Read our 2023–24 Strategy Report, outlining Branksome's progress across our six strategic priorities.
Michelle Poler
Michelle Poler, the founder of the “Hello Fears” movement and creator of “100 Days Without Fear,” spoke to a packed student assembly about facing her fears, and later, to guests at the Branksome Hall Parents’ Association annual luncheon.
While answering student questions during assembly, Ms Poler discussed why she grew up with so many fears. She remarked that it began with her grandfather, who had been in a concentration camp and was a Holocaust survivor. Even though her grandfather was able to escape, her family still carried memories of fear and survival, and consequently lived life with great caution.
Today, Ms Poler is an internet sensation, inspiring thousands of people around the world to get out of their comfort zones with her mantra that fear is not an obstacle, it’s an opportunity. After all, Ms Poler believes the enemy of success is comfort, not failure.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We wish to acknowledge this land on which Branksome operates. For thousands of years, it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit River. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous peoples from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work and go to school on this land.
Setting the new standard for girls' education everywhere takes collective action. From all of us.
