Two respected administrators in the Brighton Area Schools have announced their retirements.

They are Brighton High School Senior Class Principal Henry Vecchioni and Scranton Middle School Lead Principal Mark Wilson (pictured). The announcement was made at Monday’s Brighton Board of Education meeting, although the letters of resignation won’t be formally acted on by the board until its next meeting on May 13th. Vecchioni’s retirement will be effective on Aug. 31st. He has 28 years in the school district - 40 years total in public education — and has been involved in one capacity or another in every Brighton school.

Vecchioni has also taught in a hospital and a lockup facility. He came to Brighton in 1991 to fill the position of principal at the brand-new Hilton Elementary School. In 1993 he was made assistant principal at Maltby Middle School, and three years later he was appointed principal at Spencer Elementary. After 9 years at Spencer, he was named principal at Scranton Middle School, and five years after that came to Brighton High School as a grade level principal.

In addition to his principal’s duties, Vecchioni assists Superintendent Greg Gray, helping him with staffing needs. He also regularly attends Board of Education meetings in case the board or administration has a question that Vecchioni - with his storehouse of institutional knowledge — can answer. Asked if he has mixed feelings about retiring, Vecchioni responded by saying, “I think it’s time,” adding, “There’s no better place in the world to work — it’s the Brighton Bubble.”

Since Mark Wilson’s retirement isn’t effective until Nov. 30th, he will continue in some capacity for the district until he is eligible for retirement on Dec. 1. Wilson has been a teacher, principal and central office administrator in three other school districts: Bloomfield Hills, Farmington and Huron Valley, coming to Brighton in 2011 to be Scranton Middle School principal, where he has remained for the last eight years.

Wilson is married and has three children, all of whom attend the Brighton Area Schools. His wife, Kristen, is a veterinarian and the couple own the Arbor Hills animal clinic in Ann Arbor. Wilson says he will be able to devote more of his time and attention to the animal clinic once he retires. Wilson said the decision to leave the Brighton Area Schools has been bittersweet, adding that, “Every day in Brighton has been a blessing.” He and his family will continue to make their home in the Brighton area for the immediate future. (TT)