Welcome to Crystal Springs Uplands School

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Expansion Hall

Tour stop audio transcript

Welcome to Expansion Hall, the main gathering space for our Middle School community. Our new 6th Graders start their journey in this very space for New Student Orientation, as do our new Faculty members for their Orientation. A lot of community events take place in this space, such as our 8th Grade Halls, Morning Meetings, Arts Performances, and friendly competitions. As the center our Academic Building, this space serves as the main thoroughfare for all students as they move through their school day. Check out the videos to see some highlights. Before we get started, let me explain the many ways you can explore our beautiful space. -You can jump to the next stop by clicking on the "Next" button. -Now, if you already know where you want to go, you can select any location by using the list. -Lastly, remember that you can explore any particular location in more detail by clicking the supplemental icons.

English Classroom

Tour stop audio transcript

At Crystal’s Middle School, learning is engaging, responsive, energetic, and fun! Some days, classrooms are set up for group projects and collaboration; other days, they’re organized for more traditional presentations. Spaces to write, brainstorm, and showcase student work exist on almost every surface. We believe that the best learning is interactive and hands-on. Our science classrooms, for example, are real labs where students conduct experiments, write reports, and explore hypotheses together. At Crystal’s Middle School, students immerse themselves in learning and discover what sparks their curiosity.

Courtyard

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Between the Academic Building and Multipurpose Building, you can find our Garden. Complete with vegetable beds, a greenhouse, aquaponics system, and chicken coop, this green space serves the community in more ways than one. Our science teachers often bring classes out here, and to nearby Water Dog Lake Park, to study our local ecology. Sustainability is very important to Crystal, and our Green Team makes use of the rain water barrels and composting bins to decrease our carbon footprint. The garden also has one of the best views on campus, and is where all members of the community gather for lunch after getting food at our nearby Cafe.

Middle School Athletics Field

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As Gryphons, we emphasize the importance of a healthy mind and healthy body. Through Physical Education offerings such as Dance, Yoga, and Self-Defense, as well as our competitive athletic teams, our students practice the skills they need to prevent injury, score the goal, and work together. With 26 teams, we offer students the opportunity to play at the level that best suits them. Our outdoor sport court, turf field, gymnasium, and easy access to the trails in Water Dog Lake Park, provide the space for our young athletes to develop their game and prepare for athletics at the high school-level. Learn more about our PE and Athletics offerings below.

The Commons - Welcome to the Upper School

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Upon arriving at the Hillsborough campus, the Commons welcomes you to the Upper School. All Upper School students, whether they walk, drive, or take the bus to school, start their day in this courtyard. A popular gathering space for students in between classes, the Commons is also where we host our Clubs Fair, Spirit Events, and outdoor Fine Arts Festival performances. Adjacent to the Cafe, it is also a busy lunch spot. Our six Core Values are engraved in the stone around the courtyard. Can you spot them all? We use these as our guidiing principles in everything that we do at Crystal.

The Theater

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Much like Expansion Hall, the Theater is the main gathering space for the Upper School community. Our weekly Assemblies feature performances by our various Clubs, guest speakers, and friendly competitions such as Knowledge Bowl. Our Visual and Performing Arts events, including our fall play, spring musical, Winter choral and instrumentals concerts, and Fine Arts Festival take place in this space. Our behind the scenes Cru keeps the show running smoothly, with students overseeing all aspects of production and design. We believe in celebrating and championing our community's diversity and use this space, among others, for our annual MLK Jr. Assembly, Lunar New Year Banquet, and Women Driving Change Conference.

Upper School Athletics - The Gryphon Center

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The Gryphon Center is where our students (and teachers) stay active! Our Mind-Body program empowers students with the knowledge to make healthy, informed choices for lifelong fitness and wellness. Our Fitness Center is home to classes such as yoga and TRX, in addition to strength and conditioning for our competitive athletes. Our Gryphons compete in 14 sports, and our two basketball courts, turf field, and tennis courts are always roaring with the blue and white. Our dedicated Dance Room allows our novice and advanced dancers to move freely. While not Athletics related, but certainly a competition, our Gym is home to our most beloved Crystal tradition, Lip Sync!

Uplands Chemistry

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At Crystal’s Upper School, learning is exploratory, investigative, and collaborative. We offer students the opportunity not only to master skills and content, but also to engage in problem-solving, critical thinking, and developing an understanding of their own intrinsic motivation. A culture of collaboration is emphasized, and students work together in small groups pursuing hypotheses and engineering solutions, or synthesizing their creative thinking into original works of art. Personalized relationships with teachers are fundamental to Crystal’s culture, and each student is known and valued for their skills, talents, and contributions to the broader community.

Mansion Ballroom

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The Crocker Mansion, acquired in 1956, marks the beginning of Crystal's history as an independant school. The building, rich with history, reminds our community members of where we came from but also inspires personal, professional and institutional growth. Engaging with one another, around the joyful and the difficult, are equally important. Our advisory program creates a safe space for small groups of students and an adult advisor to connect, debrief, and celebrate, as do our formal affinity spaces and informal book clubs. Through our community and global engagement programs, and professional growth opportunities such as the People Of Color/ Student Diversity Leadership Conference, we seek growth challenges beyond the confines of campus.

Mansion Back Lawn

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Our community of 586 students and ___ faculty and staff, across two campuses form what we affectionately call One Crystal. While our longest tenured faculty was 40? years, our student's experience at Crystal is only 7 years at most. From sixth grade orientation in expansion hall to our senior commencement ceremony on the mansion back lawn, our students are taken on a transformative academic and personal journey. Our teachers enjoy the kind, creative learners they meet in their classrooms and our students relish in the opportunities to delve deeper, try new things, and explore their passions. Through it all, we engage with enthusiasm because at Crystal we thrive together!

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