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Cranbrook Schools
Location
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304 USA
Coordinates	42°34′21.6″N 83°14′56.4″W / 42.572667°N 83.249000°W / 42.572667; -83.249000
Information
Type	Private, Boarding
Motto	Cranbrook: "Aim High" Kingswood: "Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve"
Established	1922; 102 years ago (1922)
Head of school	Jeff Suzik, Ph.D.
Faculty	200
Enrollment	1658 Students 506 Pre-K thru 5th Grade 339 Grades 6th thru 8th 811 Grades 9th thru 12th (257 Boarding, 554 Day)
Student to teacher ratio	8:1
Campus size	319 acres (129 ha)
Campus type	Suburban
Color(s)	Blue and Green
Athletics	25 Interscholastic Sports
Athletics conference	MHSAA Catholic League Division II
Mascot	Cranbrook Crane Kingswood Aardvark
Tuition	Boarding: $56,600 Day: $41,800
Website	schools.cranbrook.edu

Cranbrook Schools is a private PK–12 educational institution located on a 319-acre (129 ha) campus in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. It includes a co-educational elementary school, a middle school with separate schools for boys and girls, and a co-educational college-preparatory 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. Christ Church Cranbrook is also on campus. 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. Approximately 40 acres (160,000 m) of Cranbrook Schools' campus are gardens.

As of 2023, Cranbrook Schools had an endowment of $217 million, among the fifteen largest held by America's boarding schools. In addition, the Cranbrook Educational Community, of which the schools is a member, had an endowment in excess of $300 million in 2007.

As of 2021 it had 1,656 students, making it Michigan's largest private school by enrollment in a single campus.

History of Cranbrook Schools

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. 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". Today, Students take classes in English, History, Religion, and Art at Kingswood. The art classes available are Foundations in Design, Sculpture, Drawing, Weaving, Ceramics, Fashion Design, Painting, and Photography.

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.

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. 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).

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

Cranbrook Schools today

In 1985, Cranbrook School and Kingswood School were merged to create a coeducational upper school, the Cranbrook Kingswood Upper School. Classes are taught on both 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; both men and women's teams earned state championship titles in hockey, tennis, lacrosse, golf and swimming. As of 2011, there were 795 students, approximately one-third of which were boarding students who live in single-sex residence halls. Cranbrook Kingswood accepts slightly fewer than half of all applicants, placing it in the most selective 25% of preparatory schools in the United States.

Several programs offered at Cranbrook have won awards and recognition. The student newspaper The Crane-Clarion has been recognized by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and the National Scholastic Press Association. In 2009, the Upper School's student literary arts magazine, Gallimaufry, received a Gold Crown award from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. 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.

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.) 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 Cranbrook Theater School. The actor Robert Englund taught one summer at the theater school.

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.

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. 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 dress code: Sweatpants are not allowed on any day except Friday, and on every 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 or slacks.
• A convocation ceremony is held at the opening of the school year.

Popular references

• Paper Lion, George Plimpton's non-fiction account of his faux tryout as quarterback for the Detroit Lions in 1963 was set in large measure at Cranbrook (where the Lions trained from 1957 through 1974).
• Eminem's character, Rabbit, in the 2002 film 8 Mile mentions Cranbrook in a rap battle with Papa Doc (portrayed by Anthony Mackie) when he questions Papa Doc's "gangsta" act because he attended Cranbrook, which is a private school.
• The Cranbrook School is also the model for the preparatory school portrayed in Edmund White´s autobiographical novel A Boy's Own Story.
• Lisa Birnbach makes note of Cranbrook in The Official Preppy Handbook and True Prep: It's a Whole New Old World.

Notable faculty

• Dave Barney (1960s), English teacher, head coach for ice hockey and baseball, assistant coach for football
• George Laskowski (1970s-1990s), whose science fiction fanzine Lan's Lantern won a Hugo Award for Best Fanzine.
• Amanda Moore (2000s), English teacher

Notable 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, Utah Senator and 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his wife Ann Romney (née Davies), Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin, columnist Michael Kinsley, Sun Microsystems founder Scott McNealy, co-founder of Pandora Radio Tim Westergren, former professional soccer player Alexi Lalas, Lisa Frank, actress and Tony award winner Renée Elise Goldsberry and actress Selma Blair.

Athletics

Cranbrook Kingswood participates in MHSAA Division 3

Gallery

• Cranbrook Campus impression (3)
• Dining Hall
• Natatorium
• Hallway to Keppel Gymnasium
• Kingswood School Building
• Eponymously engraved archway
• Dining Hall

See also

• Cranbrook Educational Community
• Architecture of metropolitan Detroit

References

1. Affording Cranbrook, Cranbrook.edu
2. "Michigan modern architecture a draw for travelers". The Denver Post. The Associated Press. 2010-02-03. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
3. Class syllabus, Architectural Association School of Architecture, London
4. "Boarding Schools with the Largest Endowments (2023)". Boarding School Review. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
5. Kaffer, Nancy (December 6, 2007). "Why Cranbrook Matters". Metromode. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
6. Mack, Julie (2017-05-20). "Michigan's 75 largest private schools by 2016-17 enrollment". MLive. Retrieved 2020-05-01. - Updated October 4, 2017
7. "How one man's bad luck paved way for creation of Cranbrook" Archived 2013-01-21 at archive.today, Detroit News, January 14, 2002.
8. "National Park Service, Itinerary, Register of Historical Places".
9. "History of Christ Church Cranbrook". Christ Church Cranbrook. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007.
10. "Cranbrook" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-05-31.; Includes comments about the Cranbrook campus by architecture critic Paul Goldberger and Florence Knoll (class of 1934)
11. Paul Goldberger (8 April 1984). "The Cranbrook Vision". The New York Times.
12. "Boarding Schools ranked by their acceptance rates".
13. "Cranbrook web site". 15 April 2009.
14. "Columbia Scholastic Press Association 2009 award recipients". Archived from the original on 2010-06-09.
15. "North America's Best High School Model UN teams: 2011-2012 Spring Rankings Top 100". 11 April 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
16. "About Cranbrook". Cranbrook Schools.
17. "Robert Englund". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
18. W. Boyce Ricketts. "History of Cranbrook School" (typewritten manuscript). pp. 7–8.
19. "Zero of the Lions". Sports Illustrated. September 7, 1964. Archived from the original on September 8, 2009.
20. Mitchell, Elvis (8 November 2002). "NYT Movie Review, 8 Mile". The New York Times.
21. ""Edmund White's Own Story," by Don Shewey". www.donshewey.com. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
22. Krider, Dave (December 28, 2014). "Dave Barney: A New Mexico high school swimming legend". MaxPreps. El Dorado Hills, California. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
23. "George Laskowski". Cranbrook Schools. 2004-09-26. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
24. Spencer, Molly (2021-09-29). "A Small Universe Set in Motion: Talking with Amanda Moore". The Rumpus. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
25. https://www.mhsaa.com. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
26. "Yearly Champions | Ice Hockey | MHSAA Sports".
27. "Past Awards And Championships | Michigan Girls Hockey High School Hockey League".
28. "Yearly Champions | Boys Lacrosse | MHSAA Sports". Archived from the original on 2017-10-23. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
29. "Yearly Champions | Girls Lacrosse | MHSAA Sports". Archived from the original on 2017-10-23. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
30. "Team Champions | Boys Tennis | MHSAA Sports".
31. "Team Champions | Girls Tennis | MHSAA Sports".
32. "Team Champions | Boys Golf | MHSAA Sports". Archived from the original on 2017-10-23. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
33. "Team Champions | Girls Golf | MHSAA Sports". Archived from the original on 2017-10-24. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
34. "Team Champions | Boys Track & Field | MHSAA Sports". Archived from the original on 2017-08-09. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
35. "Picking Up Seconds All Over, Cranbrook Picks Up Points to Climb Podium". Michigan High School Athletic Association. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
36. "Team Champions | Boys Swimming & Diving | MHSAA Sports". Archived from the original on 2017-10-23. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
37. "Team Champions | Girls Swimming & Diving | MHSAA Sports". Archived from the original on 2017-10-23. Retrieved 2017-10-23.

Further 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

v t e Religious landmarks in metropolitan Detroit
This includes houses of worship, but does not include schools.
Religious landmarks along Woodward Ave. (address #)	St. John's Episcopal Church (2326) Woodward Avenue Baptist Church (demolished) First Unitarian Church (2870) First Presbyterian Church (2930) Temple Beth-El (3424) Cathedral Church of St. Paul (4800) Our Lady of the Rosary (5930) Metropolitan United Methodist Church (8000) First Baptist Church (8501) Woodward Avenue Presbyterian Church (8501) North Woodward Congregational Church (8715) Temple Beth-El (8801) Saint Joseph's Temple Baptist Church / King Solomon Baptist ChurchEpiscopal Church (8830) Central Woodward Christian Church (9000) Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament (9844) Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church (12375) Trinity United Methodist Church (13100) First United Methodist Church (16300) Central United Methodist Church (23 East Adams) First Congregational Church (33 Forest) Highland Park Presbyterian Church (14 Cortland) Mariners' Church (170 East Jefferson)
City (also Hamtramck)	Al-Islah Mosque (Hamtramck) Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church Cass Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church Chapel of St. Theresa-the Little Flower Christ Church Detroit Fort Street Presbyterian Church Gethsemane Evangelical Lutheran Church Historic Trinity Lutheran Church Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian Church Most Holy Redeemer Church Sacred Heart Chaldean Church Sacred Heart Major Seminary Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, Convent and Rectory St. Albertus Roman Catholic Church St. Aloysius Saint Andrew's Memorial Episcopal Church Ste. Anne de Detroit Catholic Church St. Boniface Roman Catholic Church (demolished) St. Bonaventure Monastery St. Catherine of Siena Roman Catholic Church St. Charles Borromeo Roman Catholic Church St. Florian Church (Hamtramck) St. James Episcopal (Grosse Ile) St. John's-St. Luke's Evangelical St. Josaphat's St. Joseph Catholic Church St. Mary Roman Catholic Church Saints Peter and Paul Church Saints Peter and Paul Academy St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr Roman Catholic Church St. Theresa of Avila Roman Catholic Church St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church (demolished) Second Baptist Church Sweetest Heart of Mary Roman Catholic Church Temple Baptist Church – King Solomon Baptist Church Trinity Episcopal Church Trumbull Avenue Presbyterian Church Tushiyah United Hebrew School – Scott Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church
Suburban	Christ Church Chapel (Grosse Pointe) Christ Church Cranbrook (Bloomfield Hills) Dearborn Mosque Detroit Temple, Church of the Latter Day Saints (Bloomfield Hills) Duns Scotus College (Southfield) Grosse Pointe Memorial Church (Grosse Pointe) Islamic Center of America (Dearborn) First Albanian Bektashi Tekke in America (Taylor) Kirk in the Hills (Bloomfield Hills) Mother of God Cathedral (Southfield) National Shrine of the Little Flower (Royal Oak) Nardin Park United Methodist Church (Farmington Hills) Piety Hill Historic District (Lapeer) St. Hugo in the Hills Catholic Church (Bloomfield Hills) St. Mary Church (Monroe) Saint Paul Catholic Church (Grosse Pointe Farms) Congregation Shaarey Zedek (Southfield) Temple Beth El (Bloomfield Hills)
See also: Architecture of metropolitan Detroit

• Cranbrook Educational Community
• Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
• Schools in Oakland County, Michigan
• Private K–12 schools in Michigan
• Boarding schools in Michigan
• Preparatory schools in Michigan
• Educational institutions established in 1922
• 1922 establishments in Michigan