Cranbrook Honors President's Award for Excellence Recipients

A celebration was held yesterday in honor of this year's recipients of the President's Award for Excellence. Established in 1989, the award recognizes individuals who epitomize Cranbrook's dedication to achieving excellence and working collaboratively within the Cranbrook community.

Each year, as a permanent reflection of their contributions, award recipients design one leg of a bench later installed on Cranbrook's campus. Retired Academy Metalsmith-in-Residence Gary Griffin executes the designs in bronze.

President Emeritus Lillian Bauder and her husband Don established the Bauder Fund for Excellence to endow the President's Award for Excellence program.

Please join us in congratulating this year's recipients - Kathleen Ball and Virginia Miller, Kirk Brain, Michael Reynolds, and Nancy Swords - and read on to learn more about each of them.

Kathleen Ball and Virginia Miller
Kathleen Ball and Virginia Miller have been at the helm of Brookside's Vlasic Early Childhood Center for more than 13 years, arriving before the now familiar building was even completed. The ECC co-directors spent their first hectic months putting a school together from scratch—hiring teachers, supplying classrooms, working with admissions staff, interviewing prospective students and more.

Previously, the duo worked together at Birmingham’s Community House, where they established that organization’s successful early childhood program. “We’ve worked together for years,” Kathleen says. Adds Virginia, “And we’re quite able to finish each other’s sentences. I can’t think of a major decision on which we’ve ever disagreed.”

Both are dedicated to one common goal: keeping Brookside’s Early Childhood Center as the school of choice for parents intent on finding the best education possible for their little ones. “These are the foundational years for children,” Kathleen says. “It sets the stage for what kind of students they’re going to be.” It’s that commitment to excellence that binds the whole ECC community together, something which Kathleen and Virginia relish. “This is a very close-knit group of teachers and administrators,” Virginia says. “It feels like a family.” That’s one of the things that has helped make their time here more than just a job. “I can’t imagine being anyplace else,” Virginia says. “It’s a privilege to work at Cranbrook. We love our job.”

Kathleen lives in West Bloomfield with her husband Don. They have two daughters. Virginia lives in West Bloomfield with her husband Dan. They have a son, a daughter and three grandchildren.

Kirk Brain
A whole hidden world exists at Cranbrook, filled with cables and fiber optics, wireless internet and high-powered servers.  Cranbrook's Information Technology Enterprise Architect Kirk Brain knows each and every inch of that unseen realm and has taken an active role in making it bigger, better and faster.

Kirk joined Cranbrook’s information technology department in 2001 as a technician, working with network infrastructure and as a troubleshooter on connectivity issues. “I did a lot of desktop support and phone system support,” he says. Kirk then became a network administrator, helping update and run Cranbrook’s servers, manage firewalls and more. Currently, in his role as Enterprise Architect, Kirk oversees the ongoing installation of Cranbrook’s technology infrastructure upgrades, working with contractors and his own I.T. teammates to design and implement the system’s framework. Scheduled for completion in November, the upgrade will provide Cranbrook with a stable high-bandwidth network capable of supporting any future applications. “It’s like taking a two-lane highway and turning it into a four-lane highway,” Kirk says.

If all of this technical information sounds slightly mystifying and complicated, that’s the way Kirk likes it. “I enjoy the challenge,” he says. “The constant troubleshooting and trying to keep everything going smoothly. When you’re presented with a problem, trying to solve it is great.” Kirk credits his co-workers with keeping things light even when long work days evolve into long work nights or weekends. “The job is not an individual effort,” he says. “The team here is critical to everything.”

Kirk and his wife Charlene live in Rochester Hills.

Mike Reynolds
Over the course of nearly 30 years in the classroom, Mike Reynolds has mastered the art of getting middle school boys to listen. Sometimes it involves using “Star Wars” references or hanging red balloons from the ceiling. Mostly, though, it involves listening to them as much as they listen to him.

Mike joined the Boys’ Middle School in 1980 and today teaches a full load of science classes to seventh graders and next fall will teach human development to grades six and seven. In addition, Mike has run the Boys’ Middle School interim trips, traveling with students to destinations such as Arizona, Utah, South Dakota and the Black Hills. He also created Field Day, the annual mixer that brings all grade levels together to get to know one another and still assists with the program each year. And starting this fall, Mike will assume the role of athletic coordinator – a natural transition for someone who has coached football, cross country, soccer, lacrosse and baseball. All the work, Mike says, smiling, “keeps me out of trouble.” And it allows him to interact with the kids. “I really enjoy that,” he says. “Especially when you present them with little challenges and they figure them out. It’s always new and different.”

For Mike, spending so much time at work and in the classroom reflects the pride he feels in the school itself. “This Boys’ Middle School is the best thing going anywhere,” he says. “Everybody here cares about the kids. And I hope the kids leave here feeling it was a good experience.”

Mike and his wife Julie have three children and live in Clarkston.

Nancy Swords
As Cranbrook Institute of Science’s Director of Visitor Experiences, Nancy Swords never has a dull moment. One minute she may be helping a kindergartner unearth a dinosaur bone while an hour later, she could be tapping a maple tree in search of sap. That same day, she may weigh in on a new exhibit, coordinate a scout group visit, devise a lesson plan or check in with her front desk staff. And often, these whirlwind days spill over into nights and weekends. “I’m definitely never without something to do,” Nancy says.

Nancy arrived at Cranbrook Institute of Science in the spring of 1998, joining the education staff as kindergarten coordinator after serving as director of a local preschool. Having earned her elementary education degree at Oakland University and spending a semester of pre-service teaching at the Institute, Nancy was on familiar terrain when she returned to campus. Her job soon expanded and over the next ten years, she would serve as manager of public programs and head of the education department before taking on her current role. “The variety of stuff I get to do keeps the job interesting,” Nancy says. “There are exhibits to be installed, guests to greet or classes to teach.” She credits her staff and co-workers with helping make the Institute’s visitor experience what it is. “Every one of us has a purpose in educating the people who choose to come here,” Nancy says. “This is a pretty amazing group of people, and I am always learning from them.”

Nancy lives in Berkley with husband Chris Hopp, senior network administrator for Cranbrook’s I.T. department.