Branksome Hall has once again been recognized on the global stage, winning a Silver 2026 Circle of Excellence Award from The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) for its entry, PrincipalED: Branksome Hall’s New Sound of Leadership.

The annual Circle of Excellence Awards are recognized as the premier accolades for educational advancement, celebrating exceptional achievement in colleges, universities and schools worldwide whose advancement services, alumni relations, communications, fundraising and marketing teams develop creative, inspiring projects that impact institutions and their communities—and transform lives around the globe.

In 2026, teams from 628 institutions across 33 countries submitted 4,185 entries for consideration. The program’s 93 award categories span the full breadth of educational advancement, including magazines, fundraising campaigns, alumni initiatives, marketing and video. Volunteer judges selected 493 exemplary entries for bronze, silver, gold and grand gold recognition based on overall quality, innovation, effective use of resources and measurable impact.

Branksome Hall submitted PrincipalED to address an essential question: How do you introduce a new principal to a school at a moment when longstanding tradition is evolving into future-focused innovation? Rather than relying on traditional newsletters, the school launched a candid dialogue series to build trust, deepen connection and invite the community into the leadership approach in real time.

Launched by Principal Grace McCallum and Branksome’s Communications team in February 2025, the series featured psychologist and New York Times bestselling author Dr. Lisa Damour as its first guest, setting a benchmark for high-calibre thought leadership. Since then, guests have broadened the lens to include an Olympic gold medalist, an attorney and media analyst alum, student leaders and entrepreneurs whose voices reflect the school’s diversity and momentum.

The CASE volunteer judges highly praised the project, noting that the entry stood out for “its polished production, creative concept and effective use of school leadership to connect with parents, students, alums and prospective families.”

In their official feedback, the panel noted that the high-profile guests and strong content successfully helped elevate the school’s visibility. They described PrincipalED as a “thoughtful, mission-driven project that successfully positioned Branksome Hall as a community of choice.”

Explore episodes of PrincipalED here.