REVIEW OF Crestwood Preparatory College BY student, Jahmari Brown

(5) Student Experience

Crestwood is a great school. There are so many sports that are offered and a lot of fun activities to do throughout the entire year. The teachers are very helpful and I could get extra help every day if I wanted to. The size of Crestwood makes it a welcoming place where you will not only have friends in your own grade but will have the opportunity to know almost everyone in the entire school. I came to Crestwood as a grade 10 student so I was very worried that the transition would be difficult for me but it was the exact opposite especially since I came during COVID. Crestwood did its best to still try and have events to help new students get involved and feel like we are a part of the school, this made it so much nicer for me.

(5) School Leadership

The Leadership at Crestwood is the best that I have experienced so far. I came from a public school where we did not even know who our guidance counsellors were. Here at Crestwood, the Headmaster's door is always open for a hello or a discussion. The teachers are always willing to help you towards your success. They are available and understanding especially if you play sports which makes things a lot easier for you. The guidance counsellors make it their goal to get to know each and every student that they are involved with. My route to the NCAA has become a lot easier because of their help.

(5) Teaching

The teachers at Crestwood explain exactly what they expect of each student depending on the student's grade. Of course, you are expected to do more work if you are in grade 12 as opposed to grade 9 or 10, but that just comes with the territory. I believe that what you put into it is what you will get back and the teachers are Crestwood help you to achieve that. All expectations are very clear from the teachers and are always set out well ahead of time ex for assignments, tests or projects. Success for me is what I want and teachers at Crestwood look for what our goals and successes are and help us achieve those successes. I have always been driven and that was helped once I came to continue here at Crestwood.

(5) Academics

The academics are good. Everything I have done has been just right. The work was neither hard nor easy and if it was ever kind of hard like I said above, the teachers are here daily to help me with my success. If I needed more clarification or some extra time on an assignment the teachers were always willing to work with me and adjust timelines. What I am learning in my courses will definitely be useful in my later years of life because I am taking things that are of interest to me and that I want to learn about. What will help me later in life are things I have learned while here at Crestwood which are respect, kindness and determination in order to achieve all of my goals.

(5) Extracurriculars

Extracurriculars at Crestwood I think are one of the best that I have seen around. At Crestwood you can play almost any sport that you're interested in and join any club that you can imagine, The Basketball and Hockey Teams always have some athletes who are going on to the next level. There is more than enough to do at Crestwood and if a club doesn't exist there is always a willing teacher who will help get one started. I love the sports at Crestwood.

(5) Students

Crestwood students are kind, funny and work together to make the school what it is. If you were a student coming to visit for the first time, a Crestwood student would notice and come right up to you and ask if you needed help. That's how it was for me when I first started and didn't know anyone. Crestwood is a small community that cares about each other and wants to have fun with each other. Crestwood feels like a village in a town where everyone goes on Friday for a big football game and is happy and content. The students at Crestwood are unique but still a part of the big family. I believe that everyone feels included here at Crestwood, there are no issues with bullying and all teachers are always friendly and aware of what is going on.

(5) School Life

I would first take them to our gym. This is my favourite place that everyone should visit. Why? I say this because it really shows so much about Crestwood. When you walk in and look up at the walls you can see how many successful teams we have at Crestwood and the very nice thing is the success in sports is in every sport you can imagine such as Curling who won OFSAA or girls' slow-pitch who won CISAA. In the gym, there are so many different teams and you can see that Crestwood has something for every student who comes here. They also have so many students who have gone on to NCAA teams or even OUA schools. Here you can see the true Crestwood pride and how all students can fit in.

(5) Community

When I am at school I feel at home. The friends I have made are now considered my brothers and sisters for life. It was easy making friends here and the small community helps us to do so much together which keeps that friendship going. I for sure feel like everyone at Crestwood feels included and appreciated. The school makes sure of this by having so many different events, clubs and opportunities for everyone to be involved and to feel involved and part of the school community. I feel like Crestwood helps a student or person to be unique, involved and like they are a part of a special place. I am very happy, although some people may consider Crestwood a small school, that size is why we are so close.

(5) School Location

As a grade 12 student, I go off campus daily for lunch. The immediate area has so many great food places and or hang-out places for my friends and me. The location is great because I can get anything I need and it has improved since I first came to Crestwood in grade 10 so I am happy with the location.

(5) Admissions

Well I came from a private school and there was no admission process when I went to grade 9 but when I came to Crestwood I did take some tests which were fine. After I took the test I had a great tour of the school and was able to ask questions and see the school in action. The advice I would give to someone who is applying is to enjoy the visit, and hope that they get to visit on a day when there is a fun event happening in the gym. I found taking the test kind of stressful because I wanted to make sure I was admitted to Crestwood but in the end, the test was fine. Overall, the experience was status quo and normal as all private schools do pretty much the same thing.