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Cranbrook Schools

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Coordinates: 42°34′21.6″N 83°14′56.4″W / 42.572667°N 83.249000°W / 42.572667; -83.249000
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This article is about the private Pre-K–12 school in Michigan, United States. For alternate uses, including other Cranbrook schools, see Cranbrook (disambiguation).
Cranbrook Schools
File:Cranbrook Archer2.png
Location
Map
Bloomfield Hills
,
MI

USA
Coordinates42°34′21.6″N 83°14′56.4″W / 42.572667°N 83.249000°W / 42.572667; -83.249000
Information
TypePrivate, Boarding
MottoCranbrook: "Aim High"
Kingswood: "Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve"
Established1922
Head teacherArlyce Seibert
Faculty105
Enrollment780 (Upper school 2007–08)
255 Boarding
525 Day
Student to teacher ratio8:1
Campus319 acres (1.29 km2)
Color(s)Blue and Green   
Athletics18 Interscholastic Sports
Athletics conferenceMHSAA Catholic League Division II
MascotCranbrook Crane
Kingswood Aardvark
Websiteschools.cranbrook.edu

Cranbrook Schools is a private, PK–12 preparatory school located on a 319-acre (1.29 km2) campus in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. The schools comprise a co-educational elementary school, a middle school with separate schools for boys and girls, and a co-educational high school with boarding facilities. Cranbrook Schools is part of the Cranbrook Educational Community (CEC), which includes the Cranbrook Institute of Science, the Cranbrook Academy of Art, and Cranbrook House and Gardens. (Nearby Christ Church Cranbrook remains outside this formal structure.) The Cranbrook community was established by publishing mogul George Booth, who bought the site of today's Cranbrook community in 1904. Cranbrook was designated a National Historic Landmark on June 29, 1989 for its significant architecture and design. It attracts tourists from around the world.[1][2] Approximately 40 acres (160,000 m2) of Cranbrook Schools' campus are gardens.

As of 2015, Cranbrook Schools had an endowment of $233 million, among the 15 largest held by America's boarding schools.[3] In addition, the Cranbrook Educational Community, of which the Schools is a member, has an endowment in excess of $300 million.[4]

History of Cranbrook Schools

The Quad in the Cranbrook Campus

In 1915, George and Ellen Booth opened a portion of their property to the general public with the construction of a small Greek Theatre. In 1918, the Booths built the Meeting House, which became the Bloomfield Hills School, opening for local children in 1922 (grades 1–12).

Subsequently the Booths decided to build a middle school and a college preparatory school. Cranbrook School for Boys, which began operations in 1927, was designed by world-renowned Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen. Completed in 1928, it was Saarinen's first executed architectural work in the United States.[5] The name "Cranbrook" was chosen since Cranbrook, England was the birthplace of George Booth's father. Kingswood School Cranbrook (for girls), also designed by Saarinen, opened in 1931. Cranbrook and Kingswood enrolled students from grades 7–12. The Bloomfield Hills School became an elementary school and was renamed Brookside School Cranbrook in 1930.

Unlike the Cranbrook School for Boys, which has several buildings, the Kingswood School has only one building, which includes supporting facilities. It houses dormitories, a dining hall, an auditorium, classrooms, lounge/common areas, a bowling alley, and a ballroom. The education at Kingswood School Cranbrook was initially primarily viewed as a "finishing school".

For the Booths and Saarinen, the conception and design of the Cranbrook and Kingswood schools, were greatly influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement, which began in 19th-century England.[6]

In 1923, Booth founded an Episcopal church to serve the nascent Cranbrook community, as well as surrounding communities. He chose the firm of Goodhue Associates to design the church. Groundbreaking took place in 1925, and Christ Church Cranbrook was consecrated on September 29, 1928.[7] Originally Cranbrook and Kingswood schools were affiliated with the Episcopal Church, but they have since secularized. However, special occasions are still celebrated at Christ Church Cranbrook.

Cranbrook School, Kingswood School, and Brookside School operated separately until 1970, when it was decided to govern them together. This was followed by the creation of the Cranbrook Educational Community. In 1985, Cranbrook and Kingswood schools were merged to create a co-educational upper school institution.

The middle school did not become co-educational; it was divided into gender-specific campuses in 1984. The Community acquired Vaughan School to house the boys' middle school. The basement of Kingswood was at one point the girls' middle school. A new Middle School building opened in 2010. For boys and girls of grades 6–8, all classes are separate. The exceptions are those for the performing arts (Symphonic Band, Orchestra, and Choir). English, religion, and history classes are taught separately to boys and girls through the 10th grade.

Architecture critic Paul Goldberger of the New York Times called the Cranbrook campus "one of the greatest campuses ever created anywhere".[8][9]

Cranbrook Schools today

Christ Church Cranbrook (1925–1928), by architect Bertram Goodhue

In 1985, Cranbrook School and Kingswood School were merged to create a coeducational upper school, the Cranbrook Kingswood Upper School. While the majority of the classes are coeducational, Conceptual Physics and 9th and 10th grade English and History classes are taught separately to gender for educational purposes. Classes are taught on both of the original Cranbrook and Kingswood campuses.

Frequently, the school is referred to as "CK" by its students, faculty, and alumni. Cranbrook Kingswood now lays claim to 70 athletic teams, which have recently won state championships in hockey, tennis, lacrosse, golf and swimming. As of 2011, there are 795 students, approximately 1/3 of which are boarding students who live in single-sex residence halls.

A college preparatory school, Cranbrook Kingswood offers a comprehensive program that includes 15 Advanced Placement courses in its upper school. More than a 1/3 of AP Scholars in Michigan attend Cranbrook Kingswood. Despite the fairly extensive AP offerings, the school still restricts students to a maximum of 3 AP courses per school year. Its graduates often matriculate into Ivy League schools and other highly regarded colleges and universities. Cranbrook Kingswood accepts slightly less than half of all applicants, placing it in the most selective 25% of preparatory schools in the United States.[10]

Many of the interscholastic and extracurricular programs offered at Cranbrook have won awards and recognitions. The student newspaper "The Crane-Clarion" has been recognized by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and the National Scholastic Press Association.[11] In 2009, the Upper School's student literary arts magazine, "Gallimaufry", received a Gold Crown award from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.[12] The robotics and forensics team have also won several state and national awards. Their Model United Nations team has also been placed in the top 75 in North America as of Spring 2012.[13]

Total enrollment at Cranbrook during 2007–08 was 1626, with 780 enrolled in the upper school, 333 in the middle schools, and 513 at the lower school Brookside. (Brookside's numbers include children enrolled in pre-kindergarten, junior kindergarten, and kindergarten at the Vlasic Early Childhood Center, which opened in 1996.)[14] Approximately 11% of Cranbrook Kingswood's students are international students. Traditionally, Cranbrook School also has an exchange program with Cranbrook School, Kent, a boarding school in Cranbrook, Kent, England in honor of George Booth's heritage.

Summer programs

During the summer months Cranbrook Schools conducts a variety of day and boarding programs on their campus. These include day camps, a soccer clinic, a filmmaking seminar, a compensatory educational program for students from low-income families, a jazz ensemble, ice hockey, lacrosse, and tennis camps as well as the Summer Arts Institute and the Cranbrook Theater School. The actor Robert Englund taught one summer at the theater school.[15]

Iconography

The Archer, the symbol of Cranbrook school, is based on an episode in Book V (Latin) of the Aeneid, by Virgil, line 519:

...tamen aerias telum contendit in auras...
...he aimed an arrow high into the breezes of the air...

In an archery contest, a bird is tethered to a cord, and there are four archers. The first three in turn miss, then hit the bird, while the fourth, Acestes, instead shoots his arrow into the air, where it bursts into flames. For this miracle, Acestes is declared the victor.

The design was chosen by William Oliver Stevens, the first headmaster of Cranbrook School, who sketched it. The actual logo was designed by Eero Saarinen.[16]

Traditions

  • Although Cranbrook School for Boys and Kingswood School Cranbrook merged in 1985 to become a single co-ed institution, the school reflects in many ways its history as separate, single-sex entities. (Alumni and alumnae who were enrolled prior to the merger consider themselves graduates of either Cranbrook or Kingswood.) Cranbrook Kingswood Upper School has two different hymns: The Cranbrook Song and the Kingswood Song, which are sung at many school events. Only the boys are invited to attend the Cranbrook Senior Pageant. Freshmen year science, and Freshmen and Sophomore English and history are single-sex, and boys and girls have separate graduation ceremonies (although they do share in the same Baccalaureate service).
  • Since 1971 sophomores have taken part in the Wilderness Expedition, a 10-day backpacking and wilderness camping trip in March that takes place in the Smoky Mountains along the North Carolina-Tennessee border
  • Junior leadership ceremonies to celebrate the transition of the juniors to the senior class: A Junior Ring ceremony for girls and the Passage of Leadership ceremony for boys is held at Christ Church Cranbrook
  • Cranbrook Kingswood Upper School maintains a relatively strict dress code: Jeans are not allowed and on Wednesday (the so-called Dress Day) boys have to wear a dress shirt with a tie and girls have to wear dresses or dressy tops with skirts.
  • An opening of the school year convocation ceremony

Notable alumni

Main article: List of Cranbrook Kingswood School alumni

Cranbrook has many notable alumni, including designer Florence Knoll, former U.S. Senator Alan K. Simpson, Heisman Trophy winner Pete Dawkins, Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, former Massachusetts governor and 2012 Presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his wife Ann Romney (née Davies), columnist Michael Kinsley, Sun Microsystems founder Scott McNealy, former professional soccer player Alexi Lalas, Big Bang Theory Producer Bill Prady, and actress Selma Blair.

Athletics

Hockey-B State Champions: 1979, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2015
Hockey-G State Champions: 1998, 2002, 2005, 2010, 2013
Lacrosse-B State Champions: 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1987, 1991, 1995, 2006, 2013, 2015
Lacrosse-G Midwest Champions: 2009
Tennis-B State Champions: 1972, 1973, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2008, 2010, 2015
Tennis-G State Champions: 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1999, 2004, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
Golf-B State Champions: 1980, 1997, 1999, 2012, 2014
Golf-G State Champions: 2001, 2006
Track and Field-B State Champions: 1966, 1972
Swimming & Diving-B State Champions: 2014, 2015, 2016
Swimming & Diving-G State Champions: 2011, 2012
  • Cranbrook Campus impression (3)
    Cranbrook Campus impression (3)
  • Dining Hall
    Dining Hall
  • Natatorium
    Natatorium
  • Hallway to Keppel Gymnasium
    Hallway to Keppel Gymnasium
  • Kingswood School Building
    Kingswood School Building
  • Eponymously engraved archway
    Eponymously engraved archway
  • Dining Hall
    Dining Hall

See also

References

  1. ^ "Michigan modern architecture a draw for travelers", denverpost.com, February 6, 2010
  2. ^ Class syllabus, Architectural Association School of Architecture, London
  3. ^ Boarding School Review Boarding Schools ranked by their endowments.
  4. ^ Why Cranbrook Matters
  5. ^ "How one man's bad luck paved way for creation of Cranbrook", Detroit News, January 14, 2002.
  6. ^ "National Park Service, Itinerary, Register of Historical Places".
  7. ^ "History of Christ Church Cranbrook". Christ Church Cranbrook. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ "Cranbrook" (PDF).; Includes comments about the Cranbrook campus by architecture critic Paul Goldberger and Florence Knoll (class of 1934)
  9. ^ Paul Goldberger (8 April 1984). "The Cranbrook Vision". The New York Times.
  10. ^ "Boarding Schools ranked by their acceptance rates".
  11. ^ "Cranbrook web site".
  12. ^ "Columbia Scholastic Press Association 2009 award recipients". Archived from the original on 2009-07-24. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ "North America's Best High School Model UN teams: 2011-2012 Spring Rankings Top 100". Retrieved January 15, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ "About Cranbrook". Cranbrook Schools.
  15. ^ Robert Englund - Biography
  16. ^ W. Boyce Ricketts. "History of Cranbrook School" (typwritten manuscript). pp. 7–8.
  17. ^ "Zero of the Lions". Sports Illustrated. September 7, 1964.
  18. ^ Mitchell, Elvis (8 November 2002). "NYT Movie Review, 8 Mile". The New York Times.
  19. ^ "Edmund White's Own Story," by Don Shewey

Additional reading

  • Elizabeth C. Clark, Beside a Lake
  • Bruce N. Coulter, Forty Years On
  • Kathryn Bishop Eckert, The Campus Guide: Cranbrook
  • Ben M. Snyder III, Once More With Joy
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