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Unlocking Potential: Branksome Hall’s 2023-24 Strategy Report

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.”
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CIS Dance Festival: Celebrating the Art of Dance

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.
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Branksome Hall Hosts Junior Volleyball and Senior Badminton CISAA Championships

It was an action-packed day for Branksome Hall’s Junior D1 Volleyball and Senior Badminton teams on Wednesday, February 28, as they wrapped up an exciting winter season at their championship tournaments. Held concurrently at Branksome Hall, these tournaments filled the halls with talented athletes from across the city, all eager to see who would be crowned 2024 CISAA champions.
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Breaking Barriers at the Blues Hackathon

Students Nora and Jade showed off their creativity, problem-solving skills and innovation at the University of Toronto Schools’ Blues Hackathon, which took place from January 19–21, 2024. The Blues Hackathon is a competition for students aged 13–18 with a passion for using code and technology to come up with solutions to the issues affecting our world today. Equipped only with their coding knowledge and determination, Branksome’s two student participants entered the competition determined to use their creativity to shape a better world.
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Branksome Hall’s Master Chef Competition: A Sizzling Success

Lunchtime is a favourite time of day for many Branksome students, and who can blame them when there is so much to choose from? From fun Fish Fridays to creative pizza options and the much-loved pierogi day, there is never a dull menu in the Athletics and Wellness Centre Dining Hall. Led by Ms. Denise Smith each year, young chefs and creative cooks in Grades 7–12 look forward to Branksome’s Master Chef competition—an exciting contest where students submit their favourite recipe to Chef Peter Domaradzki, Head of Culinary, and the Branksome Aramark team with the hopes of winning the title of Master Chef.
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Technology-Enhanced Learning Pilot Study in the Junior School

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.
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Branksome Hall Wins International Marketing Awards for Make Way Campaign

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.
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Joy, Trauma and Fantasy: Branksome Hall Presents "She Kills Monsters"

Adolescents go through a wide range of experiences in their young lives. From navigating friendships and dating, to finding new hobbies and dealing with emotions, life can get tough for young adventurers. Students explored these themes on November 29 and 30, 2023, when Branksome’s talented Senior School thespians and artists brought performances of She Kills Monsters to the community.
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Branksome Hall Designated an Apple Distinguished School

Branksome Hall is pleased to announce it has been recognized as an Apple Distinguished School for the 2023–2026 program term. The Junior School at Branksome was selected for this distinction based on its commitment to continuous innovation in education and using Apple products to create exemplary learning practices.
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Grade 4 Student Ashley Represents Canada at 2023 World Cadet Chess Championship

This past October, new Branksome Grade 4 student Ashley travelled to Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt to participate in the 2023 World Cadet Chess Championship held by the International Chess Federation. Having finished first in her age group in July’s 2023 Canadian Youth Chess Championship, Ashley was thrilled to have this opportunity to compete in the Girls U10 category after just four years of playing chess.
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Dr. Carolyn Mak Honoured with the 2023 School Social Work Achievement Award

Dr. Carolyn Mak, Branksome’s Director of Well-Being and School Counselling, has been honoured with the Ontario Association of Social Workers’ 2023 School Social Work Achievement Award. The award is in honour of her support in the development and delivery of social-emotional learning (SEL) content school-wide, as well as leading the school’s team of School Counsellors and Social Workers. This is Dr. Mak’s ninth year at Branksome Hall, and she spent her first seven years as the Junior School Social Worker, working closely with the Junior School teaching team to provide in-class programming for students around development of social-emotional learning skills, as well as counselling and consultation to students and their families. As Director of Well-Being and School Counselling, Carolyn holds a key role in developing and implementing school-wide well-being programs and curriculum; supervising and building expertise in our counseling and social work team; and strengthening and developing parent education.
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Advice From Graduating Athletes

A record number of graduating Highlanders participated in fall sports this year. Almost half of the graduating class played basketball, soccer, field hockey, ran, swam and rowed for their final fall season of their high school careers. Many of these athletes have been on teams at BH since Junior School! Here are some parting words from a few of our graduating athletes.
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Bright Lights, Big City! Branksome Hall DP Arts Take on New York

There is never a dull moment in the Arts Department at Branksome Hall! From fantastic school plays to performances in Assemblies, our Theatre, Dance, Visual Arts, Film and Music students are always putting on a show, screening or exhibition. In October, our talented Diploma Programme 2 (Grade 12) Performing Arts students travelled to New York for a weekend of immersive, hands-on learning.
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Creativity and Collaboration: Grade 9 Students Visit From Branksome Hall Asia

Each fall, Branksome Hall welcomes Grade 9 students from Branksome Hall Asia (BHA), our sister school on Jeju Island, South Korea, to campus for a week of hands-on learning in the Arts. From creating beautiful animations during the Interdisciplinary Unit Week (IDU), which took place from Monday, October 16 to Friday, October 20, 2023, to bonding with new friends at the Boarding cultural dinner, their most recent visit was one to remember.
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Gooooaaal! Branksome Hall Hosts the CAIS Senior Girls Soccer Tournament

From Wednesday, October 11 to Saturday, October 14, Branksome Hall joined Greenwood College and St. Clement’s School in hosting the Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS) Senior Girls Soccer Tournament. Taking place in Oakville, this competition featured many exhilarating games of soccer played by students from schools across Canada.
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Branksome Hall Launches the Centre for Strategic Leadership

Excitement was in the air on September 21, 2023 as Branksome Hall launched the Centre For Strategic Leadership (CSL), led by Karrie Weinstock, Head, Centre for Strategic Leadership, and Patricia DiNicolantonio, Head, Talent Management. The first of its kind at a JK–Grade 12 school in Canada, the CSL plays a key role in the school's strategic priority to invest in the growth, development and retention of its employees by taking a strength-based approach and using values-driven practices to uplift teams and build school-wide leadership capacity.
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Raising Awareness on SUDEP Action Day: A Branksome Family Shares Their Story

Branksome alum and past parent Sasha DARLING'87 recently shared a powerful and timely message with the school. Tragically, Sasha and her partner Constance lost their beautiful daughter, Grace Peebles (step-sister of Brooke DARLING-CARTWRIGHT ’20), to Sudden Unexpected Death In Epilepsy (SUDEP) in April of 2021.
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Celebrating Student Leadership at Branksome Hall’s Installation Ceremonies

Student leadership is an important aspect of student life at Branksome Hall. From Junior School Action Leaders to Prefects, every student has the opportunity to learn and grow in a leadership position, and each fall, Branksome holds its Junior School and Senior & Middle School Installation Ceremonies, kicking off a year of student leadership.
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2023–24 Branksome Senior & Middle School Arts Season Announcement

After a successful return to in person performances during the 2022–23 school year, the Branksome Hall Senior & Middle School Integrated Arts Team is pleased to announce its latest season of student arts performances.
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Make Way for the Future: Branksome Hall Launches Unprecedented $30-Million Campaign

On September 22, 2023, Branksome Hall celebrated the start of the new school year with the Welcome Back Event and the $30-million Make Way Campaign Launch— the biggest campaign in the history of the school. The centrepiece of the campaign is the new Innovation Centre and Studio Theatre (iCAST), a 32,000 square-foot first-of-its-kind space for JK to Grade 12 students to develop the STEM- and entrepreneurial-related skills that will be so valued in tomorrow's workplace. That afternoon, students emerged from their classes to see the Branksome campus fully transformed into a wonderland of fun. From food vendors to an update on this year’s exciting fundraising campaign, there was never a dull moment—and those moments are ones that this community will never forget.
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