only just gotten stronger. The power of the alumni network, regardless of what graduating class you're in, when you meet another alumni, there's always that Crescent connection that you can share and connect with. It's really incredible that I can run into a Crescent School teacher 10 years later, and they still remember the experiences that we had way back when.

That bond with my Crescent School peers is what brought me back to Crescent School, as I've been on the alumni executive board for the past six years. One of the reasons why I joined in the first place was because I want to continue to be involved with the school. To give back, and support as much as I can. Crescent School has definitely played a big part in my life, and I'm happy to continue to help and support as much as I can.

The one thing that I feel that truly differentiates Crescent School from other independent schools, is really the connectivity and community, even in your life after Crescent School. Whether it's through events, activities, mentoring, recognition, internships or even fundraising, the mission of the Alumni Board is to foster that sustained, meaningful relationship with Crescent School and fellow graduates.

One personal example, showing the power of that Crescent School alumni network, was the help that the alumni internship program really provided me. It really helped me start my professional career after university. Leveraging the strength of our alumni, the internship program at Crescent School helped me land my first job, and to further add to that, when I moved to my second job, one of the senior leaders that interviewed me at the company was a Crescent School alumni.

Four words to describe Crescent School would be respectful, responsible, honest, and compassionate.

Crescent School creates an environment that embraces the core values, and as someone who's lived through those experiences from Grade 7 to Grade 12, I can honestly say embodying their core values has played an integral role in both my academic achievements and success in life. It's something that I'm going to carry forward for the rest of my life. I really believe that these four words are what everyone embodies when they attend Crescent School.

The dynamic of being in a relatively smaller school, combined with smaller class sizes brings everyone together a lot easier. Almost everyone is a familiar face. Crescent School is really part of your extended family, and I'm not talking only about your peers and your classmates, but really, with everyone at the school.

Crescent School provides so many opportunities to explore yourself and to experience new things, whether it's sports, academics, drama, global outreach, leadership, business, robotics.

To this day, my friends and I continue to share stories of the Crescent School days. Some of my best memories took place at the school. These connections, these moments, they last a lifetime, and I'm always going to remember and reminisce about it. I would recommend that current and future students just cherish the memories and embrace everything that Crescent School has to offer.

We did the tour, and we were impressed by what Crescent School had, and we were blown away.  We walked through the Manor doors and it was this warmth and like you were at home. We got this nice feeling inside. I remember hearing one of the teachers at the open house, and I was in awe. I thought ‘oh, my God. If my son comes here, he'll be loved. He'll be taken care of,’ because as a mom, you worry about that stuff, right?

Crescent School has delivered in all aspects, and we've seen such a difference in our son that we're so grateful for. It was the best move we've made.

When we first started at Crescent School, my son was shy. He did keep to himself. He just sat back and watched everything. I guess he wasn't comfortable enough. By the end of Grade 3 at Crescent School, his confidence level had risen. The public speaking that the kids start, he was petrified to do that.  And after the first go, he loved it. As soon as he finished, he wanted to figure out what his next topic would be for the upcoming year. We were like, ‘Well, hold on a second. You were just a kid that two months prior didn't want to do it.’

My son has this mentality, that he can achieve whatever he sets his mind to. That's all thanks to Crescent School and the teachers. They've built this confidence, and they've let him grow into the young man that he's becoming, which is amazing to see in such a short period of time.

My son would say that he's at the best school.  He's so proud of where he is. He's always talking about the school and sharing all the different things that Crescent School has to offer. The mentorship program in the Middle School, and how connected the boys are with their mentor, to peer tutoring. If you want to join the theatre, you're into drama, there's always a production, there's always something for a boy to do at Crescent School.

I find that when Crescent School teachers see the boys showing improvements, showing that they want to excel, the teachers will push them even more and set new hurdles for them to cross, because they know that they can achieve that. They give positive reinforcement to all the boys to see them do well, and be successful.

The four core values of Crescent School  are respect, responsibility, honesty, and compassion. I see that in the families at Crescent School, the families and the parents that I volunteer with at the school. Whether it be through outreach programs or fundraising, or volunteering. You see that with our community, we're there to give back to the school that is giving so much to our boys. I'm extremely proud to be a part of this community and to be able to give back.

I don't think I've met one family that I can honestly say anything bad about at Crescent School. I've been here for five years,and there's not one parent that's approached me or I've met through volunteering that ever had anything bad to say.

Crescent School has done well the way the community is built, because  It's a family.

We love talking to the new parents coming in to see the school and answer any questions that they have. The moms, the way they talk about Crescent School and their faces light up, it's something else. I don't know what it is, but we love the school.