Faculty and staff grace Branson’s campus with their pets’ fluffy faces daily. This is not an exhaustive list, but all new students should know these iconic staffulty-and-dog duos.
Branson’s Rand Center houses a therapy dog for students named Reggae. He was training to be a guide dog for the blind but changed careers. Branson adopted him. He wears a red vest around campus and accepts pets from students any time of day.
Heather Duncan, a science teacher, and Annie Morris, Branson’s learning support coordinator, help train guide dogs. This year, two yellow labs will continue to wear their green vests on campus: Belly and Nessie. If they’re wearing their vests, don’t pet them no matter how adorable their puppy eyes are.
Up the hill, Crossways has its own mascot: Reilly. She is a mini Australian Shepherd and belongs to Chief Advancement Officer Jim Zimmerman. She has a mischievous side. Zimmerman said, “[Reilly’s] best friend in the whole wide world is Sprout, [David] Hanson’s Cairn Terrier. At least once a day, if someone accidentally leaves the door open, she runs full speed to his house on Circle Drive hoping to play with him.”
Sprout, Chief Financial and Operating Officer David Hanson’s dog, is only on campus a couple of times per month. He travels back and forth between Ross and Palm Springs. Hanson wrote in an email, “Sprout is extremely social and loves to meet everyone — dogs and people alike!”
In the theater, acting teacher Lucas Mobley brings in his dog Sawyer “once in a blue moon.” This pup’s favorite hobby is to sing along to Mobley’s piano playing. He even has his own social media account of him singing at home.
Every Tuesday, Branson’s dance classes get a treat when Clovis, dance teacher Alex Escalante’s dog, makes an appearance. Clovis spends his time running laps around the academic quad and chilling in the dance studio. Escalante wrote that Clovis “became the resident mascot in Dean Alley for the final four months of the school year” while Escalante filled in as sophomore dean.
Associate Director of Admissions Ellie Skewes-Cox brings her dog to hang out in the admissions office once or twice a month. Her dog’s full name is Fannie California Septima Grapefruit Skewes-Cox, but she’ll answer to Fannie. When Skewes-Cox lived on campus, Fannie enjoyed keeping an eye on her owner. She would sit at the window to watch outdoor assemblies or race Skewes-Cox to the front door at the end of the day.
Down the hill, the gym hosts Angus, Director of Athletics Frances Dillon’s pup, a few mornings a month. He’s a seven-year-old black Labrador extrovert. Dillon wrote, “He LOVES kisses and hugs, and thinks that everyone loves him.”
Kira, Director of Technology Operations Cecile Lelievre’s dog, can be seen in the tech office once or twice a month. She spends these days snoozing on a green chair in Lelievre’s office. Her favorite pastime earned her the nickname “Princess Kira.”
History Department Chair Hilary Schmitt rarely brings her five-month-old puppy, Luna, to school. Schmitt wrote, “[Luna’s] not ready for prime time.” For example, she peed herself from excitement during one of her first interactions with students.
Math teacher Gretchen Koles and her dog Henry are seen together almost every day. He likes to sit on her lap while she grades students’ tests. Koles wrote, “He loves all the attention from students and my fellow educators.”
English teacher Maddie Lesser’s dog Daisy is on campus every day because the Lesser family lives at Branson. Contrary to popular belief, Daisy is not named after Daisy Buchanan in “The Great Gatsby,” a book in the sophomore English curriculum. She’s best friends with Koles’s dog, Henry, but her favorite person on campus is David Hanson. Lesser wrote, “She loves living on campus, and all the squirrels, and all the smells, and all the lunch spilled outside the commons.”
English Department Chair Giles Scott’s two dogs, Mr. Lemon and Millie, live in campus housing. They don’t hang around students because they are easily excitable. When they lived in Scott’s previous home they enjoyed sitting by the window and barking all day at passersby. Scott wrote, “We moved over the summer and I really miss not seeing and hearing them during the day.”
Whether on campus daily or almost never, these pups are a key part of Branson’s community. Their friendly faces make students and faculty alike smile.
