ICS History

List of 20 items.

• 

  1973

  Indian Creek School opens its doors to 33 students in four Nursery, Kindergarten, and first Grade classes. Mrs. Chambers, now Headmistress, and Mrs. Randolph, Assistant Director (and later Lower School Principal), base the school’s philosophy on the fundamentals of developmental psychology. Personalized teaching based on each child’s abilities and learning style allows for maximum challenge and stimulation—with minimal stress.
• 

  1977

  A Middle School is added, and the student population reaches 181. Special emphasis is placed on teaching study skills and organization to Middle School students, in order to provide them with the intellectual tools they need for higher-level education. Middle School students are also introduced to the Human Development curriculum, which covers a variety of social and developmental issues that are relevant to adolescents, from social skills to diversity awareness to self-esteem and body image. The School continues to meet its goals of serving a diverse population, offering many avenues of success for each child. In addition to a rigorous academic program, all students are offered opportunities to excel in the arts, physical activities, and leadership and social aspects of the School.

• 1979

  The first eighth grade class graduates from Indian Creek School.

• 1983

  Class size doubles to 40 students per grade in the newly-admitted class of 1993.
• 

  1985

  Recognizing the need for additional elementary school space, the library wing of the Evergreen Campus building is opened. The bell that graces the Bell Tower was acquired by Tracy Coleman, Sr. during his service in World War II.

• 1993

  Indian Creek celebrates its 20th birthday. The PTO generously opens the Peace Garden on the Evergreen Campus with the dedication, “To remember those who came before, to rejoice in our here and now, to wonder on things that are not yet to be.” New classrooms and office space are added to accommodate growth in the Middle School. In order to prepare for additional growth of both the program and student body, Indian Creek School transfers ownership of the School to a newly-established Board of Trustees.

• 1998

  The final expansion of the Evergreen Campus building is completed; the square footage of the space is doubled as Alumni Hall, locker rooms, and fourteen classrooms are added on.

• 2004

  Indian Creek School elects to bring its philosophy and curriculum to the Upper School level, and begins the “Taking Flight” campaign to start the work.
• 

  2006

  A 96,000 square foot Upper School opens on a 114 acre campus just a few miles from the original Evergreen Campus. Recognizing the different circadian rhythms that teenagers experience, the School takes a novel approach to scheduling and starts the Upper School day at 9:00 am, keeping students on campus until 5:00 pm. Later start times allow Upper School students to get the sleep they need— crucial to brain development and emotional stability.

• 2007

  Co-founder Rebecca Randolph retires after 34 years of devoted service.

• 2008

  Indian Creek’s first Upper School class graduates 31 students.

• 2010

  Founding Headmistress Anne Chambers retires from her position and returns to her first love, classroom teaching, for one more year. Interim Head Lila Lohr begins a one-year term at the helm of the school.

• 2011

  After an extensive search, Rick Branson, Ed. D. is named Head of School. In September, Indian Creek School opens with 651 students in grades Pre-Kindergarten through 12.
• 

  2013

  Indian Creek celebrates its 40th birthday. The School takes pride in continuing the vision of it’s founders to offer an innovative education based on research about how students best learn.
• 

  2016

  The Indian Creek School Board of Trustees approved a Strategic Plan to guide the School’s priorities over the next five years. This plan is focused on four primary goals and seven objectives that were informed by a comprehensive community engagement process in which more than 300 faculty, staff, students, parents, alumni, and trustees participated in conversations about the future of our school.
  
  The $4.15 Million Eagles Athletics Complex is built, featuring two turf fields, one Bermuda grass playing field, one Bermuda grass practice field, six tennis courts, and one natural grass baseball field. This cohesive athletic facility includes lights to provide extended playing time, 500-seat capacity bleachers, and spaces for the community to gather. This state-of-the art athletic facility is a next logical step in creating premiere school facilities for all students. This space is intended to bring the entire ICS community together to cheer on Eagles teams.

• 2017

  To move towards the “One School” goal of the Indian Creek School strategic plan, the seventh and eighth grades were moved to the Crownsville Campus, creating an innovative Upper School program for students in grades 7-12, and a comprehensive Lower School program for students in grades Pre-K3 through 6.

• 2019

  Indian Creek's Evergreen Campus is sold to Rockbridge Academy, as a major step towards unifying the Lower and Upper Schools on one campus.  ICS and RA arrange to co-occupy Lower School campus in different parts of the building while the ICS Upper School campus prepares to welcome all students in Pre-K through grade 12. 
  
  Indian Creek School welcomes Booth Kyle as its third Head of School. Mr. Kyle was chosen to lead ICS into the future because of his firm commitment to providing students with an excellent education in a diverse, inclusive, and welcoming school community.

• 2020

  Indian Creek stays strong through the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing on the faculty's expertise in blended learning to create a strong virtual learning program through the spring, focused on connections between students and teachers.
  
  Indian Creek re-opens both campuses in Fall 2020 through robust and engaging hybrid learning options, with strong health and safety protocols in place.
  
  In October 2020, the school builds Eagle Dome - a dynamic facility, containing 27,000 additional square feet of indoor space to be used for tennis, basketball, volleyball, and any outdoor sports team during inclement weather.
• 

  2021

  Indian Creek's "dream" of bringing all students, from Pre-K through grade 12, together on the School's 114-acre campus on Anne Chambers Way in Crownsville, culminated at a ribbon-cutting ceremony after years of working towards this strategic goal. The 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.
  
• 

  2023

  Indian Creek celebrates its 50th year with an updated Vision Statement, setting the School’s course as the Annapolis area’s premier independent school where kindness is currency, well-being is priority, and excellence in education is relentlessly pursued.