It was a lesson in Indigenous spirituality, healing plants and self-care tools to navigate the pandemic, as Ojibwe Anishinaabe Elder Shelley Charles joined Grade 12 students in their Theory of Knowledge class on January 13.
It’s a rarefied field that doesn’t attract many adherents, and it’s rarer still for undergraduates in the pure mathematics field to have research opportunities. So it’s quite the achievement for second-year university student Charley LaFayette’19, who just won the Gee Poster Competition for excellence in scientific communication, at the California Institute of Technology.
By Sophie Schreiweis, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Social Media and Web Page Student Advisor
Branksome Hall’s Diversity Council has been a catalyst for change since its creation last November, following the Pollyanna Conference at St. Clement’s School, a day-long exploration of diversity issues focusing on themes of race, privilege and community.
They were hoping for 1,000 sandwiches and got double that, plus four. Working with the Sandwich Sisters non-profit, Grade 12 students Bianca, Sameena and Cate mobilized the Branksome community to help feed underprivileged Torontonians affected by COVID-19.
Branksome Hall is delighted to announce that Dr. Natasha Koustova has been appointed Associate Director of Branksome Hall’s Chandaria Research Centre, effective November 10, 2020. In this role, Koustova will work closely with the Centre’s inaugural director, Dr. Mira Gambhir, now Head, Research and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Many outstanding student delegations have represented Branksome Hall at the Secondary Schools’ United Nations Symposium (SSUNS) throughout its history. Now in its 28th year, 11 of the 44 Model UN club members attended the three-day event, Nov. 13 to 15 on Zoom.
Peter Domaradzki’s ancestors immigrated to Canada 50 years ago, and he took his grandmother's advice regarding his career path: "If you work with food you will never have to worry about being hungry."
When entrepreneur and Noodle Pitch judge Jennifer COMMINS’93 was a student, her father gave her a copy of The Wealthy Barber and said ‘good luck.’ Fortunately for the eight student teams participating in Branksome Hall’s first-ever Noodle Pitch Competition, much richer guidance was at hand.
It took some getting used to, as the student and employee avatars zoomed around the “Team Suite” section of Branksome Hall’s Open U, a private campus on the VirBELA platform. More than 300 attendees visited virtual Clubs Fair presentations, in breakout rooms off the main halls—although the fact one’s avatar could literally walk through others milling around, like ghosts, made navigation a breeze.
Branksome Hall’s spring term was unforgettable for so many reasons. For the more than 300 guests who ‘attended’ Branksome’s first-ever Virtual GY 2020 Celebration on May 26, the impressive ‘remote-collaboration’ platform called VirBELA allowed graduating-year ‘avatars’ to toast each other and dance to “Dancing Queen” on a virtual stage.
It was bound to be an Installation like no other, because it was virtual—the first time in 92 years when the sound of live applause would not fill a shared space.
And though Head Prefect Leighton Symons acknowledged the strangeness of Branksome Hall’s March shutdown and the many alterations and uncertainties that have accompanied students’ return to school this September, she delivered an unforgettable, inspiring speech in which she urged all to adopt and share responsibility for “a forward-focused mindset.”
Over the course of the summer, Dr. Mira Gambhir, Branksome Hall’s new Head, Research, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, has led foundational work in support of the strategic priority of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at the school. Many initiatives will be in place this fall and longer-term work is underway to support anti-discrimination and anti-racism, beginning with a focus on anti-Black racism. This important work will permeate the school’s culture, guide actions and be reflected in students’ and employees' lived experiences.
In the week of August 24, more than 160 Branksome Hall employees took part in the first session of five book clubs, designed to explore social justice issues and support anti-Black racism education at a systemic level.
Her stirring speech about the harms of the marketing practice known as “rainbow capitalism” earned Grade 11 student Maylee world-champion status in the persuasive speaking category, edging out students from all over the world, including the United States, Australia, South Africa, India and China. Congratulations are in order for Grade 11 student Amonda, as well, who also represented Branksome Hall in the competition.
Just in time for September, the Branksome Hall Junior School will launch four new playground games, providing opportunities for collaborative, outdoor play that also support physical distancing guidelines.
Dr. Mira Gambhir has been appointed Branksome Hall’s new Head, Research (Chandaria Research Centre) and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), effective Wednesday, July 1.
Whether winning international space science competitions or piloting aircraft with the Royal Canadian Air Cadet Program, recent Branksome Hall graduate Adele Crete-Laurence’20 does it all with humility and integrity.
You know your Grade 6 school presentation is impactful when a prominent North American non-profit is inspired to share your group activity with all its Canadian staff.
It was a lesson in Indigenous spirituality, healing plants and self-care tools to navigate the pandemic, as Ojibwe Anishinaabe Elder Shelley Charles joined Grade 12 students in their Theory of Knowledge class on January 13.