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Center for Creative Learning

Crescent School is an all-male independent school located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, within walking distance of Bridle Path. In its 2001 report on Ontario schools, the Fraser Institute [1] ranked Crescent number one out of five hundred and sixty-eight in academic performance, an honour shared with seventeen other schools. The student body consists of approximately 660 students. The school is divided into three different schools: the Lower School, the Middle School and the Upper School.

The school was founded in 1913 and is affiliated with the Conference of Independent Schools. Currently, the headmaster is Geoff Roberts.

The Lower School The Lower School is from grades 3 to 6, grade 3 being the entry year into the school. The student:teacher ratio is 18:1 for grade 3 and 22:1 for grade 4 to 6. There are 2 classes per grade, with 8 total classes/classrooms in the Lower School which holds 168 students under the supervision of Ross MacDonald, the Head of the Lower School. The Assistant Head of the Lower School is currently Dr. Sandra Boyes.

The Middle School The Middle School is from grades 7 to 8, grade 7 being an entry year into the school. The student:teacher ratio is 23:1 for both grades 7 and 8. There are 3 classes per grade, with 6 total classes/classrooms in the Middle School which holds roughly 140 students, under supervision of Mark Hord, the Headmaster of the Middle School. The Assistant Head of the Middle School is currently Michael Ruscetti.

The Upper School The Upper School is from grades 9-12, grade 9 being the entry year in the Upper School. Student-teacher ratios vary from course to course. However, the maximum number of students per class is 24. The head of the Upper School is Colin Lowndes, and the Assistant Head (as well as the Head of Admissions) is David Budden. Upper School students have the opportunity to become House Captains (see below) in grade 11, and also have the opportunity to become Prefects in grade 12. Students applying for either position are chosen based on a vote which includes both staff members and students. The Head Boy is also an elected member of the grade 12 class.

The school runs on a house system where every student, teacher and staff is placed in a house. Each house is named after a prominent figure in Canadian history. Each house is also given a color. The house names and colors are as following:

• Cartier (Grey)
• Hudson (Yellow)
• Mackenzie (Light Blue)
• Massey (Navy Blue)
• Simcoe (Purple)
• Wolfe (Red)

The home of the art collector Frank Porter Wood on Bayview Avenue now houses the Crescent School

Run by Crescent School students, the Toronto Student Film Festival is a Toronto-based film festival that gives high school students the opportunity to screen their work, interact with industry professionals, and win awards and prizes to further their craft.

Crescent School is home to FIRST Robotics Team 610. For seven years the team has competed in the FIRST Robotics Competition, as one of the original teams in Canada. Their involvement in the program has grown over the years to include the FIRST Lego League and the FIRST Vex Challenge.

Crescent School has many global outreach projects in Toronto and around the world. In Toronto, it has a tutoring program set up with two at-risk schools, Willow Park PS and Firgrove PS. The projects range from planting trees to making quilts for disaster victims.

The uniform is a dark green blazer bearing the Crescent School crest, which can be swapped for a black fleece sweater bought from The Coyote's Den. In grade 12 the dark green blazer is traditionally swapped with a navy blue blazer. A white shirt, grey dress pants, black dress socks, house tie, a black belt and black dress shoes are also items in the uniform.

Another option given to the Lower and Middle school students,in warm weather, is wearing a golf shirt, which is a white short-sleeved shirt, with a Crescent logo and green collar.

There are Casual Dress Days where students pay a certain amount of money (often 2 Dollars), or on the occasion of holidays such as Christmas/Hanukkah students may also be asked to donate food or toys, to wear casual clothes.

• Christophe Beck (1987), pianist
• David Harlock (1989), NHL and Olympic hockey Player
• George Hees (1922), Member of Canadian Parliament
• Evan Solomon (1987), Writer, author and Television Personality
• Rob Coleman (1983), Animation Director, Industrial Light and Magic
• Trumbull Warren (1924), aide-de-camp to Field Marshall Sir Bernard Montgomery
• Ian Strachan Johnston (1919), one of the most decorated Canadians of the World War II
• Peter O'Brian (1928), served for two years as aide-de-camp to Queen Elizabeth II
• Brad Crombie (1988), gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, and an alternate for Canada at the 1996 Olympic Games.
• Neil Lumsden (1971), Professional football player
• Robert Stewart, Director of Sharkwater
• J. R. Brickman, Founder of Brick Brewery

• Fraser Institute
• About.com Private School Information Page
• Frank P Wood Estate
• Crescent School Profile By TopPrivateSchools.ca

• Crescent School's Website
• Crescent School Alumni