A Historic Year. A Shared Vision. An Extraordinary Future.

As we begin a new school year at Cranbrook Schools, I find myself reflecting with tremendous gratitude on what our community made possible over the past year—and with great excitement about what lies ahead.

 

This was an extraordinary and historic year for philanthropy at Cranbrook Schools. Thanks to the remarkable generosity of our community, we achieved the most successful one-year fundraising total in Cranbrook Schools history. Alumni, parents, parents of alumni, grandparents, faculty, staff, and friends came together in extraordinary ways, giving generously of both their resources and their time. The result is visible across our campus and, most importantly, in the experiences and opportunities we are able to provide our students and faculty.

 

Among the year's most significant milestones was a $15 million commitment—the largest single gift to Cranbrook Schools in our history—which will allow us to name the Bailey Performing Arts Center. This transformational investment is an extraordinary vote of confidence in Cranbrook, in the importance of the arts within a Cranbrook education, and in our aspirations for generations of students to come.

 

We also celebrated the completion of funding for two important athletics projects that are already transforming our campus. Our newly renovated Athletic Performance Center is nearing completion, providing our students and teams with an exceptional environment for strength, conditioning, training, and wellness. We also fully funded the replacement of our turf field, thanks in significant part to an extraordinary outpouring of generosity at our spring gala. Together, these projects represent meaningful investments in the health, development, teamwork, and overall experience of our student-athletes.

 

At the same time, our community continued to respond strongly to The Cranbrook Schools Fund, providing the flexible annual support that allows us to strengthen the student and faculty experience right now. Annual giving touches nearly every aspect of life at Cranbrook, providing resources that help us respond to emerging opportunities, support our faculty, enrich academic and co-curricular programs, enhance our classrooms and campus, expand access to a Cranbrook education, and ensure that excellence remains the standard across our Schools.

 

These investments are not simply about buildings, fields, programs, or even dollars raised. They are about our mission and the young people entrusted to our care.

 

Cranbrook has long aspired to provide an education that challenges students intellectually, nurtures their creativity, develops their character, and prepares them to contribute meaningfully to the world beyond our campus. Our responsibility is not simply to preserve what has made Cranbrook extraordinary, but to continually strengthen it—to ensure that today's students benefit from an experience worthy of Cranbrook's remarkable history and that future generations inherit a school prepared to meet the opportunities and challenges of their time.

 

Philanthropy makes that pursuit of excellence possible.

 

So does engagement. Throughout the year, hundreds of volunteers gave their time and talents as reunion and class volunteers, alumni and parent leaders, event hosts, mentors, ambassadors, committee members, and advocates for Cranbrook. Their commitment strengthens the relationships that make this community so special and extends Cranbrook far beyond the boundaries of our campus.

 

There is much to celebrate, and there is also much more we hope to accomplish. We continue to think ambitiously about the future of Cranbrook Schools: about the spaces in which our students live and learn; access and financial aid; recruiting, retaining, and supporting exceptional faculty; and ensuring that our academic, artistic, athletic, and residential experiences remain among the very best.

 

None of that work happens without a community that believes deeply in Cranbrook and chooses to invest in its future.

 

To everyone who made a gift, volunteered, attended an event, opened a door, hosted a gathering, mentored a student or fellow alumnus, or simply stayed connected this past year: thank you. Your collective commitment is helping Cranbrook Schools pursue excellence every day—and creating opportunities for students today while helping secure an extraordinary future for those who will follow them.

 

I hope you share our pride in what this community accomplished together. I also hope you share our excitement about what we can make possible next. 

 

With gratitude,

 

Regan LaFontaine 
Director of Advancement
Cranbrook Schools