Our Traditions

Stone Soup

Before each Thanksgiving break, Crestmont celebrates its community with an event called “Stone Soup.”

The event is based on a story of the same title, in which hungry strangers trick others into believing that soup can be made from a stone.

As the pot of water boils with the stone in it, they urge others to add more and more ingredients until the soup is a feast “fit for a king.”

In the story, the characters learn that by sharing, a community can turn rocks into gold (or delicious soup!).

The entire Crestmont community comes together to make the meal and then celebrates with a festive feast.

Family Trips

Two young girls smiling and standing in the snow at a winter amusement park, dressed in colorful snow jackets, pants, and sunglasses, with snow-covered trees and people in the background.

In February, the Snow Trip is a fun and adventurous all-school tradition, where we rent an entire lodge at an affordable ski resort. School closes on the day before the trip so families have a chance to get up there and begin enjoying the surroundings.

Families can sled, ski, snowshoe, hike, build snowmen, or just relax with some hot chocolate.

Group of people enjoying Crestmont's traditional Stone Soup ceremony outdoors at a rustic wooden table surrounded by trees and a natural landscape.

At the school-wide Camping Trip, held each fall, the Crestmont community packs its tents, flashlights, sleeping bags and s’more’s ingredients and heads into the woods. This is a great opportunity to get to know other families in our community and enjoy nature with our entire family. The camping trip takes place over a weekend in a Bay Area campground.

Three children are sitting outdoors on a dirt ground, eating popsicles, with rocks and trees in the background. The girl on the left has shoulder-length blonde hair, wearing a blue plaid shirt and ripped jeans. The boy in the middle has black hair, wearing a blue hoodie with yellow and green accents, and black shorts. The boy on the right has black hair, wearing a blue jacket with gray accents and black pants, and is holding a red popsicle.

Flea Markets

Children and adults at an outdoor craft stall with colorful handmade paper art and supplies on the table.

Flea Markets are one of Crestmont’s most beloved school-wide events and are incorporated into the school day three times a year. At each flea market, the entire student body sets up booths on the play yard to sell handmade items.

The event teaches students how commerce works, from exploring the costs of making items compared to expected profits, to figuring out what their fellow students might be interested in.

A young girl with glasses and a braid smiling at a table filled with colorful flowers in vases during an outdoor event.

The offerings are inventive and creative, ranging from simple (cookies) to elaborate (original hand-bound storybooks). Typically atypical Flea Market fare includes handmade sculptures, tie-dyed socks, homemade rosewater, surprise eggs, snow globes, hot chocolate, jello creations, homemade burritos, and even a pie-in-the-face center, to name but a few.

At the end of the market, each class counts the dollars (and nickels and quarters) it made, and then votes on a charity or community activity it will donate the money to. These are often causes that are related to their curriculum, including the Marine Mammal Center, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (C.I.W.) to support their fight for farmworker justice, and local urban agriculture nonprofit Urban Tilth.

A young boy wearing a blue and yellow cap and a red shirt, sitting at a table outside with food and a sign that says 'OPEN'.

Art & Talent Showcases

Group of women on stage celebrating with arms raised, in front of an audience, with colorful decorations in the background.

Our Talent Show is one of our most creative events. Organized by the middle school students and their teacher, this is a fun event that students can choose to perform in. Parents are often invited.

Spring Sing is a community event where all students showcase the wonderful music have learned throughout the school year. Adult community members are invited to join in a jam session for the last song.

Group of children holding musical instruments outdoors, with two girls and a boy playing flute and trumpet, surrounded by green foliage.

Our Art Exhibition features beautiful art from every student from the school year. Mediums such as sculpture, painting, drawing, ceramics, and photography are featured. Community members are encouraged to write appreciations to the artists for each piece of artwork displayed.

Each class performs a Class Play in the Spring. Drama education address skills in many areas: self-confidence, imagination, public speaking skills, concentration, collaboration and cooperation. Students perform a published play, write their own scripts or perform monologues.

A teacher showing children how to create leaf artwork in a classroom. Two children are leaning over a table with painted paper, stamps, and cutouts, while the teacher is holding a piece of paper and demonstrating. There are art supplies and colorful storage drawers in the background.