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"This is what a dream fulfilled looks like!" Indian Creek School Board Chair Chris Mannix spoke these congratulatory words to over 300 members of the Indian Creek School community who had gathered to celebrate the opening of the School's unified campus on Thursday, September 2.
Indian Creek's "dream" of bringing all students, from Pre-K through grade 12, together on the School's wooded 114-acre campus on Anne Chambers Way in Crownsville, culminated at Thursday's ribbon cutting ceremony after years of working towards this strategic goal. In 2016, the ICS Board of Trustees announced a strategic plan that included bringing the community together what had been the former Upper School campus in order to create a more convenient school environment for families, and provide state-of-the-art learning and community spaces for all students. That year, the school began the journey towards "One Creek" by building the $2.14 million Eagles Athletics Complex featuring two turf fields with lights, a baseball field, six tennis courts and more. The next step was to transition grades 7 & 8 from the former Lower and Middle School campus on Evergreen Road to the spacious Upper School building. In 2019, Indian Creek sold its Evergreen Road campus to Rockbridge Academy with the agreement that the two schools would co-occupy different halves of the building for two years while the Upper School campus was preparing for the unification. In fall 2020, Indian Creek opened Eagle Dome - a dynamic facility, containing 27,000 additional square feet of indoor space to be used for athletics and community events. Finally, in March 2021, the School broke ground on a major addition and renovation project to the existing school building, which spanned spring and summer 2021, finishing on time to welcome students to the 2021-22 school year.
Indian Creek's campus renovation added 12,000 sq. ft. of academic and gathering space, including a state-of-the-art Academic Resource Center, a new Lower School Library, an expansion to the cafeteria, as well as newly designed classrooms, offices, an upgrade to the School's auditorium, and revitalization to the entire building. "A global pandemic couldn’t stop us. A tornado watch on the first day of school was no problem... Indian Creek is strong and stable, and will continue to build momentum as THE premiere Annapolis area PK-12 school," shared Head of School Booth Kyle, as he thanked the community for its support. Mr. Kyle went on to honor the School's founders Anne Chambers, Tracey Coleman, and Rebecca Randolph, sharing that he felt that they would be proud that Indian Creek continues their mission to create a school where children would feel a sense of safety and belonging.
Anne Arundel Country Executive Steuart Pittman then congratulated the Indian Creek community for achieving what had earlier been referred to as "a minor miracle." "Thank you for your dedication to our community, your selfless and tireless commitment to our students and the considerable contributions you as educators make to Anne Arundel County.” Representatives of the ICS faculty and staff, Board of Trustees, Parent Teacher Organization, and friends of the school cut the ribbon to officially mark the opening of the unified campus. Celebration attendees were invited to tour the interior of the school building, and enjoy refreshments, music, and camaraderie at an outdoor reception, after these final words from Mr. Kyle: "To the vision of our founders, the dedication of our community, and the future of our students. And to all that Indian Creek has been and will continue to accomplish – together. Here’s to OneCreek!"
Indian Creek School 1130 Anne Chambers Way, Crownsville, MD 21032 410-923-3660 www.indiancreekschool.org
