Promises Made Promises Kept

CRESCENT REPORT CARD 2017-2018

PROMISES MADE PROMISES KEPT

Message from the Headmaster

Crescent School, like the world around us, is constantly evolving. We are now more than halfway through our Strategic Plan 2015-2020. Looking back on the past three years, we can reflect with pride on how many of our promises have come to fruition and anticipate with excitement the work that is yet to come.

Crescent is a great school – an opinion that I can confidently state is shared by many. One need only look to the CAIS Accreditation report from 2015-2016, the Ministry of Education report from 2016-2017, the staff experience survey from this past year, or to the hundreds of families who apply each year to come to Crescent. These are just some of the indicators which affirm that Crescent is indeed a special place.

This report provides a snapshot of Crescent School today. It begins with a reference to our Strategic Plan 2015-2020 goals and it highlights our major strategic accomplishments to date. Then it dives deeper to profile the great work that our faculty and staff perform each day in service to our boys and Crescent’s mission.

Our journey towards providing the best learning and character development environment for our boys is never over. Each year we set new goals and objectives and we continually strive to be better. These are the promises that we make to every Crescent family and these promises have been kept. We hope this report card demonstrates our commitment to this journey.

Enjoy the read.

Michael Fellin P’24

Message from the Chair of the Board

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Crescent School’s Board of Governors is populated by dedicated parents, past parents and alumni who care deeply about the family that we call Crescent School.

The Board’s mandate is to set the strategic direction of the school, oversee financial affairs, and, in a broad sense, risk management – anything that could impact the strategic direction, financial affairs, or reputation of Crescent. The day-to-day running of the school is the purview of the administration, and rightly so. They are a collection of passionate and compassionate educators who understand the needs of the boys and the skills required in order to guide them on their journey from boys of promise to men of character.

In short, the Board focuses on governance of the school. To give you some insight into what we do, what follows is a brief summary of our schedule and our regular business.

The Board has eight scheduled meetings every year (plus inevitably some ad hoc get-togethers). At each of those meetings, we receive reports from the committees of the Board (finance, governance, facilities, development, technology and human resources); reports on all the major initiatives undertaken in connection with the strategic plan; a report from the Headmaster; and special presentations focused on ensuring continued governance best practices. Over the past year, the Board has spent significant time considering and helping to shape what the campus of the future should look like. You will hear lots more about that this coming year. We look forward to your feedback as we make some strategic decisions about our Master Campus Plan.

This is the start of my last year as Chair of the Board. I am extremely pleased with our accomplishments. We are carefully moving the school into the future while remaining firmly rooted in our proud past. Crescent School is truly a special place and we are dedicated to ensuring it stays that way.

Veritate Stamus et Crescimus

Barry Gordon ’87, P’21

MISSION

MEN OF CHARACTER FROM BOYS OF PROMISE. VALUES

RESPECT RESPONSIBILITY HONESTY COMPASSION

Crescent’s Portrait of a Graduate

Our Portrait of a Graduate identifies the knowledge, skills and character strengths that we believe a graduate of Crescent School needs to achieve future success, wellbeing and purpose in his career, community and family life.

It consists of three guiding questions and six essential qualities.

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A moral person with the courage to uphold and act upon the highest standards of ethical behaviour.

WHO AM I?

Self-aware and self-regulating with a strong sense of purpose, agency and potential.

A positive leader who builds relationships and understands the importance of serving others in order to inspire action and accomplishment.

A critical thinker who listens clearly, communicates effectively and collaborates well.

HOW DO I LEAD? An engaged citizen who respects people’s differences, is mindful of interconnectivity, and seeks betterment in his local and global community.

WHAT IS MY LEGACY?

Adaptable, resourceful and creative in meeting the challenges of an increasingly complex world.

Strategic Plan Goals

Our Strategic Plan 2015-2020 was created collaboratively by our Board of Governors and school management team. It demonstrated our commitment to the long-term growth and development of our school.

The plan was structured according to our people and our place.

Our People

Our Place

Students Prepare students for life by building and delivering a rigorous, relational and relevant academic program that supports the character development of each boy.

Facility Continue to develop and build an infrastructure that will maximize our ability to attract and develop the best mission-fit boys from across the city through fundraising, growing endowment and cost containment.

Continue using established best-practice approaches to support boys’ learning while developing measures of success for the students that reflect Crescent’s unique mission, vision and values.

Enhance and broaden the range of student services and align an integrated staff to support learning from admission through university acceptance.

Faculty and Staff Foster a culture of high performance where professional growth, relational learning and personal accountability are recognized and rewarded.

Community Become a more diverse teaching and learning community by enhancing the cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds of our students, faculty, staff and Board of Governors.

Build a more engaged and connected community that includes our alumni, students, parents, friends and others across the Greater Toronto Area.

Develop and execute a long-term master facilities plan to support the evolving learning environment for boys and staff.

Technology Support a technology ecosystem that is designed to make learning personal, deepen student engagement, strengthen collaboration and critical thinking, and prepare students for the professional world.

Strategic Plan Achievements

Each year, the school sets specific goals and objectives that reflect our most pressing needs while leveraging the opportunities that support our strategic plan vision. The following lists the major achievements over each of the past three years.

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2015 – 2016

2016 – 2017

Launch of the Strategic Plan 2015-2020

2017 – 2018

Deepen community engagement

Launch of Crescent’s Portrait of a Graduate

Expansion of Crescent Student Services

Establishment of the health & wellbeing platform

Staff & Faculty core competencies

Complete strategic academic plan

Initiation of the strategic academic plan

Launch master campus plan

Expansion of alumni engagement initiatives

CAIS accreditation

Implementation of succesion and risk management plans

Challenge Success partnership

School Facts

1913

750

established

students

8:1

student to teacher ratio

16

average class size

165 faculty/staff

46

faculty with Master’s or PhDs

3

Prime Minister’s Awards for Teaching Excellence

Curriculum Highlights

46% Reach ahead math

Crescent AP mean scores (2014-2018)

Global Mean

2.93

Ontario Mean

Calculus AB

3.54

Crescent Mean

4.86

of Grade 8 students earned a Grade 9 math credit

Global Mean

2.85

84%

86%

86%

91%

Upper School honour roll

Ontario Mean

132 awards of distinction in national math contests

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Grade 10

Grade 11

Advanced Placement courses offered

Grade 12

87% 196

Macroeconomics

total Upper School

Advanced Placement exams written

3.36

Crescent Mean

4.39

Global Mean

3.14

Ontario Mean

Microeconomics

3.41

Crescent Mean

4.50

Global Mean

3.09

Ontario Mean

Computer Science

3.82

Crescent Mean

3.91

Grade 9

Accreditation: Ontario Ministry of Education and Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS).

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Global Mean

3.37

Ontario Mean

Statistics

3.69

Crescent Mean

4.25

Crescent Student Services

Helping our boys reach their full potential in the classroom, in their day-to-day relationships with their peers, teachers and coaches, and in their post-secondary journey.

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Learning support

Six

specialists across

Three schools

Programs to address exam anxiety and academic stress

Guidance and university counselling

Social work

Wellness centre

counsellors for Upper School

social worker in each of Lower/Middle and Upper Schools

school nurses

Added third counsellor to team

Individual and small group mental health support

Operationalizing new medical legislation: Ryan’s Law (Asthma) Rowan’s Law (Concussion)

3 1 2

Partnership with ADHD clinic

Classroom instruction

University planning begins in Grade 9 Summer transition programs for Grades 3, 7 & 9

Building professional networks with university admissions counsellors

Leading Crescent’s diversity team with emphasis on gender identification and visible minorities

Prevalent medical conditions policy Naloxone training

CHARACTER-IN-ACTION

ARTS ATHLETICS BUSINESS OUTREACH ROBOTICS Crescent’s five Character-In-Action programs provide additional opportunities for our boys to develop their character, build invaluable skills and push the limits of their comfort zone outside the classroom.

ARTS

Character-In-Action The Arts

Enriching, nurturing and challenging students to express themselves creatively while stepping beyond their comfort zones to foster self-expression and confidence.

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600

Luna an annual full school interdisciplinary arts event

3

students from Grades 3 - 12 are involved in the arts at Crescent

Lower School Treasure Island

14

dedicated arts faculty team members

MS Air Band Competition, MS Improv Showcase, LS & MS Public Speaking Competitions

senior dramatic arts Broadway theatre trip

Middle School Inherit the Wind

Four

international choir trip to Ireland

mainstage Drama productions featuring over 200 students (performance, stage and design roles) Upper School If Not for Love

co-curricular MS/US instrumental bands Two yearly musical concerts featuring all LS & MS students, all Grade 9 students and approximately 60 senior US students

Dala girls performance made possible

by Noble Marks Family endowment for the arts

ATHLETICS

Character-In-Action Athletics

Providing a broad range of opportunities for boys to explore character through action in a competitive environment and to develop a lifelong passion for an active, healthy lifestyle.

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74 Crescent teams

Medalists

Sports Crescent competes in

teams in total

Three Eleven

swimming

OFSAA medalists

softball

CISAA silver medalists

soccer

Participation in athletics

100% 92% 74% Lower School

Middle School

x-country

baseball badminton

Upper School

Eleven

volleyball squash

track & field

CISAA championships U11 X-Country U13 D1 Soccer Junior Volleyball U14 Squash

Senior D2 Basketball Senior Ultimate Junior Badminton U13 Rugby

tennis

golf

U14 Rugby Junior Rugby U14 Softball

CAIS national tournament champions U13 D1 Basketball

rugby

hockey

basketball frisbee

BUSINESS

Character-In-Action Business

Inspiring passion and excitement for business and entrepreneurship and a foundation for future success in business.

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$34,000 19 Investment team

value of student-managed Investment portfolio

Business case competitions

Four of Eight

students were on 1st place teams at BSS Case Competition

real-money investments, including the first in the U.S. investment market

DECA

Achieved distinctions at the regional, provincial and international levels, including:

7

students who were provincial champions

2

students who were world champions

First, Second & Third overall placed teams at Ivey School of Business Case Competition

First & Third placed teams at Appleby Case Competition

Junior business club opens to students in Grades 9 and 10

OUTREACH

Character-In-Action Outreach

Inspiring our graduates to become engaged citizens interested in making a positive difference in their world.

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75% Number of students engaged in service

of all Crescent boys took part in some form of local community service this school year

students participated in the 5 outreach service trips to Ecuador, South Africa, Tanzania, India and to the First Nations community of Superior North

Over 20 community organizations partnered with Crescent as part of our local outreach program

100%

of Middle School students were involved in local outreach initiatives with local community partners

Ecuador

More than 100 Crescent students and families came out to support two Crescent community service events Operation Raise a Flag honoured our veterans and Street Connection provided meals for the homeless

India

Tanzania

2,552 community service hours were logged by Grade 9 students

South Africa

Superior North

Launched the 40 in 9 program; 25 Grade 9 boys completed their mandatory 40 service hours required for graduation

ROBOTICS

Character-In-Action Robotics

Grooming students for careers in science, technology and engineering while providing invaluable experiences in collaboration, competition, sportsmanship, leadership, problem solving and perseverance.

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Lower School

33 10

club participants

Middle School team accomplishments

D1 team earned numerous local and provincial awards including Excellence Award, Energy Award, STEM Research Project Award & Judges’ Award; qualified for Vex World Championship

MS introduced a D2 Robotics team, allowing a greater cross-section of participation; D2 team placed 3rd in provincial tournament

team participants

Middle School

10 32

Upper School team accomplishments

record for the year

club participants

team participants

Upper School

48

team participants

54-14-0

Ranked 1st

@ Ontario District Windsor Essex Great Lakes event

Ranked 2nd

@ Ontario Provincial Championship

Ranked 8th

overall ranking in Ontario

Ontario Durham College District Tournament Champions, Gracious Professionalism Award

World Championship Daly Division semi-finalists; Excellence in Engineering Award

Student Leadership

Providing every Crescent student with the opportunity to accomplish positive change together.

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Student leadership

1 6 10 12 32 head boy

house prefects

portfolio prefects

house captains

Lower & Middle School class representatives

Grade 10 & 11 leadership course

This course, in its second year of implementation, prepares students to act in leadership roles by designing and implementing solutions for groups in their community, such as Senior’s Wish and New Circles

122 6700 Grades 10 and 11 boys enrolled

leadership hours logged

I acknowledged the social influence of the leader and learned the power and responsibility accompanied by it. With the design thinking skills I have sharpened this year, I am confident that I can lead with my own “why” in the future.

—student reflection

Enrolment Highlights

565

applications for September 2018

3:1

applicants to spots available for Grade 3

4.5:1

applicants to spots available for Grade 5

7.3:1

applicants to spots available for Grade 7

4.6:1

applicants to spots available for Grade 9

150 offers extended

101

offers accepted on offer day

117

new boys joining Crescent

over $1,000,000 in student financial aid available

4.7%

of students on financial aid in 2018-2019

Class of 2018

85 graduates

91% graduated with Ontario Honours

3

graduates received full 4-year scholarships

18% pursuing post-secondary education in the U.S. or abroad

31

University programs of study

20% Engineering incl.

Computer Science

25% Business/ Commerce

15% Science

33% Liberal Arts/ Social Science

7% Other incl.

Architecture, Fine Arts and Law

University Destinations

Our graduates attend first-rate universities in North America and overseas as indicated by the list of destinations from the past five years. All of our 2018 graduating class accepted offers.

*University destinations for the Class of 2018

Canada Acadia University Bishop’s University Brock University Carleton University Concordia University Dalhousie University* Fraser Valley University Huron University College* McGill University* McMaster University* Ontario College of Art and Design* Queen’s University* Ryerson University St. Francis Xavier University Western University* University of British Columbia* University of Guelph University of King’s College* University of Ontario Institute of Technology University of Toronto* University of Victoria University of Waterloo* Wilfrid Laurier University* York University

United States Adelphi University American University Babson University Brandeis University Boston University Brown University Carnegie Mellon Chapman University* Claremont McKenna Colby College* Columbia University* Cornell University Danton College Dartmouth College Denison University Depauw University Duke University* Harvard University* Johns Hopkins University* New York University Northeastern University* Northwestern University Parsons School of Design Pratt University Quinnipiac University* Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rice University

Santa Clara University Syracuse University* University of Arizona* University of California —Los Angeles University of Chicago University of Detroit Mercy University of Miami University of Pennsylvania University of Rochester University of Southern California University of Syracuse University of Wisconsin Wake Forest University Overseas London School of Economics (UK)* Newcastle University (UK)* Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland University of Bristol (UK) University of Edinburgh (UK)* University of Glasgow (UK) University of St Andrews (UK) Warwick University (UK)

Our Alumni

Lasting friendships and strong bonds are an inherent part of the Crescent School experience. Our alumni engagement programs keep our boys connected, offering an active and diverse network and a gateway to personal and professional development programs.

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2,799 of Crescent alumni engaged

Alumni program highlights

New alumni engagement and social media networking site launched

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alumni events held including networking events, career and mentoring events, university and international branch events

Past & Present magazine relaunched with an “alumni-first� editorial focus

alumni internship program

alumni mentoring

alumni recognition awards

$180,000 alumni funds raised toward student financial aid in 2017/2018

School Goals

To lead Crescent School’s evolving culture, strategy and practice, the School goals for 2018-2019 are:

Consolidate engagement with key stakeholders, including students, staff, parents and alumni, in order to listen and respond to feedback regarding the Crescent experience.

Commence implementation of Crescent’s Strategic Academic Plan by introducing a new master timetable and by reviewing school practices related to assessment and evaluation.

Finalize our Master Campus Plan by conducting a feasibility study of Crescent’s financial and regulatory environment and revising it for key development opportunities and program fit.

School Leadership

Crescent is overseen by an Administrative Leadership Team and dedicated volunteers who make up the Board of Governors and Parent Association.

Collectively they devote countless hours each year to deliver an unparalleled school experience for our students, staff and families.

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Administrative Leadership

Nick Kovacs Head of Upper School

Doris Loo

Michael Fellin Headmaster

John Lynch Executive Director of External Relations

Peter Osborne

Martha Miller Director of Innovation and Technology

Glenn Shyba

Ryan Bell ’98 Assistant Head of Lower School Fraser Bertram Director of Athletics Dr. Sandra Boyes Head of Lower and Middle Schools Jill Cannon Director of Advancement Rob Costanzo Assistant Head of Upper School Robert Cranston Assistant Head of Middle School David Grant Dean of Studies Arjuna Kadawathage Director of Finance Carolyn Kanhai Executive Assistant to Headmaster and Board of Governors

Richard Prosser Assistant Head of Upper School Lorne Rabinovitch Director of Facilities David Shaw Director of Enrolment and Financial Aid Carolyn Smith-Green Chief Finance and Administrative Officer Lynda Torneck Director of Marketing and Communications

Board of Governors Barry Gordon ’87 Chair

Gina Kay Executive Director of Student Services

Jamie Coulter ’87

Lara Koretsky Executive Director of People and Culture

Dr. Eileen de Villa

Beth Currie Watt Catherine Herring Brian Lang ’87

Linda Mantia Stuart Raftus Paul Spafford Nicole Swales Kevin Teng Rob Watt ’85 Tim Wiggan ’90 David Williamson Dr. Charlotte Youngson

Crescent Parent Association Beth Currie Watt President Matilda Mavroudis Vice President Tori Newall Past President Camalita Singh Secretary Andrea Bunker Treasurer Martha Vesey Communications

Crescent School 2365 Bayview Avenue, Toronto ON M2L 1A2 416.449.2556 www.crescentschool.org