Branksome Hall News

The Branksome Hall campus was alive with colour, music and excitement as students, parents, employees and alums gathered for a spectacular Brazilian Carnival-themed Welcome Back event on September 13, 2024. The festivities not only marked the beginning of the 2024–25 school year, but also gave everyone a chance to warmly welcome Principal Grace McCallum and her family to the Branksome community.

Each year, Branksome Hall’s Prefects invent a motto to create a sense of community and give their peers words to live by for the duration of the school year. This year, Branksome’s student leaders took their task a step further when they hung a giant, 18-foot tie with their motto, “Unique and United,” from the top of 10 Elm Avenue!

On July 24, 2024, Rowing Canada announced the selection of the Canadian team for the CanAmMex Regatta in Mexico as well as several new crews to the roster for the 2024 World Rowing Championships in St. Catharines, Ontario. Three remarkable Branksome Hall rowers, Thea LAPHAM’24, Sabrina Seville and Jaime Taylor were announced as crew members for the competitions taking place this summer.

Branksome Hall’s Advancement and Community Engagement (ACE) team has won three awards recognizing innovation in the school’s marketing, advancement and magazines.

 

The Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE) awarded a silver Prix d’Excellence award for Best Report to Donors for Branksome’s 2022–23 Donor and Giving Report. Branksome and Upper Canada College were the only independent schools to win an award, alongside postsecondary institutions across the country.

 

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) awarded Branksome two awards through its Circle of Excellence program for universities, colleges and independent schools around the world.

 

As a member of UCLA’s rowing team, Lauren O’DONOHUE’15 realized it’s not just physical fitness that athletes need to maintain. Their mental well-being is just as vital.

Branksome Hall is delighted to welcome Kevin Goodridge as the school’s new Chief Innovation Officer (CIO). Kevin’s first day was June 10, 2024.

The annual Branksome Hall PYP Exhibition (PYPX) is the culminating collaborative experience in the final year of the IB Primary Years Programme. 

On Friday, May 3, this year’s Grade 6 students shared their incredible work with their families, teachers and guests from around the school. The girls worked in teams to research important issues based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. They then came up with creative ideas to share their learning and to take action, such as organizing service drives, writing songs and designing apps.

Toronto’s historic Winter Garden Theatre was the picturesque setting for Branksome Hall's Grade 12 Graduation Ceremony, which took place on Thursday, May 23. Known for its lush, botanical-themed auditorium, the theatre served as a fitting and vibrant backdrop in which to honour the Class of 2024, with a ceremony filled with music, remarks, awards, and much joy and pride as families, friends, faculty, staff and special guests gathered to celebrate the graduates.

On May 8 and 9, 2024, our students’ creativity and imagination came to life at Student Visions, performances directed by our Grade 11 students and performed by our Grade 10s. The scenes and one-act plays ranged from classics such as Anne of Green Gables, to a play written and directed by Grade 11 student Hao Ming. 

A love of math has been fostered in Branksome students for generations. From the classroom to college, the foundations students learn at Branksome Hall take them to new heights in all aspects of their lives. For our math-loving Grades 9–12 students, the cleverly named Pi-Landers Math Club is the perfect place to develop skills and even flex them in competitions. This spring, six club members competed in the Canadian Team Mathematics Contest (CTMC) at Pickering College, where they proudly came in first.

When 117 of the best speakers in the world come together, there’s really no disputing what will happen: a world-class debate. This year’s World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships (WIDPSC), hosted by Canberra Girls Grammar School in Canberra, Australia from April 14-19, was no exception. The 37th annual international English language debating and public speaking competition saw high school students from 12 countries skillfully delivering speeches and arguments across four events—Debating, Impromptu Speaking, Interpretive Reading and a Prepared Speech (either Persuasive Speaking or After-Dinner Speaking).

On April 6, 2024, more than 60 students gathered at Branksome Hall for the school’s very first Flag Football Skills and Drills Workshop. This hands-on weekend workshop brought students from across the city together to develop techniques and skills that would give them an edge in their upcoming games.

We are delighted to release Branksome Hall’s 2023–24 Strategy Report, outlining the school’s progress across our six strategic priorities over this past year. Principal Karen Jurjevich shared the report with the community, saying, “I hope you share my sense of pride as we reflect on the impact metrics and stories that show in tangible ways how Branksome Hall is a catalyst – keeping students at the centre through increased personalization of academic pathways, investment in employee growth, deepened well-being and university counselling support, an ambitious innovation agenda, intentional action to enhance diversity, equity and inclusion, and thriving local and global partnerships.”

On February 22, Senior & Middle School dancers had the opportunity to take part in CIS Ontario’s Dance Fest at York University. Open to Grades 6 to 12 students, the Festival is a place where students can try out multiple dance styles while working with top dancers and choreographers in a professional setting. Both preparatory and senior Dance Companies attended in addition to Grades 9–12 classes. In total, more than 60 Branksome Hall dancers were able to participate.

In health, as on sports teams, communication is survival. Vancouver-based cardiology and medical genetics researcher—and former Branksome team rower—Emilie THÉBERGE’12, MSc, encourages women to be open with their healthcare providers about any unusual or unfamiliar symptoms they may experience. No matter how minor or irrelevant a symptom seems, Emilie stresses the urgency for women to self-advocate.

The integration of technology in education has become a transformative shift in how learning is facilitated and experienced. This digital integration extends beyond tools for instruction; it has reshaped educational environments, teaching methodologies and student interactions. To better prepare for this shift, the Chandaria Research Centre has conducted a pilot study to understand the impact of technology-enhanced learning, specifically in the Junior School. 

Branksome Hall is delighted to share that its Advancement and Community Engagement team has won three InspirED School Marketers Brilliance Awards – the only international competition that recognizes excellence in private and independent school marketing and communications.