IN THIS ISSUE … A SPECIAL FEATURE ON DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION VIRTUAL BRANKSOME … MIDWIFE TO CHANGE … A ‘CANASIAN’ SUCCESS STORY THE MAGAZINE FOR THE BRANKSOME HALL COMMUNITY FALL 2020
THE THINGS THAT MATTER Top U.S. lawyer ‘CK’ PURKS Hoffler’80 was Branksome’s first Head Girl from the Black community. She’s fought injustice all her career. Page 14 The READ Fall 2020
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Vision To be the pre-eminent educational community of globally minded learners and leaders. Mission Each day, we challenge and inspire girls to love learning and to shape a better world. FALL 2020
Values Sense of Community, Inclusiveness, Creativity, Making a Difference
Contents ON THE COVER: ‘CK’ PURKS Hoffler’80 was photographed outside the CK Hoffler Firm in Atlanta, Georgia. PHOTO: Matthew Odom
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Special Feature
Features
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
22 From Teaching to Schmoozing
In the wake of the outpouring of support for the Black Lives Matter movement, The READ takes an in-depth look at how alumnae and the school are responding.
Zoe SHARE’07 decided she preferred social marketing to education. Now she’s a children’s author, too.
14 The Things That Matter
Top U.S. lawyer ‘CK’ PURKS Hoffler’80 was Branksome’s first Head Girl from the Black community. She’s fought injustice all her career.
18 Raising Awareness
Dr. Mira Gambhir is leading Branksome’s strategic focus on diversity, equity and inclusion.
24 A Great ‘Canasian’ Success Story Pun-loving Jacqueline VONG’98 is a key player internationally in toy licensing and children’s content—and outspoken about her heritage.
26 An Artist for All Seasons Jenny TIMBRELL Judge’79 loves to create in every form—and hemisphere.
Head Girls Ajike ‘Tessa’ AKANDE’94 and Monique MILLER’07 followed in CK Hoffler’s footsteps.
30 Midwife to Change
21 Making Space for Black Women Three recent grads offer a critique of diversity and inclusion efforts at Branksome.
32 ‘I Want My Students to be Alarmed’
19 Finding Their Voice
Kelly DOBBIN’89 has always been progressive, whether about women’s health or her own.
But marine geologist Pam REID’68 sees hope on the climate front.
In Every Issue 2 3 4
Principal’s Message Editorial School Scoop Virtual Branksome An unprecedented Installation Campus safety during COVID-19 A continuing legacy; From Walt Whitman to Beyoncé; Using their Noodles
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Alum Life Meet the new executive team Winning Women Alums on the frontlines Class Notes* Passages Wise Words Striking out on a different path by Stephanie KAIN’02.
*View The READ online at branksome.on.ca/alumnae. For privacy purposes, Class Notes is not available in digital format.
The READ Committee Editor Tanya Pimenoff Editorial Advisor Berton Woodward Cris Coraggio Karen L. Jurjevich Karrie Weinstock
Contributors Andrea Aster, Chris Daniels, Jack Fell, Patricia Hluchy, Seb Judge, Stephanie KAIN’02, Jeff Kirk, Teresa Laqua, Justine McNeely, Ryder Metcalfe, Denise Militzer, Matthew Odom, Louise Park, Janet Sailian, Lexie SHAH’17, Sophia WILLIAMS’18, Torie WILLIAMS’17, Caley Taylor Nora Underwood, Amy VERNER’98 Alumnae, Employees and Friends of Branksome Hall
Design and Production Michael Cherkas + Associates
Correction Winter 2019-20 issue of The READ On p. 71, the death notice of Marion COSFORD Holley’43 incorrectly featured a photo of Marion CORNISH Weir’48.
Branksome Hall 10 Elm Avenue Toronto, ON M4W 1N4 Tel: 416-920-9741 www.branksome.on.ca Email: tpimenoff@branksome.on.ca Fall 2020 Volume 60, Number 1 Canadian Publications Mail Agreement No.40010445
From the Principal
A Time for Leadership We have a shared responsibility to be allies, advocates and changemakers By Karen L. Jurjevich
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very issue of The READ is special in its own right, but this one holds a particularly special significance. The stories captured in these pages reflect a veritable sea change in our world this year. First came the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, leading to the deaths of more than one million people, upending the global economy and shining a spotlight on the everyday heroism of our frontline health workers. This was followed in June by the seismic uprising in support of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, after the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor in the U.S. sparked waves of protest and outrage worldwide. The fault lines of this unprecedented year remain with us today, as we continue to learn how to cope with physical distancing, mask-wearing and Virtual Branksome, and as we lean into a shared reckoning of the long overdue and still-unfinished change needed to end systemic racism. I recently read a thought-provoking speech, “In Praise of Harmony,” by Dr. Francis Collins, the American physiciangeneticist and director of the National Institutes of Health. The latest recipient of the Templeton Prize, Dr. Collins notes in the speech that “it’s too easy to put the burden on the leaders alone. It’s really up to all of us, through our individual actions, to define what kind of world we want to live in, and then seek to live that way.” Despite the challenge and change this year has brought, Dr. Collins’ speech reminds me of two things that remain constant. The first is that our Branksome
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“We are building on a rich tradition of leadership of so many across our community, who have stepped forward to support student need and diversity at Branksome.”
Hall students continue to lead the way in making change. Maria Muiruri, founding member of Branksome’s Diversity Council and the first student to serve as its Student Life Representative, delivered remarks so incisive and inspiring at our first-ever virtual Installation in September that they moved many to tears. Young alums Lexie SHAH’17, Torie WILLIAMS’17 and Sophia WILLIAMS’18 are three similarly passionate BLM advocates, undergraduate student leaders whose candid account of their own experiences at Branksome leaves no doubt they are the very trailblazers they write
about, powerfully calling for change and making history themselves. Another thing that remains unchanged is my belief that being part of a community does not mean losing one’s self or one’s voice. In fact, the truest sense of community, of inclusiveness, means just the opposite—acknowledging and embracing diversity. This is exemplified by the stories of three alumnae whose life work has been to uplift other voices and whose personal reflections on raising Black children, as parents and as educators, leave their own indelible traces on the reader. Renowned
From the Editor
Pandemic Ingenuity Branksome has responded to this turbulent year in spectacular fashion By Tanya Pimenoff
U.S. lawyer “CK” PURKS Hoffler’80, the dauntless and lifelong social justice advocate, was Branksome’s first Head Girl from the Black community. She was certainly not the last, with Ajike “Tessa” AKANDE’94 and Monique MILLER’07 each carving their own paths as educational leaders after finding their voices and learning to speak up for themselves and for others while at Branksome. Foundational work in support of the strategic priority of diversity, equity and inclusion is underway. From the appointment of Dr. Mira Gambhir as Head, Research, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, to changes to our curriculum and a planned equity audit, a number of initiatives will be in place this year and longer-term to develop a thoughtful and sustainable plan of action that will lead to lasting change at Branksome and beyond. We are building on a rich tradition of leadership of so many across our community, who have stepped forward to support student need and diversity at Branksome. We need more of that leadership and those individual actions, and I look forward to engaging our community in conversations about other important opportunities in the coming months. The voices and stories in these pages are authentic and impossible to ignore. They remind each of us of our shared responsibility to be allies, advocates and changemakers. They call on us to embrace a plurality of voices and perspectives while still coming together as a community. As we step forward in this work with purpose and determination, we invite, welcome and need our entire community’s engagement and support. R
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ver the years, I’ve witnessed many new endeavours at Branksome Hall. But what I’ve seen evolve at the school these months since Friday, March 13, 2020, is nothing short of spectacular. That ominous morning, the undercurrent of impending change hung heavily in the air. Just the day before, on March 12, I was asked by my daughter (then pregnant with baby Leo) to do a grocery run. She and her husband weren’t feeling quite up for it, having recently returned from several days in New York City. And by mid-March, New York City was certainly not a place you wanted to be coming from. Loblaws was packed with frenzied shoppers, and though I recognized several alumnae from the neighbourhood, it was not the time for chit-chat. Masks were not apropos back then. By 3 p.m. on March 13, most employees (except those on March Break) had gathered a few personal items, computer hardware such as dongles, and whatever paperwork was needed to complete current projects while working from home. “See you on April 6” were probably parting words said by several who left campus that day. I was one of them. But April 6 came and went and so did the rest of that month, and by then we had all learned how to Zoom. And as a school, we were about to learn a whole lot more. Now, here we are in our futuristic new world, partly virtual and fully engaged, and I give kudos to the ingenuity of everyone in our school community for making it work. You can see some examples of the magic they brought in our School Scoop section and in selected other places in this issue. Also in the spring, much of the world was swept by unrest in the wake of some shocking deaths in Black communities involving the police, and many institutions responded with a renewed understanding and focused action. As you will read, Branksome heeded the call for change, stepped up and leaned in. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is our focus in a special feature. You will see the early work on initiatives that Branksome has taken and, importantly, the need to educate ourselves about systemic racism. Our cover story will introduce you to Branksome’s first Head Girl from the Black community, “CK” PURKS Hoffler’80, and her emotive experiences. You will hear insights from two more Head Girls, Ajike AKANDE’94 and Monique MILLER’07. And in Making Space for Black Women, three young alumnae write authentically about Branksome’s role in their lives, their experiences with systemic racism, and their model for change. Other features in this issue explore timely topics such as the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship and of midwifery; the serious impact of climate change on our delicate planet; and the beautiful world of one woman’s art. And at the end, I hope you’ll take inspiration from some Wise Words. With the school running at warp speed, stay tuned for more great innovations. R
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SchoolScoop NEWS FROM THE BRANKSOME HALL COMMUNITY FALL 2020
Virtual Branksome: The Highlight Reel As “online learning” and “Zoom” became household names last spring, that historic time was also one of camaraderie, strength and resilience Quick, what’s the difference between synchronous and asynchronous learning? It’s a safe bet no one knew as we rang in 2020. Much was in store. As we returned from March trips, or reluctantly cancelled upcoming ones, a worldwide shutdown swift ly created a looming term of “snow days” that was extended, then extended some more. Enter Virtual Branksome. With ingenuity, grace under pressure, innovation and collaboration, our distance learning platform went live on March 25. Amazingly, with much adaptability and community spirit, it all came together. Along with curricular learning, our students have learned how to be comfortable with various modifications, new daily routines and behaviours that will serve them well as Branksome continues to pivot between virtual, hybrid and on-campus learning in the months to come. Here then is a recap of some highlights from our 2020 spring term, with huge admiration and gratitude for our students, employees and parents whose teamwork and flexibility contributed to its success.
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Online Classes
‘P’ is for Pivot Senior and Middle School classes met with faculty on Zoom all morning, with offline homework in the afternoon. Junior School students met online twice daily, along with various creative Zoom sessions, including Crazy Hair Day. Grade 6s also persevered on their PYP Exhibition projects, interviewing guest speakers by Zoom and then absolutely wowing everyone with their final presentations.
No AWC? No Problem
Branksome Eats Delivers How great was it to see Elliott Brodkin, executive director, finance and administration, stroll up to your house, at a distance of course, with a delicious hot-dinner delivery, courtesy of Aramark? Employees got a great pick-me-up when our senior leadership team took shifts, travelling the city to deliver every staff and faculty member a night off from quarantine cooking. Assemblies Reimagined
Click your AZoombly Link It was a fun name, and in April, it became a household name for a weekly scheduled can’t-miss program. In the Senior School each Monday, Senior and Middle School students worked together, apart, showing their prowess for super-entertaining video production, including faculty-led TikToks and Star Wars impersonations. Junior School students brightened everyone’s week with musical performances and project highlights.
Virtual Coffee Breaks
ILLUSTRATIONS: ISTOCK
Starbucks was Closed It was an unprecedented situation, and our local Starbucks were all closed. There was never a better time to connect as a community, and Principal Karen Jurjevich, along with senior leadership members, held Zoom sessions for every grade so fellow parents could connect, ask questions about their daughters’ learning and try to write the playbook together.
No Cancellations
Great Guest Speakers This year’s Rebecca CHISHOLM Clarkes’66 guest speaker was Globe and Mail investigative journalist Robyn Doolittle, left, introduced by Meredith WILSON-SMITH’16, a Globe content editor. Doolittle spoke to Grades 9-11 English and civics classes on June 3. Internationally acclaimed for her book Crazy Town, about Rob Ford’s tumultuous time as mayor of Toronto, her most recent book, Had it Coming, is an in-depth examination of the #metoo movement in Canada. Th is was the first time the Rebecca CHISHOLM Clarkes’66 lecture speaker was a journalist.
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Virtual Branksome: The Highlight Reel (cont’d)
Reimagined
A Digital Visual Exploration There’s no true digital substitute for the excitement of an opening-night art show, with real guests taking in the actual scale of the work and all the visual exploration on display. Nevertheless, thanks to a collaboration between the Senior School’s art department and director of innovation and technology Michael IanniPalarchio, an innovative online art gallery showcased two years’ worth of Grade 12 art students’ creativity.
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AMPLIFY AND ELEVATE A report from the Chandaria Research Centre
OpenU
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Creative Learning in Peak Shutdown An extension program for Graduating Year students, OpenU gave them opportunities for fun and productive learning, including personal finance, career-shadowing and cooking, launched at the height of the shutdown from April 22 to May 22. Teacher John Heder made his famous risotto and Deputy Principal Karrie Weinstock’s son Sam even did a Zoom session on “A Day in the Life of a Prosecutor.”
Class of ’20 3D Celebration
Formal Wear (very optional) “Congratulations and we can’t wait to see what you’ll do next!” It was a first for Sarah LEVY’04, star of Schitt’s Creek, addressing a Virtual GY Celebration that featured avatars of each participant in a computer-generated 3D auditorium. Behind the virtual platform party, a screen showed recorded videos of each speaker. The event concluded with a virtual onstage dance party for the avatars, set to ABBA’s “Dancing Queen.” The result? The Class of 2020 will be reminiscing about this unprecedented experience for many a class reunion to come.
hat is the function of a school-based research centre when we are living in a time marked by a pandemic and a profound sense of shared humanity? We deepen our mandate, serve our community, and advance understandings of girls’ learning and well-being. When looking across our most recent projects, a common theme is the centring and raising of voice. In our first partnership study, we joined Steelcase Education and Parlay to explore how voice is cultivated through inclusive classroom discussions and in different learning spaces. We found that a digital tool can amplify voices as well as build an individual’s comfort to share their ideas. We also brought families together for candid conversations on well-being by hosting our first CRC visiting scholar, Stanford University’s Dr. Denise Pope. After the event, one student spoke about how she now saw the need for more connection and family time in her day. In the past year, our team of researchers and social workers came together to add a new voice to scholarship on stress and youth anxiety. We offered our views on how to rethink stress in culturally responsive ways and recognize the distinct experiences students face at the junior, middle and senior school levels. Finally, our projects also enable us to elevate rarely heard voices. Some of our alums shared their perspectives on what it was like to have their first job. And in our youth entrepreneurs study, others described their journeys in building their first business. The centre is in its fifth year at Branksome Hall. We continue to focus on the elements that will help us navigate the uncharted times ahead, specifically our commitment to the voices in our studies and our world.
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Dr. Mira Gambhir, Head of Research, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
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THE CLASS OF 2020 STEPS UP Members raised $41,000 for a pandemic Emergency Needs Award espite the challenging events during their final semester, the Class of 2020 pulled together to demonstrate leadership and compassion for Branksome students who will follow in their footsteps. Spearheaded by then Grade 12 students Sarah Kent, Caroline Logush and Hope Rutledge, the Class of 2020 Emergency Needs Award raised over $41,000. As its name implies, this endowed award will benefit Senior School students whose families may encounter unplanned financial difficulty during any given school year. A huge thank you to everyone who supported this class project, with special kudos to parents Katharine Lake Berz, Kilian Berz, Maria Smith and Eric Tripp for their involvement.
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WHAT’S SILVER AND QUITE LOVELY? Last May, the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education, representing universities, colleges and independent schools across Canada, presented Branksome with a Prix d’Excellence Silver award for best photography. The stunning cover photo of the 2019-20 issue of The READ was taken in New York City by Elizaveta KOZLOVA’15, and featured humanitarian Emily KREHM’05.
ISTOCK
Turns out it’s The READ
A YEAR LIKE NO OTHER Installation 2020 was historic and unprecedented
‘PLUG INTO PLAID’ This year’s Prefect Motto is symbolic yet traditional Clearly, new virtual ways are influences, but Branksome Hall is also “a power source to charge from,” now more than ever. Reflecting our new normal, the plaid background symbolizes and honours the school’s traditions and values.
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t was a historic night of many firsts, and not just for the unprecedented format. The centrepiece of this celebration of girls’ and women’s leadership and community was a pre-taped conversation that shone a light on the authenticity and humanity that lies at the heart of both. Moderated by Dr. Mira Gambhir, the riveting line-up included CK PURKS Hoffler’80, CEO of The CK Hoffler Firm, a trailblazing Atlantabased law firm; Torie WILLIAMS’17, a past president of the Black Students’ Network at McGill University, where she is majoring in economics; and Grade 11 student Maria Muiruri, a founding member of the Diversity Council at Branksome and the Diversity Council Student Life Representative (see p. 14-21).
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CALEY TAYLOR
Following social distancing protocol near the Athletics and Wellness Centre are, from left, Redan Ranjith, Ashlee Collins and Jessica Bradshaw.
ANYBODY HOME? When quarantine cleared the Branksome halls, it created a new abnormal for our intrepid facilities, security and housekeeping teams
“A
little bit eerie” is how Redan Ranjith describes the scene when students didn’t return from March Break, owing to the pandemic lockdown. As site supervisor for security, he was not one of the Branksome Hall employees able to work from home. “It was strange walking the hallways and having no one to interact with.” Typically, his team of 10 would be on duty for student drop-off and pick-up, surveillance and supervision of mechanical equipment. But the spring scenario quickly became one of gated, off-limit playgrounds and empty parking lots. As lockdown lessened, his duties included supervision and screening of contractors, whose renovations and restorations couldn’t be done with children around. Likewise, it was “not normal circumstances” for the campus facilities
management team, contracted by Angus Consulting Management Limited. Usually responsible for event set-up, summer camp and general maintenance, the team found that walking the empty halls, minus the hustle and bustle, to be a “bonding experience,” says manager Jessica Bradshaw. While contractors were absent during the first phase of lockdown, many were on site by July to prepare for reopening with painting and repairs, along with duties none could have anticipated—such as reconfiguring desks for safe distancing. Perhaps the most remarkable development was that Branksome’s janitorial and housekeeping staff came to recognize how integral their role was, as frontline pandemic workers. “There was a new importance to their role,” says Ashlee Collins, district
manager for Eurest Services. “Without them, the campus would not be a safe space. They realized how key they were to the integrity of community.” There was no existing playbook for pandemic operating procedures, says Collins. “It’s not a common procedure to continually disinfect every surface, for example. We now have a five-page document for how to clean a bathroom.” As well, the team is working smarter with regard to supply chain—learning how to predict and secure inventories of key cleaning products, without overstocking that could create shortages for other organizations. “It’s been a time of keeping up and adapting,” Collins says, “and learning how to work differently than in the past.” Andrea Aster Communications Associate
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Student Profile
A CONTINUING LEGACY Claire and Isla Medland have a Branksome heritage dating back to the 1930s By Janet Sailian Photography by Caley Taylor
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laire Medland loves to play soccer. Her younger sister Isla loves to dance and perform in musical theatre. Both also love their studies, which may not be surprising. There are two former Head Girls in their four-generation Branksome family, and one of them, their grandmother, was a Branksome Kindergarten teacher. The legacy clearly means a lot to Claire, now in Grade 6, and Isla, who just entered Grade 4. This past spring, Claire was asked to videotape a welcome for new incoming students in the Junior School. She read a poem she composed about Branksome, which includes these inspiring lines:
Sally and granddaughters Isla (holding her special Branksome doll) and Claire were photographed behind Readacres. In the background is “Medland Manor”, the birdhouse presented to Sally prior to her retirement. It commemorates her many years as a member of the Branksome Bird Club.
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Shining star in this community You’ll always get a big opportunity IB Program is like a tradition You can also think of it as a mission From place to place children come A great girl you’ll become. Isla, meanwhile, got a very special gift from their nana, Sally ADAMS Medland’66, on the day she learned of her acceptance into Grade 4. Sally was the school’s beloved
Kindergarten teacher from 1981 until her retirement in 2008. At her retirement celFollowing their photoshoot, the Medlands return to protocol and ebration, colleagues and friends gave Sally a don their masks. doll dressed in Branksome’s Royal Stewart tartan. She presented it to Isla to mark the start on her own Branksome road. Upon learning of her acceptance, Isla, 9, enthused: “I’m looking forward to meeting new friends and learning things in a different way in Grade 4. My favourite thing to do in school is math. I’m also really excited about the dance studio because I love to dance tap, jazz and ballet and do musical theatre.” “Claire was a little nervous about the transition to a new school last year,” says Sally, “but she found it so welcoming.” Indeed, Claire thrived in the inquiry focus, team and clan sports, especially soccer, and the all-girl environment. “My favourite project last year was learning about the government,” she said. “Now, I’m glad to be back with my friends and in the classroom again.” Her ambition is to become a lawyer or an investigator—careers that rely on inquiry and critical-thinking skills. Sally is thrilled to see the family legacy mother, Jenny Medland. Her husband John, reach a fourth generation. Her late sister Sally’s son, was Head Boy at Upper Canada Nancy ADAMS MacDonnell’62—whose College in 1997. three daughters are Branksome alum“Isla enjoyed seeing Claire embrace the nae—was also Head Girl in her graduating opportunities offered at Branksome, and year, and served as Branksome’s Director she is excited about the opportunities that of Development for 12 await her this year,” notes years. Nancy’s and Sally’s Jenny. “The resources beloved stepmother, the and smaller class sizes at “The resources late Helen WALKER Branksome allow teachand smaller class Adams’34, was a longtime ers to focus on specific sizes at Branksome and loyal supporter of the children’s learning needs, allow teachers to school. to enable them to achieve focus on specific “It means a lot to the their full potential.” says children’s learning girls to go to the same Jenny. needs, to enable school that both their Comments from them to achieve grandmother and greatClaire’s Grade 5 their full potential.” grandmother attended,” teacher bears this out: notes Claire’s and Isla’s “Her leadership skills
grew throughout the year. Claire took action by holding a Valentine’s Day sale for Grade 5 students to raise money for rare diseases. She is a compassionate leader who thoughtfully considers the needs of her peers.” After the COVID-19 pandemic halted in-person teaching in spring 2020, the family was most impressed with the excellent virtual learning program launched by the Junior School. With the Branksome tartan-clad doll holding a place of pride in Isla’s bedroom, the family has a new emblem that inspires both girls to perpetuate the family legacy and Keep Well The Road. R Janet Sailian is a freelance communications consultant, writer and editor.
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CALEY TAYLOR
Jill takes a moment to enjoy the school’s outdoor classroom on the west campus.
Faculty Profile
FROM WALT WHITMAN TO BEYONCÉ English teacher Jill Strimas shows her students a wide range of artistic expression By Chris Daniels
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oet Walt Whitman. Cartoonist Art Spiegelman. Singersongwriter Beyoncé. These are artists of different eras but all have been explored in English units at Branksome. “The IB curriculum demands that we interrogate a wide variety of media, ideas and creators,” says English teacher and Instructional Leader Jill Strimas. “Students also fi nd it exciting when they see different artists grouped into the same area of study.” That also means bringing into the discussion new forms of communication that some adults might find intimidating. Or be quick to brush off. Not Jill. “That is the challenge—and fun—of being an English teacher: just as you’re feeling on top of things, you hear students talking about a new digital platform like TikTok,” she says. “And then it becomes really interesting when you see the incredibly creative ways it is being used.” Given her infectious love of learning, Jill says students are often surprised to discover she didn’t grow up wanting to teach. “I didn’t
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know what I wanted to be,” says the native of Owen Sound, Ont. “But I loved writing, and I loved reading and talking.” And so while at the University of Toronto, she was focused on exposing herself to areas of interest she didn’t know much about, rather than on what her career would be afterwards. From Russian science fiction to Québécois fi lmmaking, “I took all sorts of crazy courses,” she says. “I’d just flip through the catalogue and see what caught my eye. I probably changed my major three or four times. It was a truly liberal arts education, and I am really grateful to have had that luxury of learning.” After graduating in 2005 with a major in English and minors in history and fi lm studies, Jill worked in the communications department at her alma mater and tutored teenagers at Pathways to Education Regent Park. “My mom, who is an educational assistant, asked if I had ever thought about teaching. I said, ‘Well, no,’ and she said, ‘That’s weird because it’s the one thing you keep talking about and really enjoy.’” Jill’s first job after her teaching training from the Ontario “We’re trying to Institute for Studies in Education help our students was at Branksome, to implement be critical thinkers media studies in 2007. She also who can ‘read taught IB Film Studies for five the world’ around years and has taught Theory of them, whether it Knowledge for the past four. be advertising, a Now, as instructional leader, Dickens novel or she helps shepherd curriculum social media.” across the English department and is working with her team to foster a greater diversity of voices into study. She believes strongly in bringing creators in to engage directly with students, and in the past years has brought in fiction writer Cherie Dimaline, former Poet-Laureate of Canada George Elliott Clarke and most recently Robyn Doolittle, an investigative reporter for The Globe and Mail (see p. 5). “We’re trying to help our students be critical thinkers who can ‘read the world’ around them, whether it be advertising, a Dickens novel or social media,” explains Jill. Just as she does with curriculum, Jill has stepped out of her comfort zone in getting involved with extra-curricular activities at Branksome. Four years ago, she became assistant coach for the senior basketball team, despite “not being very athletic.” Head coach Jordan Small handles the game’s technical side while Jill manages the team, sharing pieces of literature that help inspire the athletes, and loves it. “I had been so dismissive of sports,” she says. “It turns out coaching has so much in common with teaching, while being a different dynamic that any teacher would benefit from immersing themselves in.” R Chris Daniels is a Toronto freelance writer and editor.
SchoolScoop
USING THEIR NOODLES— SUSTAINABLY Innovative ventures emerged from Branksome’s first Noodle Pitch Competition
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hen 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 firstever Noodle Pitch Competition, much richer guidance was at hand. The winning team of Grade 11 students, twins Kaitlin and Lauren, walked away from the November 4 grand finale—a Zoom webinar with close to 200 attendees—carrying $10,000 in seed money for their large-scale tree-planting venture, TreesCO2. Prizes were made possible by Mary LESSLIE Hallward’74 and her husband Graham. The evening was the culmination of a 38-week program, the first of its kind in a Canadian school. Guided by niche experts and mentors, “Noodlers” had worked towards this moment by creating companies that offer sustainable solutions to real-world problems, with each five-minute pitch unrolled on social media in the lead-up to the competition. Having already planted 4,500 trees, TreesCO2’s goal is nothing less than 1,000 trees for every youth in the world, enlisting student ambassadors on planting trips and bridging the gap between conservation authorities and funding partners. “This is not just a business idea—it’s an important movement,” said judge Eva Lau, Branksome Hall board member and one of the few women leading a venture fund in Canada, Two Small Fish Ventures. The evening offered a master class in entrepreneurial insight and business acumen, rivalling Dragons’ Den. Joining Commins and Lau was fellow judge Stacey BLIDNER Kline’01, co-founder and CEO of Otto Intelligence, as well as co-emcee Reza Satchu, founder and managing partner of Alignvest Management Corporation,
founding chairman and co-chair of NEXT Canada, and senior lecturer at Harvard Business School. “Entrepreneurship is a muscle,” said Satchu in his opening remarks to co-emcee Principal Karen Jurjevich. “This is why it’s so important for high school students to start now.” Second and third-place prizes, valued at $1,000 and $400, were determined by audience vote. The criteria for all the awards included feasibility, originality and whether the team was coupling “profit with a purpose,” noted Michael Ianni-Palarchio, Branksome’s director of technology and innovation. It was Ianni-Palarchio and Donn Pasiliao, the technology experience designer and coordinator, who guided the teams throughout the Noodle program. The subscription-based, sustainable cosmetics venture, Restore, led by Grade 12 students Kaja, Kayln and Kira, came second, with their idea to turn consumer-rejected, imperfect produce into fodder for skincare products. Third-place winners, Grade 9 students Selma and Madee, impressed the judges with The Speech Necklace, a speech amplification device that solves the issue of invasive implant surgery. “With everyone wearing masks due to COVID-19, there are likely new competitors [in the speech-amplification space],” said Kline. “But with a new need you also have a broader market.” “These young entrepreneurs took ideas and turned them into companies,” said Ianni-Palarchio. “They took risks, made mistakes, learned from their mistakes, and evolved their companies. Especially during a pandemic, it was hard, but it’s been really inspiring to join them on this journey.” “The only thing more important than capital is mentorship and good judgment,” said Satchu in his closing remarks. Judging by the high calibre of the pitches, every team walked away a winner. R
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Special Feature
Diversity Equity Inclusion
THE THINGS THAT MATTER Top U.S. lawyer ‘CK’ PURKS Hoffler’80 was Branksome’s first Head Girl from the Black community. She’s fought injustice all her career. By Berton Woodward Photo by Matthew Odom
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hen Tricia “CK” PURKS Hoffler came to Branksome in 1976, she was already no average student. Though born in Buffalo, she had attended Swiss boarding schools all her life, spoke three languages and had a sterling academic record. Moreover, she had an outgoing, friendly personality— “I’m a people person”—and embraced theatre, dance and the school itself. “I love Branksome.” And still it happened. “There were a couple of times, in the dorm, when I got called the N-word,” she recalls. Noting that “I was always a high achiever,” she remembers a moment where she and another girl began arguing. “Maybe it was something I said, you know, whatever girls fight over when they’re 14, and she got mad and called me the N-word. And it just escalated from that point.” Her sister, Robin PURKS’79, was there along with a couple of other Black students, and the dispute went up to legendary Principal Allison Roach. “The administration and the house mothers addressed it. People were disciplined. I have very fond memories of Miss Roach,” says CK. (continued on page 16)
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(continued from page 14) “But still,” she continues, “the lesson that we all learn is that when you’re African American and a person of colour, no matter how smart, stellar, superstar-like you are, there are still people who discriminate against you, who don’t like you because of the colour of your skin. That’s a lesson I learned as a child, as an infant.”
Longtime client and friend Rev. Jesse Jackson visits with CK and Yvonne McDaniel, executive paralegal at the CK Hoffler Firm.
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he also recalls being stared at suspiciously sometimes in Rosedale or Bloor Street, when she and her Black girlfriends might head to The Bay without their uniforms. Even as a girl in Geneva, where she went to school previously, she was sometimes called “monkey”. “Although you’re accustomed to it, when someone makes you feel like you’re less because of the colour of your skin, that’s isolation; you become the Other,” she says. “And that Other feeling is one that we know so well.” But hurtful as such incidents can be, CK was hardly one to be fazed. “You know, if you are raised in an environment that’s closedminded, you’re going to be closed-minded and you take that where you go,” she says of prejudiced people. So it’s no surprise that
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this all-round achiever became Branksome’s first Head Girl from the Black community in Grade 13 (she skipped a grade). In fact, she was the first of three Black students, so far, to become Head Girl (see p. 19), while several more have been people of colour. As she remembers it, the choice of Head Girl then involved the administration but also included her fellow students, and “I was very popular.” CK would go on to shine as one of
The lesson that we all learn is that when you’re African American and a person of colour, no matter how smart, stellar, superstar-like you are, there are still people who discriminate against you, who don’t like you because of the colour of your skin. That’s a lesson I learned as a child, as an infant.”
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America’s leading trial lawyers and civil rights advocates, becoming the personal attorney for iconic activist Rev. Jesse Jackson as well as the courtroom opponent of such major organizations as Amazon.com Inc., Purdue Pharma and the State of New York. Yet even her elite education, continuing at Smith College and Georgetown Law, plus her many achievements, are not much help for a woman of colour in the age of Trayvon Martin, George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement. Now based in Atlanta, Georgia, she has two sons, aged 18 and 16, and she worries about them every day. “Black Lives Matter is a movement that’s born from Black people saying, we’re sick and tired of being sick and tired of the killing,” CK says. “And it doesn’t matter your socioeconomic status. I grew up in privilege—it doesn’t matter, it’s the same. When my sons walk out of my home, if they’re stopped by the police, those police officers are not going to ask, oh, is your mother or father this or that? Because at that moment, there’s a very strong chance my child will not live. That is a reality if you are Black in this country. That’s devastating. And that is why Black Lives Matter is so significant.” Her sons have both had “the talk” many
times. “My ex-husband, every uncle, every man I know has had the talk with my children,” she says, fighting tears. “Don’t get arrogant, don’t be incensed, just do what the officer asks you to do, very politely. Even if the officer is being unduly nasty, inappropriate, mean, condescending, awful, and beating you, slapping you in the face, do not engage. They have a gun and they will kill you. That’s a very tough conversation.”
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Because of the way our system is set up, you have to hit them in the pocket,” she says. “Otherwise there will be no change. The reason the marches and protests are so poignant, and I think are making a difference, is because it’s an interruption of business as we know it—it’s an interruption of our society, it’s imposing a change of discomfort.”
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s CK notes, Canada also has its issues with race. But in her view, “Canada is an infinitely more open and global country than the United States. So the racial incidents that we encountered did not compare to the U.S. Because Canada really is a melting pot, where in the U.S. we play a big melting pot and we’re not. You have much more cultural diversity than we do.” She did encounter some racism at Smith, where she studied international relations and languages (she speaks French, Spanish and Portuguese). It was her first experience living year-round in the U.S., beyond her holidays in Buffalo. In class one day, she recalls, she was praised by one of her professors. “There was a girl in the dorm from the South, and she said, ‘It sounds like you’re really smart, and I just didn’t know Black people could perform that well.’ And that wasn’t so long ago—1980!” she says with a laugh. CK went on to become a lawyer, intent on carving out an international practice in Washington, D.C. For some time, she did, working as a lobbyist for various foreign governments. That’s how she met Jesse Jackson. In 1988, as a leading activist, preacher and former presidential candidate, he was invited on an official visit to French-speaking Gabon in central Africa. Gabon was one of CK’s clients, so as a French speaker she handled all the legal issues involved, travelled with Jackson and his team, and ended up taking over interpreting and speechwriting as well. “So after that, there were other projects that I
worked on with Reverend Jackson and his organizations,” she says. “What I thought would be a one-time assignment became a 32-year journey. It’s been one of the greatest honours of my career.” She also accompanied Jackson on eyeopening trips to apartheid South Africa to support Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress—“our cars had to be swiped for bombs. And right behind the government sweepers were the ANC, checking again!” In 2019, CK became chair of the board of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, which Jackson, now 79, has long led as president and CEO. Although CK loved the international life, marriage and becoming a mother for the first time at age 40 led her to take on more domestic challenges. As a trial lawyer, she has won judgments or settlements totalling over US$800 million in cases that include civil rights, medical malpractice, commercial litigation and wrongful death. Earlier this year, she began a major suit against Amazon.com on behalf of workers in New York state who complained they were not supplied with the right equipment to protect against COVID-19. Recently, too, she became president of the 95-year-old National Bar Association, a largely Black,
66,000-member counterpart to the American Bar Association, where she is also a member. She has been showered with awards during her career, including “Woman of the Year” for 2011-2012 by the National Association of Professional Women. Her fundamental drive, CK says, is to get major corporations and governments to “do right by the people.” It is here that her legal and racial views seem to merge. “Because of the way our system is set up, you have to hit them in the pocket,” she says. “Otherwise there will be no change. The reason the marches and protests are so poignant, and I think are making a difference, is because it’s an interruption of business as we know it—it’s an interruption of our society, it’s imposing a change of discomfort.” She notes she is not talking about violent demonstrations, which she does not condone. But she is optimistic that the peaceful movement is bringing progress. “So I’m glad that we’ve been having the protests,” she says. “This is our right.” It’s an awareness CK has had since she was a schoolgirl. R Berton Woodward is a Toronto-based writer, editor and communications consultant.
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Raising Awareness Dr. Mira Gambhir is leading Branksome’s strategic focus on diversity, equity and inclusion
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r. Mira Gambhir, well-known within the Branksome Hall community for her leadership of the Chandaria Research Centre, took on a new and expanded role in July as Head of Research, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Now she is hard at work on key initiatives to support the school’s strategic priority of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Starting this summer, she set in motion longerterm work to support anti-discrimination and antiracism, beginning with a focus on anti-Black racism. This important endeavour will permeate the school’s culture, guide actions, and be reflected in students’ and employees’ lived experiences. Dr. Gambhir will support and partner with the Diversity Council, Black Students’ Union, Gender Sexuality Alliance and other student-led groups to promote initiatives that complement the school’s research priorities. Dr. Gambhir was the ideal choice for the new role, says Principal Karen Jurjevich. A scholar and author in the fields of diversity education, international education and teacher education, she opened the CRC as director in 2016. Having completed an award-winning doctoral dissertation on diversity education, she holds a PhD in education from the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education (OISE), as well as an MA in education from OISE, and BA and B.Ed. degrees from the University of New Brunswick. Special emphasis will be put on those identifying as Black, Indigenous or People of Colour (BIPOC). “The objective is to focus attention in a more rigorous, intentional way, and to listen to the voices in our
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BIPOC community,” says Dr. Gambhir. “We need to better understand and raise awareness, as well as to build our capacity as a school to engage in conversations about inequity and our shared humanity.” Branksome is currently engaged in a curriculum review pilot in many subject areas, with a view to a full school-wide review. A second key action is an equity audit that will guide a comprehensive review of school policies and processes, including hiring of employees, recruitment of students, the appointment of senior leaders and volunteers, and communication practices. Other actions taken over the summer include: • Launch of a new DEI resource website to support the school in living these values. • Ongoing review of student and employee recruitment policies and practices, with inclusion of a DEI statement in job profiles. • Resourcing for employees’ anti-racist education, with book-club meetings throughout the academic year. • Discrimination Report and Bullying Report Forms (anonymous). • Revised code of conduct and Boarding Handbook to include a section on anti-discrimination. • Development of a series of student sessions to address and support their lived experiences. • DEI workshops on Branksome’s foundational work for new employees, student leaders, school leadership and all employees. • Development of the DEI Working Group, whose ongoing role is to consult on policy development, advise on strategic priorities and review measures.
Grade 11 student Maria Muiruri, a founding member of the Diversity Council at Branksome and a Kopas Family scholar, is its Diversity Council Student Life Representative, the first student to hold this role at Branksome. As Maria said at Installation 2020, “I am heartened that important conversations about race are being brought home in a way not seen before.”
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FINDING THEIR VOICE Head Girls Monique MILLER’07 and Ajike ‘Tessa’ AKANDE’94 followed in CK Hoffler’s footsteps By Berton Woodward Photo by Jeff Kirk
Monique (left) and Ajike at Branksome.
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n 1979, CK PURKS Hoffler’80 became Branksome’s first Head Girl who was Black, but she was hardly the last. Ajike “Tessa” AKANDE’94 and Monique MILLER’07 followed, accompanied by several other Head Girls of colour from other communities. In fact, while people may think of Branksome’s students as largely European-descended (the school itself does not track ethnicity), its Head Girls, at least, have included a high proportion of people of colour in the last four decades. Despite the disparity in their eras, Ajike and Monique share at least one similarity. Like CK, the two can be counted as strong supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement. But although both today serve in education, their own lives have followed very different paths. Ajike has been a teacher with the Toronto District School Board, focused on special educa(continued on page 20)
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(continued from page 19) tion, since finishing her studies at York University. Raised in Forest Hill as the daughter of Zanana Akande, a cabinet minister in Bob Rae’s NDP government of the early 1990s, Ajike teaches in an elementary school in a lower-income area of Scarborough. “I was raised in an activist home, and I’ve always been a bit of a loudmouth myself,” she says. While at Branksome, she came out as lesbian and is now the proud mother of a 13-year-old adopted son and two sets of IVF-created twins, aged 11 (two girls) and 9 (girl and boy). With most people, including her, back at school amid COVID-19, “it feels a bit nerve-wracking.” Far from Forest Hill, Monique grew up in the modest Four Winds neighbourhood in York University Heights, the daughter of a dad from Guyana and a mom from Portugal. Her parents were determined to get her an excellent education, and found support for her at Branksome. “My mother said, I know these schools can offer you a lot, but I know you can offer them a lot, too,” recalls Monique. She has always taken an interest in Africa, and spent
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Ajike says she worries especially about her teenage son. “He’s this dark-skinned, really big Black kid,” she says. “I now see him through the eyes of the rest of the world, and that’s incredibly scary, and painful. I find myself saying things to him like, ‘Take down your hoodie because you might get harassed, or worse.’”
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time working in Ghana, Kenya, Malawi and Somaliland, as well as Washington, D.C., during and after her studies at the University of Guelph and the London School of Economics and Political Science. Back in Canada since 2018, she’s now manager of diversity, equity and inclusion at Havergal College in Toronto.
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or Monique, coming to Branksome in Grade 7 was “a bit of a culture shock— my old school was a racial kaleidoscope compared with Branksome. It was like the U.N.” She enjoyed her time at the school—“it was really special”—but she also remembers unconscious bias, or microaggressions, by other girls who might see her as “the archetypal angry Black woman” if she got mad, or who would joke about themselves, “am I ghetto enough?” She also recalls administrators mistaking her name more than once, calling her Michelle instead of Monique. To Ajike, conversely, Branksome in Grade 9 was “the most diverse school I had been to,” with some Canadian students of colour as well as its cohort of international students. She found the school very supportive, especially when her Nigerian dad Isaac was nearing death. But she also found herself trying hard to fit in with her white friends—“don’t be too Black,” she told herself. It was a compliment when someone would say, “I don’t think of you as Black,” she says, adding: “It was a hard thing to unpack later.” Even so, Ajike appreciated Branksome “helping girls to find their own voice, to speak up.” Which she did: as Head Girl, she made a point of noting it was time to end the prefects’ traditional “Slave for a Day” fundraiser. Like so many mothers in the Black community, Ajike says she worries especially about her teenage son. “He’s this dark-skinned, really big Black kid,” she says.“I now see him through the eyes of the rest of the world, and that’s incredibly scary, and painful. I find myself saying things to him like, ‘Take down your hoodie because you might get harassed, or worse’, and ‘Don’t put your hands in your pocket when you walk into a store.’ My white friends often
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Monique sees some hopeful signs in how the movement has progressed. “It feels like a bittersweet moment,” she says. “It’s almost a racial reckoning of sorts, sparked by public murder. It’s so devastating that something so horrific and widespread would be the catalyst for beginning to collectively recognize our shared humanity.”
say, ‘You’re being ridiculous, he’s a kid who’s been raised in relative privilege. Those kinds of things are happening to kids in other parts of the city.’ But the reality is that the first time he was questioned at the local corner store, he was nine. So this current situation around Black Lives Matter feels a lot more personal.” Monique sees some hopeful signs in how the movement has progressed. “It feels like a bittersweet moment,” she says. “It’s almost a racial reckoning of sorts, sparked by public murder. It’s so devastating that something so horrific and widespread would be the catalyst for beginning to collectively recognize our shared humanity.” She notes that there were really no conversations about race when she was in school, and she is especially impressed by the younger generation. “They now have the language to help understand what’s going on, with words like ‘microaggression’, ‘privilege’ and ‘systemic racism’,” she notes.“The conversations are starting to happen. I do feel there is a genuine willingness for folks to start building their understanding and raising their awareness.” R
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Making Space for Black Women Over the summer, amid the worldwide outpouring of support for the Black Lives Matter movement, three recent grads contacted Branksome Hall to offer a pointed critique of diversity and inclusion efforts at the school and how they should be overhauled. Here the three women, all now in university, provide some of their perspective. By Lexie SHAH’17, Torie WILLIAMS’17 and Sophia WILLIAMS’18
“Which me will survive all these liberations.” – Audre Lorde
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s recent Branksome alumnae, we are privileged to have attended a school that prides itself on women’s empowerment, feminism and an unwavering belief that we can shape a better world. We can boldly assert that Branksome has made us more confident and empowered by our gender identity. However, we can just as easily assert that Branksome’s conversations about feminism have inadvertently harmed its young Black students. By promoting a whitewashed version of feminism, Branksome has overlooked Black women’s experiences, disregarding the intersectional nature of our identity. Consequently, while we on the one hand felt empowered by Branksome’s teachings, we simultaneously felt pressured to make a choice: either we were Black, or we were women, but seldom both. It might seem odd that a place we cherished could also be a place that left scars. Yet Audre Lorde’s words candidly reflect the arduous tug-of-war we faced at Branksome between two intrinsic facets of our identity. We were paralyzed by the choice of embracing our gender and conforming to mainstream white feminism, or embracing our Blackness. In leadership positions, we were decisively women, proud to live by the mantra that girls could do anything. During Black History Month, we often focused strictly on our Blackness. Considering this was our only formal opportunity to discuss anti-Black racism with the school, we sacrificed the meaning of being a Black woman to speak on civil rights more generally. When we did attempt to emphasize the intersection between Blackness and womanhood, discussions were fleeting, and it felt as though little progress was made. Within the classroom, lessons concerning trailblazing Black women, including pop culture icon Beyoncé and civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks, were not grounded in context and failed to distinguish the unique perspective of the Black woman. Being in our mid-teens, none of us truly realized the choices we were making and how we were falling prey to this illusion of Blackness and womanhood existing inde-
Lexie, Torie and Sophia
pendently. Our decision to be Black or woman was made subliminally to adapt to our environment and fit in—to feel less “other”. Law professor and activist Kimberlé Crenshaw has highlighted the tension we faced at Branksome through her exploration of “intersectionality”. Crenshaw defines this term, coined in 1989, as a lens through which to understand overlapping social identities and their interaction with each other. Though defined only 31 years ago, this concept has existed for centuries. Black women have historically been at the forefront of sociopolitical movements. Whether it be historical figures, including Harriett Tubman, Viola Desmond and Marsha P. Johnson, or modern advocates like Tarana Burke and Angela Davis, Black women have been constant champions for intersectionality. We have made significant attempts to penetrate mainstream feminism and civil rights activism to encompass its true complexities, but these efforts have repeatedly gone unrecognized. It thus seems that we are doing the difficult work without any recognition, our ideas instead ignored or co-opted by white women who are more palatable to the public. In short, Black women have been methodically disrespected. This must change. The expansion of feminist narratives at Branksome to include the powerful discourse of Black female revolutionaries is nothing short of imperative. To continue to exclude them would be doing a disservice to the educational integrity of white, Black, and non-Black minority students alike. Though we do not have all the answers, we hope our message informs Branksome’s path forward—a school with the potential to provide Black girls the opportunity to celebrate every aspect of their identity and feel a profound sense of belonging. We also hope that you take from this an understanding that if you are not a Black woman, you will never truly understand what it is like to be a Black woman. It is a blind spot, but that is okay; however, this does not mean that the burden should fall chiefl y on Black women to bring these issues to the fore. Non-Black individuals should not only vow to uplift our voices, but should also be proactive allies by helping to shed light on intersectionality and encouraging change at Branksome and beyond. R Lexie Shah majors in political science at the University of Pennsylvania. Torie Williams is enrolled in honours economics at McGill University. Sophia Williams studies business administration and cinematic arts at the University of Southern California. Their pronouns are she/her/hers.
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FROM TEACHING TO SCHMOOZING Zoe SHARE’07 decided she preferred social marketing to education. Now she’s a children’s author, too. By Amy Verner Photo by Jeff Kirk
s 2019 was drawing to a close, Zoe Share posted her professional and personal expectations for the coming year on her company’s website, Schmooz Media. “My new word for 2020 is health,” she stated. Little could she have known that the world would suddenly be struck by a pandemic a short time later, with the health of humanity itself seemingly hanging in the balance. This is not to frame Zoe as some kind of clairvoyant, even if her last name is uncannily suited to our society and its culture today. Rather, she adapted her intentions amid such unprecedented circumstances and thrived in a way that speaks to her determination, selfassurance and creative business savvy. The CEO of a marketing agency in Toronto with a daughter nearing three years old, Zoe parlayed her capabilities into a project that gave purpose to life in lockdown: a children’s book co-written with Toronto branding expert Gabriella Rackoff titled ABC Stay Home with Me. Featuring contributions from 13 illustrators, the alphabet book addresses the pandemic with a certain instructional levity. What’s more, all proceeds are being directed towards The Home Front in support of healthcare workers (Zoe acts as the Ontario-based organization’s communications lead). “We want to have a memento right now of what this time was,” she told CBC Radio’s Metro
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Morning upon the book’s release. “I want my daughter to remember that, in this time, her mummy was hopeful, her mummy was creative.” When Zoe founded Schmooz Media six years ago, she was entering the marketing world as an educator. Which is to say, her previous employment occurred in classrooms, not boardrooms.“I was working with 21 four-year-olds— which was its own form of negotiation,” she quips. “Their language may not be far along, so you often have to change your tactics when they don’t understand things the same way you do.” A career as a teacher seemed inevitable, she says, given how she would spend her lunch hours at Branksome crossing Mount Pleasant to volunteer in the Junior School. In her graduating year, she was the Junior School prefect. She furthered her volunteer experience with a trip to India and pursued other ways of working with kids. “In high school, you feel like there’s a path you should follow and, of anyone, mine was written in the stars,” she says.“To me, none of this signalled entrepreneurship.” Yet, at 31, having completed two bachelor’s degrees and a master’s, Zoe has already discovered that life often presents alternatives to that path. “I think young women can change their minds about what they want to do and we get to define success however we want.” The idea to launch Schmooz, she explains, began when teaching stopped feeling like the best application of interests that were more business-oriented. She saw an opportunity to
rethink the way marketing plays out on social media and began pitching to potential clients. Within six months, several projects were already underway and Zoe found herself assembling teams—a videographer, a graphic designer, a writer—in an exciting yet ad-hoc manner. “The first two or three years, I was going by the seat of my pants, not even taking myself seriously,” she admits. But becoming pregnant marked a shift in her strategy. “I realized I needed a business plan. I was making a decent salary but I asked myself, ‘What do I need to do to get this to a place where it can run properly?’”
o be sure, Zoe gives off charisma in spades and shows a natural disposition to engage people—whether in a live seminar via Instagram or with the approachable tone throughout her website. Even the choice of the company’s name—transcending its Yiddish roots, schmooze exudes breezy candour—reflected Zoe’s social acumen. She credits her grandfather, a Holocaust survivor and entrepreneur who has since passed away, with the idea. “He said, ‘You should call it that because you’re so good at talking’,” she recalls of the discussion during a Friday night dinner. “It’s the small talk, the starting point. It is the opening of the conversation.” And what differentiates her conversation—
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“I think young women can change their minds about what they want to do and we get to define success however we want.”
her proposition to clients, more specifically— is her commitment to “core values.” She uses words like “authenticity” and “meaningful growth,” and believes that marketing and “helping people” are not mutually exclusive. “We want to actually add value to the community, which entails defining what and who the community is, and defining value beyond a product or service,” she explains. “To me, that speaks to true social impact.” Currently, the Schmooz client roster spans
many sectors, including real estate, law, financial planning, accounting and cannabis. If there is any commonality, most are “B-to-C”, meaning business-to-consumer.“I mostly work with companies that are traditional for-profit businesses. I don’t have a problem with making money, but with making money comes the responsibility to give back,” she says. And what about the future—is there a fiveyear plan? For now, Zoe eschews any fixed trajectory in favour of exploring additional ways
to engage directly with people, such as brand extensions involving speaking engagements and workshops, for example. The pandemic has also given her new appreciation for quiet time and the pleasure of writing. “I always wanted to be a children’s book author,” she says. To that extent, her storytelling has only just begun. R Amy VERNER’98 is a freelance writer covering lifestyle and culture from Paris and Toronto.
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A Great ‘Canasian’ Success Story Pun-loving Jacqueline VONG’98 is a key player internationally in toy licensing and children’s content—and outspoken about her heritage By Berton Woodward Photo by Denise Militzer
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bout a year after Jacqueline Vong entered Branksome Hall in Grade 6, her world turned upside down. She had been living with her parents in the Bridle Path, enjoying the fruits of her father’s successful property development business. “We had a beautiful house with a pool and tennis courts,” she recalls. “I was driven to school every day.” Then came the real estate crash of the early 1990s, and Jacqueline suddenly found herself in a cramped one-bedroom apartment in northwest Toronto.“I had to take the TTC, and I couldn’t invite anyone over.” But don’t think Jacqueline is looking for your sympathy—far from it. For one thing, her family kept her at Branksome and began to recover financially, and by Grade 11 or so her now-spacious house in North York was the goto home for gatherings and parties with her Branksome friends. And for another, you can’t help but be charmed by the way Jacqueline tells such stories about herself—with humour and honesty, seemingly as intrigued by them as you are. “Now I just look at myself and I can’t be-
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lieve I grew up that way,” she says. “I’m so humbled that I even had the opportunity to have that type of life.” The other thing you soon conclude is that Jacqueline is much too smart and full of moxie to be down for long. It doesn’t surprise you to learn that her outgoing personality easily took her into PR and marketing after she graduated from McGill University, and that she now runs her own company, consulting in merchandise licensing for children’s brands and developing kids’ content. In 2018, she was named to industry bible License Global’s list of The Influentials: Top 40 under 40. Earlier, during a four-year stint in Hong Kong, she was at the forefront of bringing the Minions franchise, of Despicable Me fame, and Peppa Pig, an iconic pre-school brand, into mainland China. At Branksome, she was voted a Chieftain of the Clan McGregor and excelled as a student, enjoying math and languages. She now speaks—fluently—English, Cantonese, French and Spanish, and gets by in Mandarin, Polish, Korean, Japanese and some Chinese dialects. You might still wonder how her degree in economics and East Asian studies led to a job
in marketing at Toronto-based Spin Master, now a global force in toys and entertainment. For that, you can check out her resume item from Junior Achievement, which she joined while at Branksome. Her team won JA’s national company of the year award for their product, big hot-chocolate cups called MMMugs, which she named as the team’s vicepresident of marketing and sales. And at university, she successfully ran for student council on the slogan, “Who Wants to Be a McGillionaire”? “I like puns,” she admits. In that spirit, perhaps, since her parents came from Hong Kong and Shanghai, she likes to call herself a first-generation “Canasian”— which she describes as “a hybrid of Chinese culture and very Western views”. But that’s another twist to her story, which she considers
“We are living in a unique time where we are writing our own history. I hope to inspire and empower the future generation to challenge the status quo to make the changes needed, as our voices are louder than ever.”
and racial issues are very topical,” she says.“We are living in a unique time where we are writing our own history. I hope to inspire and empower the future generation to challenge the status quo to make the changes needed, as our voices are louder than ever. Being flexible, adaptable and pivoting to the ever-changing world is one of the only survival tips I can offer anyone right now.”
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especially important to tell. At Branksome, she says, “I struggled with my cultural identity.” Though the school “did a good job of getting everybody to accept each other,” there were only two or three Asians in her grade among day students. “There were no role models—everybody that I wanted to be was Caucasian, on sitcoms and everything else. I would dye my hair blonde. I was the last person you would expect to have a career moment in Asia.”
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er thinking began to turn around in university and afterward, as she moved through progressively more senior roles at Spin Master, Corus, Nelvana and Mattel, where she handled the top-drawer Barbie line. “I embraced my Cantonese and
Shanghainese heritage,” she says.“It’s just something that was triggered in me. I really wanted to learn more about the language and the food. The food was really important to me—like making dumplings with my grandmother.” Today she also embraces “being an empowered woman and person of colour amid the dialogue regarding race and privilege—it’s a very interesting time.” It’s a period, she adds, when women like her should “use your voice and don’t be afraid.” She points to a recent public debate she had in a trade publication that got a little personal. “All my career, I have been underestimated due to my youthful appearance, despite a wealth of skills and experience. I chose not to be silent about being put down, as anti-Asian sentiment is rising due to the pandemic, and other gender
hat kind of outspokenness hasn’t always gone smoothly for Jacqueline. In 2012, at about the point she felt she couldn’t go much further in Canada, she was suddenly offered a job in Hong Kong, where her task would be making toy licensing deals for the China market. But she didn’t quite reckon with the political realities of the mainland. As an idealistic Canasian, she jumped into the 2014 protest fray in Hong Kong, cheering the Umbrella Movement and posting on social media in support of democracy. That appears to have caused trouble for her crossing into mainland China—she was detained several times at the border, once for six hours. Her boss finally asked her to stop going public with her politics. Needless to say, she was deeply dismayed last July to see the tough national security law imposed on Hong Kong by China.“Hong Kong will never be the same,” she says sadly.“I’m very concerned for the citizens.” But Hong Kong was very good for Jacqueline in other ways. She met her Texan husband Michal Garcia, a musician of Mexican and Slovakian heritage, while sailing on a party junk. And in 2016 she discovered she was pregnant and decided to have the baby in Canada. So they came to Toronto, where she has partnered with another Hong Kong connection, Nicole Schneiderjohn, a former TV executive, and formed Playology International. Their licensing clients include Spin Master’s Paw Patrol, the Australian kids’ juggernaut The Wiggles and the popular holiday brand Elf on the Shelf. Jacqueline has also mentored students at Ryerson University and Seneca College. She has two kids now, one-year-old son Camilo and four-year-old daughter Serena, “a future CEO”. Her husband, she says, keeps her grounded. As an avid outdoor person, “he got me to stop and enjoy nature.” Good work, Michal: for this hard-driving woman whose business is toys, it’s no small achievement to get her to simply play. R The READ Fall 2020
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(above) Jenny Judge photographed in her studio in August 2020 (right) ”Sandstorm,” molded shapes made of sand, exposed to the elements over time, on Matapouri Beach, New Zealand, 2020 (opposite page) “Whistler Rock Faces,” 2018, each piece 15 cm round, 5 cm depth, kiln cast glass jennyjudge.com
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Features
AN ARTIST FOR ALL SEASONS Jenny TIMBRELL Judge’79 loves to create in every form—and hemisphere
SEB ASTIAN JUDGE
By Janet Sailian
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are and determined is the person who succeeds at a lifelong career in art, and Jenny Judge is one such rarity. Her artistic philosophy incorporates light, shadow, humour and a deep sense of place. While the contemporary art world often expects an artist to have a fixed, discernible style, Jenny is by nature an explorer. Her diverse creations in metal, glass, ceramics, fibre, installations, painting and earthworks are linked, she says, by “the magic of investigating and noticing all that is close by.” “I think of myself as a materialist,” she explains. “I might go off and work in glass for two years, or dive into painting. I always start with materials that can reflect my purpose.” And those materials sometimes appear through serendipity, prompting spontaneous artistic creation. When the pandemic erupted, Jenny and her husband Michael were in New Zealand—their second home—and trying to return to Canada.“The feeling of isolation, loneliness, and the impact of the worldwide crisis, came crashing together for me when I walked along an empty beach,” says (continued on page 28)
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“Forest Floor,” acrylic on canvas, 40" X 75", 2020 (painted in response to the work installed in the forest, opposite page)
(continued from page 27) Jenny. “I sat on the beach and realized how far away Vancouver was.” Inspired, she created artworks on the shore, using sand and molds from previous work. “Viewers could walk through it and also witness the work being taken away by the tides and wind over a 10-hour period. It was time-based, fleeting, representing a moment of being present, and then taken away by forces greater than us.” Fortunately, her son Sebastian is a filmmaker who documented that ephemeral piece. Jenny was always a highly visual person who believes that now, more than ever, we need
to be visually literate. “Art is both a way of seeing and a way of being,” she says. After early years at Toronto French School, Jenny arrived at Branksome for Grades 12 and 13, seeking immersion in art. “A new art room had officially opened,” she recalls. “It became a place of comfort where I spent time exploring and learning.” After one field trip to the Art Gallery of Ontario, Jenny was assigned to evaluate and analyze an original piece of artwork. “And because I enjoyed the process so much, it helped make my decision to go on to art school.” She met her husband, Michael Judge,
Jenny was always a highly visual person who believes that now, more than ever, we need to be visually literate. “Art is both a way of seeing and a way of being,” she says.
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during undergraduate studies in fine art at Queen’s University (they wed in 1984), and after driving across Canada and the U.S. in their Volkswagen van, the couple spent a year backpacking through New Zealand, Australia, India, Nepal and Thailand. They ended up in Glasgow, Scotland, where both spent a year as visiting artists at Glasgow Print Studios. Back on this side of the pond, the Judges welcomed children Madeleine, now 29, and Sebastian, 22. Michael’s early career as an internationally competitive windsurfer and sponsored mountain biker ignited the young family’s international travels. “Living out of the van and travelling the race circuit with the kids and dog were very much a part of our life, especially in the summers,” Jenny says. “This is why our children are resilient campers and travellers.” Meanwhile, Jenny’s art career was taking off. After the young family moved to Vancouver in the early 1990s, she began exhibiting her work throughout the Lower Mainland and in numerous international group shows that took her work (and sometimes her) to France, Scotland, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New
“Pink Vase” acrylic on canvas, 40" X 40"
LOUISE PARK
“Moonscape,” 2019, detail, approximately 15 cm, plaster, acrylic paint
“Forest Floor,” detail, 2020; ice, pine needles; one of 80 pieces installed in the forest, Whistler, B.C.
“Pebbly Bay,” detail of a molded shape made from light sand from Matapouri Beach and formed on to Pebbly Bay Beach (a darker sand), New Zealand, 2020
Zealand and the U.S. She also found time to gain a master of fine art degree from the University of Minnesota in 1991 and a bachelor of art education from UBC in 1995. Michael and Jenny both took up teaching. She ran the Sculpture Department at Burnaby North Secondary for five years in the late 1990s. “That was such fun,” Jenny says, despite the challenges of parenting two young children, working full-time and putting on exhibitions. In 2002, the family left for New Zealand to be near Michael’s brother and to explore the new horizons that energize Jenny’s art. Based near Auckland, Michael taught art while Jenny devoted her time to the studio. She learned kiln-cast glass, which launched a 12-year journey in that medium.
After two years they returned to Vancouver, but still felt the pull of New Zealand. “That country is a time capsule; it’s like Canada used to be,” Jenny observes. “It’s very communityspirited and kids are freer, less coddled. A subtle difference you only perceive by living there.” So, in 2008, they moved back to New Zealand and became citizens, returning to Canada in 2014 so Jenny could care for her ailing mother, who passed away in 2018. Ever since, the Judges have spent at least three months per year in their Kiwi home. One of the highlights of Jenny’s career was participating as an artist in the Cheongju International Craft Biennale in South Korea in 2009, where her work was exhibited in the Canadian Pavilion.
“I have also had a lot of fun entering and being involved in ‘wearable art’ events,” she notes. The most memorable was at the Corning Museum of Glass in 2016 where all wearables were made of glass, featuring Jenny’s tutu crafted from illuminated glass spheres. The pandemic of 2020 has halted all planned exhibitions and lectures for the foreseeable future.“Artists do isolation pretty well,” Jenny says. “I’ve been given this gift of a year just to explore. But if this carries on another year, I will get antsy.” She sums up: “Everything informs everything. Find your passion, but don’t be afraid to veer away from it and come back.” Anchored by passion and vision, Jenny continues to reflect on her presence in an ever-changing world through ever-changing art. R
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Features
MIDWIFE TO CHANGE Kelly DOBBIN’89 has always been progressive, whether about women’s health or her own family By Patricia Hluchy Photo by Jeff Kirk
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elly Dobbin found her footing as a feminist, and her calling as a midwife, while pursuing women’s studies at McGill. In the early 1990s, there was no option of doing a major program in the field at the university, but “nothing else interested me more,” she recalls. “So I had to finally go to the dean of arts and work with them to create this ad hoc degree.” The following year, a professor who had helped Kelly assemble her program established a women’s studies major. Kelly’s coursework led to a discovery of midwifery, the care of women and their babies through early pregnancy, labour and several weeks following delivery. “I didn’t even know that it existed because it wasn’t part of our health system here,” says Kelly, a registered midwife and, since 2013, registrar and CEO of the College of Midwives of Ontario, which ensures that members of the profession are qualified and competent. “I was interested in health and sexuality and reproduction,” she says, “and once I understood that midwifery was a profession, I tuned right into it. It had all the ingredients for me—working with people, relationship-building—and at the time I was participating in Take Back the Night marches and delivering talks to fraternities about date rape. Midwifery felt like the logical next step for me since it was about working closely with women and really helping them
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take back control of their choices and their bodies.” What followed has been a stellar career of health care and health management. After completing her bachelor’s degree at McGill, Kelly enrolled in the midwifery program Maternidad La Luz in El Paso, Texas—there was no such course in Canada. She then perfected her midwife skills while also working on a master’s in feminist health care at Goddard College in Vermont. In 1994, the year when midwifery became a regulated profession in Ontario, Kelly moved to Guelph, where she went through a two-year process to have her credentials recognized by the Ontario regulator. Kelly’s approach to midwifery is based on
fostering deep trust in her clients.“The midwife knows you, they know what your needs are, what your desires are, and you trust them to create an environment where you can succeed,” she says. “For a midwife going in, I feel you haven’t done your job well if you walk away from that birth and the client says, ‘I couldn’t have done it without you.’ You want them to feel that they did this, they owned the experience.”
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n Guelph, Kelly worked on becoming registered and then practised midwifery with Leslie Howarth, who remains a cherished friend. Howarth says Kelly “was a huge support, a motivator and inspiration for me to keep working on obtaining that registration. Kelly never wavered from her advocacy for the rights of her clients to make informed decisions about their care, and she always put in the extra time to ensure the moms and babies were treated with skill and compassion. She is a powerhouse of strength and resilience. “Maybe the best compliment a midwife ever pays to her sister midwives,” Howarth adds, “is to have them attend their own births. I attended Kelly’s babies’ births and she, two of mine. This was where I got to experience firsthand her skill and kindness as a practitioner.” Another close friend, Toronto textile designer Heather SHAW’89, also experienced Kelly’s midwifery skills firsthand.“She brought my two boys into the world,” says Heather, who had met Kelly at Branksome. “I was completely swept away by her calmness and by my confidence in her. The thought of handing a headlamp and needle and thread to anyone else I know and letting them go to work stitching me back up is pretty funny to imagine.” Kelly, who relocated to Toronto 20 years ago, has three children with her ex-husband, veterinarian Scott Mathison. Adopted elder son Siphesihle (“Siphe,” pronounced “See-pay), 22, is a first soloist with the National Ballet of Canada; second son Jasper, 20, is studying film and astrophysics at the University of British Columbia; and daughter Ella, 17, is in Grade 12 at The York School, where she is the equivalent of head girl. Kelly shares her downtown Toronto house with her children and standard poodles Willow and Violet. Kelly and Mathison met Siphe in his native South Africa in 2009, having travelled there with Jasper and Ella for a four-month sabbati-
Kelly’s approach to midwifery is based on fostering deep trust in her clients. “The midwife knows you, they know what your needs are, what your desires are, and you trust them to create an environment where you can succeed.”
cal. They enrolled Ella in a dance program and, while attending a community event to which they were invited by her dance teacher, also Siphe’s, they beheld the South African boy onstage. “I just knew he had the potential to be great,” remembers Kelly, who had studied modern dance in her teens and 20s. “He was so in control and so powerful, but at the same time so vulnerable and exposed.” Siphe was living in the rural township of Zolani, the youngest of five children of a single mother (one of his brothers is also a professional dancer as well as a choreographer, in London). Once Kelly and Mathison learned that Siphe was hungry for more dance classes, they arranged—with the support of his mother, Sylvia, as well as his dance teacher—for him to live weekdays in a nearby community where that would be possible. They also helped him apply to Canada’s National Ballet School (NBS), where he was awarded a full scholarship. Siphe went to live with Kelly and Mathison in Toronto, becoming part of the family, but the couple made sure he visited his South African family twice every year, and they flew Sylvia to Toronto for his NBS graduation in 2017. There have been other, extended visits back and forth. Amid being a mother and bringing Siphe to Canada, Kelly became more interested in policy-making around midwifery. In 2000, she joined the board of the College of Midwives, eventually becoming chair. In 2011 she earned a master’s in public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London, and two years later she took over the helm of the College of Midwives of Ontario. Across the province, midwives now care for approximately 19 per cent of pregnant
individuals and their infants (about 27,000 of a total of 142,000 births annually), both in hospital and at home. “My role is just about fostering relationships and creating environments for other people to do well in their careers and make good, solid decisions. It’s a collective effort—we’re all working toward something bigger than ourselves.”
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ut Kelly’s commitment to society extends beyond feminism and midwifery. She says that movements such as Truth and Reconciliation, Black Lives Matter and #MeToo “have stirred in me the same feelings of injustice that I was so passionately fighting against as a young feminist experiencing gender inequality.” Among the ways Kelly is stretching her progressive self is as a volunteer board member of Toronto’s Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre. That concern about social justice was present in Kelly when she was young, and she says it made her feel somewhat conflicted about attending an elite all-girls school—she was at Branksome from Grades 7 through 10, choosing to go to public school for Grade 11. Still, she cherishes the fact that at Branksome, she “felt really supported and we were allowed to dream big.” Her advice to current Branksome students: “Don’t try to bend yourself to fit into someone else’s idea of success, but rather, explore what excites you and find a way to bend the world into your plans.” R
Patricia Hluchy is a Toronto freelance writer and editor who has worked for Maclean’s, the Toronto Star and other publications.
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Features
I WANT MY STUDENTS TO BE
ALARMED But marine geologist Pam REID’68 sees hope on the climate front By Janet Sailian Photo by Jack Fell
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lobal warming is no abstraction to Pam Reid. The marine geologist at the University of Miami only has to survey the nearby coastline after a king tide, or look out at streets flooded after heavy rains, to see evidence of sea-level rise and worsening storms caused by rapid climate change. And she is urgently trying to reach younger generations with a warning of imminent catastrophe if we, collectively, fail to take action very soon. Pam teaches environmental oceanography with an emphasis on “Carbon Dioxide, the Oceans and You” for non-science majors. “I want my students to be alarmed, to talk about the problem and understand that the planet is in jeopardy,” she says. “As a class project they each have to write a newsletter aimed at a student organization, their neighbours or another peer group, describing climate problems and proposing solutions.” The good news, according to Pam, is that although we are likely in the beginning of the sixth mass extinction planet Earth has experienced, it’s not too late to turn this massive ship around. “A lot of people like me believed it was ‘game over’
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in terms of cutting carbon emissions, but then I read Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming, edited by American environmentalist Paul Hawken and colleagues, and it gave me hope,” she says. The book emerged from Project Drawdown, a non-profit organization founded in 2014 to provide a blueprint for what can be done around the world to reverse global warming. “Drawdown contains a clear road map, not only for slowing carbon emissions, but for reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,” Pam notes. “Eighty of the 100 science-based solutions proposed could be implemented today.” According to Pam, high carbon dioxide levels resulting from massive volcanic eruptions millions of years ago were a likely cause of several global mass extinctions. Today, 97 per cent of climate scientists agree that skyrocketing levels of carbon dioxide are a result of human actions and are causing our current accelerating climate change. Those activities include reliance on fossil fuels, industrial farming, use of plastics and rampant food waste. “Carbon dioxide is just one of the serious greenhouse gases—methane is another—that are accelerating climate change,” she says. The results are not only a warming cli-
Pam prepares to collect measurements of stromatolites off the beach at Little Darby Island, Exuma Cays, Bahamas, in June 2019.
The good news, according to Pam, is that although we are likely in the beginning of the sixth mass extinction planet Earth has experienced, it’s not too late to turn this massive ship around. mate and rising sea levels, but also acidification of the oceans. If this continues, “by the end of this century, the phytoplankton, reefs and oyster shells won’t be able to calcify. They will disintegrate.” Potential solutions include adopting alternative sources of power such as water and solar, novel transportation methods, green roofs, retrofits to older buildings and more efficient methods of agriculture. Equally important, says Pam: “Educating girls and women is another ready-to-go solution. If you don’t have
education or social justice, you can’t have sustainability.” With her overseas research projects on hold due to the pandemic, Pam is focused on persuading the next generation that climate change can’t wait. “We need artists, business people, fi lmmakers, and writers to embrace a cause and use whatever talent they have to communicate about climate issues,” she says. “I’m hopeful that human civilization won’t meet its demise, but we don’t have much time. We don’t have another five years to do nothing.” R
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AlumLife
ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION MISSION STATEMENT To unite, engage and grow Branksome Hall’s alumnae community of globally minded learners and leaders. ALUMNAE EXECUTIVE 2020–21
MEET YOUR NEW PRESIDENT…
Allison ROACH’51 Honorary President
Melanie ARGIROS Breder’08 takes the reins from Karen CORDES Woods’99
Officers Melanie ARGIROS Breder’08 President Alexandra MORTON’09 Engagement Lisa RICHARDS’02 Communications Sarita SAMAROO’99 Nominating Catlin SEIBEL-KAMEL’10 Awards Nicole THORNBURROW’10 Secretary Hubie YU’08 Treasurer
Melanie ARGIROS Breder’08 President Melanie is a human resources manager with the Ontario Municipal Employees’ Retirement System (OMERS). She holds a BA from Queen’s University and an MA in human resources from the University of Toronto. Melanie attended Branksome from Grades 1 to 12 and joined the Alumnae Executive in 2017. In a recent #BHAdvice2020 Twitter campaign, Melanie offered: “Live smart, not scared! My sister shared this motto for uncertain times. I’ve built up my endurance to run a 10k and taught my dog Archie some new tricks!” Melanie will represent the Alumnae Association on the Branksome Hall Board of Governors.
Karen CORDES Woods’99 Past President Since 2014, Karen has been a member of the Alumnae Executive committee, serving first as Vice-President, then taking on the role of President in 2017. Over the years, Karen has guided the executive through strategic ways to think outside the box and drive alum engagement. One such vision is the now popular Alum Family Fun Day, which has been a much-loved event since 2016. We are delighted Karen will continue on the Executive in the capacity of Past President and will continue to serve on the Branksome Hall Board of Governors.
… AND YOUR NEW EXECUTIVE These women will help lead the Alumnae Association
Jacqueline CARL’10 is a digital product owner, Business Financial Services, at RBC.
Hannah LO’05 is an associate dentist in Toronto.
Caroline Thadaney Advancement Student Rep Senior School Caroline has been at Branksome Hall since Senior Kindergarten. She is a peer tutor and a coxswain on the Branksome rowing team. With a strong passion for physics, Caroline serves as the head of the Robotics Club and the STEM council. She plans to apply to study engineering at university.
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Lisa RICHARDS’02 is self-employed as publicist & founder at Lisa Simone Richards.
Lindsay STANSMAN’08 is the creative director at SALT XC.
Mackenzie Calhoun Advancement Student Rep Junior School Mackenzie has been at Branksome since Grade 7. Outside of school, she works as a lifeguard and swim instructor at a private pool. Mackenzie enjoys playing tennis and golf, and cooking with her mom. Thinking ahead to university, she will be looking into science-oriented programs.
WITH HEARTFELT THANKS At the Alumnae Executive year-end meeting on June 9, and at the Alumnae Annual General Meeting on Sept. 15, outgoing President Karen CORDES Woods’99 thanked two retiring members for their contributions and service to the Alumnae Association. Barbara DUNLOP Mohammad’70 Member at Large 2008–20; Secretary (2010–13) Committees Plaid Tidings, Reunion Rep, Alum Awards (throughout the years) Other voluntarism Alum Shop, Puttin’ on the Plaid, ACE volunteer (throughout the years) Dana POSTROZNY Mitchell’99 Member at Large 2017–20
Members at Large Jacqueline CARL’10 Karen CORDES Woods’99 Past President Mackenzie KNOWLES’11 Tori LECHNER-SUNG’12 Hannah LO’05 Lindsay STRANSMAN’08 Patricia SU’13 Chair, Young Alums Alanna TEDESCO McLaughlin’03 Ex-Officio Cris Coraggio Karen Jurjevich Andrea McAnally Tanya Pimenoff Jennifer Williams Mackenzie Calhoun, Caroline Thadaney Advancement Student Reps
Stay Connected, Get Involved The Branksome Hall Alumnae Program It’s all about Community, Networking, Volunteerism, Friendship, Traditions and Giving Back branksome.on.ca/alumnae Please contact: Tanya Pimenoff, Associate Director of Alumnae Relations tpimenoff@branksome.on.ca 416-920-6265, ext. 285
ON-CAMPUS REUNIONS A waiting game, so stay tuned REUNION 2020 Last May, alumnae (from the class
years ending in 0 and 5) took the news of a cancelled on-campus event with understandable resignation. However, with a bit of innovation and positivity and with contributions from 24 reunion
reps, a special and fun video was broadcast on Saturday, May 30—the day the school would have hosted the alumnae dinner. In it, virtual greetings were delivered by Karen CORDES Woods’99, Principal Karen Jurjevich and Deputy Principal Karrie Weinstock. And, this year’s alum award recipients, Carol SZETO’90 and Kelly GAUTHIER’97, were further recognized for their enduring work to make our world a better place (see p. 36-37). REUNION 2021 Though plans remain uncertain for on-campus events next spring, the classes ending in 1 and 6 will still be honoured and recognized in true Branksome fashion. As soon as we know the plans, we will share them. In the meantime, reunion reps will be needed. If you wish to volunteer, please send an email to alumnae@ branksome.on.ca, or call 416-920-6265, ext. 285.
Due to the postponement of Reunion 2020, reunion year alums received a special spring mailing— paper flower seeds enclosed in a congratulatory card. This symbolic messaging reinforced our common ground as members of a strong Branksome community, and the hope of sunnier days to come. Here, Branksome student Reese Gordon, great-granddaughter of Joan MacPHERSON Gordon’40, holds Joan’s plant with signs of early growth. We were sad to learn that Joan died at the age of 98 on July 16 (see p. 47).
FOR KIDS AND KIDS AT HEART #BHFamilyFunDay (COVID-style) We couldn’t get together in person, but we still continued the tradition. Social media lit up with photos after past visitors to this popular annual event (traditionally held in early November) received “I Love BH” tattoos through the mail. For all the kids and kids at heart—thanks for celebrating, virtually, with us!
UNIVERSITY PREP 101 Guidance workshops link students to alums Last spring, Grade 11s participated in several Zoom sessions where panels were organized by region. Seen here, along with members of the Guidance department, is the Canadian panel with participants Emily ASH CUTAJAR’19, Mimi MANN’16, Ginny MATHESON’19, Maggie DOBBIN’19 and Abarnaa ILLANGO’19.
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AlumLife
WINNINGWOMEN The Alumnae Association has bestowed its prestigious annual awards on two high achievers
Protecting the Children 2020 Allison Roach Alumna Award: Carol SZETO’90 By Nora Underwood
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TERESA L AQUA
n one way, at least, life has gone full circle for Carol Szeto. After 30 years of living and travelling all over the world, she has returned home as CEO of Save the Children Hong Kong—the culmination of years of experience ensuring that the most vulnerable children have a chance to thrive. “I think she makes Branksome Hall proud,” says her sister Jacqueline SZETO-Meiers’87, who nominated Carol for the 2020 Allison Roach Alumna Award. “She’s making a difference in the world.” The award recognizes a person for the character, distinction and vision she has brought to her professional or volunteer endeavours. Carol’s path from volunteering in Africa back to Hong Kong to head an international non-profit organization, part of a global movement that reaches almost 40 million children, has been all of that and more.
With an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from Cornell University and an MBA in finance from New York University, Carol spent her early professional life in the pharmaceutical and management consulting industries. But a six-month fellowship in Ghana convinced her that the non-profit world was where she belonged—most recently as the senior country manager for India for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, an international organization based in Switzerland. There she managed a $500-million grant portfolio to immunize children in India against life-threatening diseases. “Every single thing she has learned in life, she has been able to put to use,” says Jacqueline. Carol’s passion for bringing health care and education to children brought her home to Hong Kong in January, in the midst of demonstrations and protests, and soon waves of a COVID-19 pandemic and a new national security law. “It was a chaotic time for me to come here,” Carol admits. But with her mother in her 80s, she adds, “I felt I needed to be closer to home.” Faced with the pandemic, Carol and her team provided emergency relief in Hong Kong. They collected masks, hand sanitizers, laptops and wi-fi cards that had been donated and distributed them to low-income families. They also tailored their programs to address the mental, emotional and psychological well-being issues of children and youth in Hong Kong. “Youth really feel uncertain about their future,” she says. “Some are really distressed about the political and social situation and then, with the suspension of schools, their learning. And little ones just stayed at home all the time.” Her organization also provided support to developing countries to keep children safe. “The pandemic has widened educational disparities around the world. Underprivileged children are the ones who are left the furthest behind.” With one thing after another this year, Carol is focused on doing the best she can under the circumstances. “We do have the aspiration to expand,” she says. “At the end of the day, it’s how many kids are we reaching? And are we making an impact on their lives?” Twelve years ago, when Carol was contemplating a career change, a colleague helped her to articulate her purpose in life. “I decided that my purpose is to bring together people and organizations of different backgrounds to improve the lives of children around the world, by giving them access to health care and education,” Carol says. “And I’m doing exactly that.” It is an honour, she adds, to receive the 2020 Allison Roach Alumna Award. “I feel very fortunate and very pleased to be recognized for doing what I do,” Carol says. “And I still have a much longer way to go.” R Nora Underwood is a Toronto-based freelance writer who has written for many magazines and newspapers, including Maclean’s and The Globe and Mail.
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CALEY TAYLOR
An Investment Trailblazer 2020 Young Alumna Achievement Award: Kelly GAUTHIER’97 By Andrea Aster
W
hen Kelly Gauthier’s three pre-teen children were really little, they didn’t understand why other families talked about something called “the weekend.” As managing director and partner at Rally Assets in Toronto, Kelly prizes her flexible schedule—summarized as “knowing what glass balls you can’t drop and which ones are plastic”—as she leads its portfolio of responsible and impact investment projects. Throw a husband who’s a shift-working emergency room doctor into the mix, and her children’s question is not so puzzling. “We both feel really strongly about helping people,” says Kelly. “The pandemic has brought to light a lot of these issues. We didn’t all of a sudden have injustice and inequality—but it’s become more apparent. Hopefully, that will translate into action and investors will put their capital to work.” As a trailblazer in the sustainable investment field, Kelly is passionate about harnessing capital markets to power a more sustainable and just economy. The funds she channels serve to assist, for example, Indigenous ventures that lack access to markets, or female inventors and entrepreneurs who’ve experienced genderbased violence and discrimination. Deputy Principal Karrie Weinstock saw this former Admissions Prefect’s promise, long before her success in convincing investors
to invest with integrity. “I remember Kelly’s energy, efficiency and warmth,” says Weinstock. “It was like having another member of staff.” A recent Ontario Volunteer Service Award recognized her decade-long work with Access Community Capital Fund, which provides character-based micro-loans to new Canadians, refugees and immigrants excluded from banking systems due to a lack of credit rating or collateral. The classic example is an Uber driver with a PhD and no credit history, who needs a loan for re-accreditation. After excelling at math and science at Branksome, Kelly carved a career path with a B.Sc. in the male-dominated engineering program at Queen’s University, followed by an MBA from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. A revelation came when, while at Rotman, she spent a summer in India working on Canada’s first social venture capital fund, investing in microfinance organizations. “I realized that it would be hard for me to work with traditional investors and decades-old ways of doing things,” she says. “I wanted to work with clients who were investing more intentionally and more in line with my values.” After working for Mercer Investment Consulting on the responsible investment team, she landed at Purpose Capital, now Rally Assets, where she worked her way to the top. “Kelly has an ability to make her life come together with all the things she loves,” says her sister Jen’99. “She finds the people she can work with and she pushes things through.” Part of the uncompromising connection Kelly makes between her values and her career is rooted in her own upbringing. The sisters grew up in a household with a hardworking, self-made father who established himself in the direct-mail business, and a mother whose charity work included enlisting the Branksome community for weekly grocery collection for families in need and goods for newly divorced mothers. As such, Kelly is mindful of her identity as it relates to her work. “I am very conscious of inequality stemming from white privilege, but also from gender,” she says. “I was definitely raised with a sense of the importance of using my privilege for good, although I didn’t understand how to do that until well into my twenties.” Since then, Kelly has made a life of connecting the dots, aligning her values, and not compromising on her commitment to work-life balance. Branksome Performing Arts teacher Judith Friend remembers Kelly’s design and construction of a giant rope-web, suspended from the ceiling and spanning the entire length and width of the performance space. “Kelly’s mathematical calculations proved to be accurate at the first attempt and she created and suspended the web in two hours,” says Friend. Clearly, being brilliant at knowing how to make everything come together was always in the cards. R
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AlumLife
WHAT A DIFFERENCE THEY MAKE With deep pride and admiration, Branksome featured many of the following alums on its social media channels this past spring and summer, stamped with the #BHHeroes hashtag. As their news and dispatches kept coming from around the world, it was an honour to spotlight these frontline workers, who selflessly rallied to join the global charge against COVID-19.
Kelly HOLLAND’09, an ER nurse in Calgary, stresses the importance of wearing masks, keeping hands away from our faces and regular hand washing.
Alisse HANNAFORD’09, resident physician, internal medicine, Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, Pa.
Cathy LE FEUVRE Harrison’80 and David Harrison, cardiologists, Trillium Health Partners, Toronto.
Martha RODEN Leong’04, department chair of the Family Medicine units, Buffalo Neighborhood Health Centers, N.Y.
Laura ASHTON’06, anaesthetic registrar, London, U.K.
Sarah SIDKY’09, resident doctor, Annapolis/Kings Primary Care Clinic, Annapolis Valley, N.S.
Alexandra DIMMER’09, general surgery resident, State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, N.Y.
Esha JAIN’08, physician, Richmond University Medical Center, Staten Island, N.Y.
Maddie GUNDY’13, operating room nurse in a major-trauma hospital, Sydney, Australia.
Missy MAHONEY’98, plastic and reconstructive surgeon, North York General Hospital, Toronto.
Romney JONES Pierog’90, registered nurse, Kingston Health Sciences Centre, Kingston, Ont. Romney’s campaign, Healthcare Mask Crusaders, has donated more than 10,000 masks to frontliners, federal prisons and shelters.
Alex PAGE’13, emergency room doctor, St. Mary’s Hospital, London, U.K.
General surgeon May-Anh NGUYEN’12, left, and internist Taylor PETROPOULOS’11, Toronto.
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Pree TAKHAR’13, family medicine resident, ACCESS Fort Garry, Winnipeg.
Passages Retirements
Edited excerpts are taken from live and pre-recorded speeches relayed via Zoom at the employee year-end celebration last June. Nancy Olfert (1988-2020) Junior School Vocal Teacher (1988-98) Middle and Senior School Vocal and Choral Music Teacher (1998-2000) Music Department Head (2000-10)
During her 32 years at Branksome, Nancy has taught music at every level from Grade 1 to 12—and even Grade 13, back in the day. She is a well-loved vocal teacher, a highly respected choral director, a professional singer and a versatile pianist. Her vocal mastery and passion for choral art have touched many hundreds of students. Nancy has also encouraged a love of music beyond Branksome’s halls. She has mentored students to prepare for university music programs, and she has coached singers for festivals such as Kiwanis and the CIS Music Festival. Her musical expertise and professionalism are well respected within the music community, as well as at U of T’s OISE. Teaching candidates and new teachers have sung her praises as a mentor. Anyone who has visited Nancy in the Vocal Room in the Senior School can appreciate that this classroom is a testament to Nancy’s nurturing and positive approach to the teaching of vocal music. The room is a safe and supportive learning environment where joy exists and skills can grow. Teaching supplies are colour-coded by grade, visual posters illustrate the elements of music, and the shiny baby-grand piano, Nancy’s key instructional tool, is placed at the centre of the learning circle and surrounded by student seating. Perhaps the most significant feature in the Vocal Room is the large, ever-growing family of small rubber ducks, representing a diverse range of personalities and characters, and generously donated by dozens of music students over the years. It is this collection of rubber ducks that truly symbolizes the fondness with which students regard Nancy as their vocal and choral teacher. To Middle and Senior School students, Ms. Olfert is their Mother Duck! Nancy, to paraphrase ABBA: “Thank you for the music.” You have been a trusted colleague, a loyal friend and a wonderful mentor. Your wisdom, your wit and your expertise will be greatly missed. Judith Friend Instructional Leader, Performing Arts
Carol Dugas (2001-2020) Junior School Teacher
When it was time for the students of the Junior School to say goodbye to Carol, it was no surprise that many of them chose to do so by writing poems. To her, the appreciation and writing of poetry was a special part of the curriculum, as was her annual June tradition of reciting a summary of the exploits of the year in rhyming couplets. She was equally inspired by imaginative picture books and demonstrated how to use them to design educational experiences when she volunteered in the Cambodia Teacher Training Project (2011-12). Carol’s passion for international history and current events often found its way into lessons. And her own enthralled explorations of places such as France, New York City, Cuba and Japan led her, in her classes, to nurture an appreciation of the diverse cultures and traditions of the world. Carol’s eclectic sense of expression inspired her students to create: they doodled, sculpted, embroidered, drew, painted, designed and built things, long before the term “makerspace” ever became popular. Her joy in teaching and love of her students was experienced gratefully by so many whose lives she influenced. Luanne Schlueter Junior School Music
“We have talked, we have stressed. We have laughed together. Teaching a second language is a real calling and all three of you have that passion for language that you bring to your students every single day.” About Michelle
“To the woman who hired me, thank you for bringing me into this Branksome family. I am better for it.” “Spending so many hours on our computers these days, I hope to join one of your yoga classes one day.” “Wherever you are going, just remember, as we say in Spanish, mi casa es tu casa. Wherever you are, I will be here waiting for you to celebrate the happiness of life. For now, Salute, Salute, Salute.” About Sylvie
“Congratulations. It’s the end of an era. I wish you all the best on this next chapter in your life. You can finally catch up on some light reading and enjoy a good cup of coffee.” “I’m thinking every day of how the best days of my life I spent with you. Going to ballets, Second City, movie theatres. All those conversations, all those laughs.” About Katie
Michelle Doyle (2002-20) French and Spanish Teacher, Middle and Senior School Instructional Leader, Modern and Classical Languages Sylvie Henderson (1990-2020) French Teacher, Middle and Senior School Katie Knox (1994-2020) French Teacher, Middle and Senior School
“Today we celebrate the new beginnings for three pillars of the Languages department. Katie, Sylvie and Michelle, on behalf of all of us, congratulations! You are three compassionate teachers and amazing women, and together, you have a combined impact of over 80 teaching years.”
“When I first met Katie, after a short discussion about summer training, she said to me, I think we’re really going to get along. I had a wonderful experience in the French department—thank you for making my first year at Branksome so exceptional.” “I learned about the importance of being really knowledgeable in your chosen subject field, about having passion and love for your students.” Current and past teachers Modern and Classical Languages
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Passages
Births
Marriages 1960 Barbara FRENCH to Herman Plas, on January 11, 2020, in Waterford, Ont.
REMARKABLE!
2003
Nicole WILSON to Harkeet Chadh, on June 22, 2019, in Montreal.
Jessica CHAO to Philipp Wanivenhaus, on July 1, 2017, in Vienna, Austria.
2006 Laura ASHTON to Matthew Edwards, on July 25, 2019, in London, U.K.
Leopold and Eleanor (see Class of 2005 birth notice) look adorable, each in a spiffy Branksome “onesie.” Let us know when your baby arrives, and we’ll send you this cozy outfit (sized to 12 months). alumnae@branksome.on.ca
1996
2002
2004
Alanna TEDESCO McLaughlin, a daughter, Sienna Marie, on January 31, 2020, in Toronto. Kimberly BROOKER Carter, a daughter, Ashlyn Brooke, on March 26, 2020, in Toronto.
Karelle STEINER to Christopher Golda, on September 15, 2018, in Paris, France.
Gabriella SICILIANO to David Wright, on November 16, 2019, in Toronto.
2000
Joanna SOULOS, a daughter, Marina, on December 3, 2019, in Toronto. A niece for Emily SOULOS’97.
2007 Sarah SAHAGIAN, a daughter, Beatrix Octavia, on February 13, 2020, in Toronto.
Caroline HOUNG, a daughter, Ava Josephine, on November 6, 2018, in Toronto. 2001 Caitlin McALLISTER to Owen Williams, on July 20, 2019, in Toronto. Hannah LO to Kia Fatemi, on October 11, 2019, in Toronto.
Ashley CALDWELL, a son, Harrison Long, on June 1, 2020, in New York City.
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2004
2003
2005
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Rowena LEUNG, a daughter, Everleigh, on February 25, 2020, in Toronto.
Jessica CHAO Wanivenhaus, a daughter, Valerie, on August 31, 2019, in Vienna, Austria.
2005 Gaylen LINDAL, twins, Eleanor Grace and Leopold Paul, on March 13, 2020, in Toronto. A niece and nephew for Donna LINDAL’07.
Deaths 2006
Some notices and In Memoriams have been edited from published obituaries. 1937 Marjorie “Mardi” EASTBURY Kersell, age 100, on May 15, 2020, in Waterloo, Ont.
Ashley CARTER Godfrey, a daughter, Charlotte Blaire, on July 8, 2020, in Oshawa, Ont.
Julie GILMOUR’05, a daughter, Catharine Mackinnon, on April 28, 2020; Emily GILMOUR’08, a son, Callum Joseph, on January 22, 2020. A nephew for Julie; a niece for Emily.
2013 Maggie BROWN Morrison a son, James Gervase, on April 25, 2020 in Newmarket, Ont. A grandson for Becky MOORE Brown’87.
Mardi’s first job was selling advertising for The Globe and Mail. In the mid-1940s, she moved to Kitchener with her husband Wally Robinson and founded Beauticians Supply Limited. In the late ’60s, she studied interior decorating in New York City, which became invaluable to her in her real estate career. At over 80 years of age, she was still practising yoga, scuba diving in the Caribbean and swimming with the dolphins in Cuba. 1940 Joan MacPHERSON Gordon, on July 16, 2020, in Burlington, Ont. Joan was a wonderful and beautiful lady. She loved a good book, was a gracious and generous host and always enjoyed the company of all her friends and children. Growing up in Toronto, there were
countless summer holidays and family gatherings at Jackson’s Point, Teeswater and Kincardine. Joan had a smile that would light up any room, and an ability to brighten everyone’s day. Her love for life sustained her through her final years.
A graduate of the University of Toronto, she was instrumental in the establishment of the U of T Art Centre, which she supported throughout her life. She was also a recipient of the U of T Arbor Award, the City of Toronto Canada Day Achievement Award and the University College Alumni of Influence Award. 1944 Patricia BELL-IRVING Wilson, on August 20, 2020, in Vancouver. A mother, grandmother and great-grandmother,
1942 Margaret “Peg” McKELVEY, on January 20, 2020, in Toronto.
During the war, Peg served as a WREN. She spent her professional life as an editor and writer working for JM Dent and Fitzhenry & Whiteside. Later, as a freelancer for the CBC, she was a scriptwriter at the centre of early children’s television programming. She enjoyed her cottage on Fraser Island in Muskoka, and was a long-time volunteer for the Toronto Symphony, Sunnybrook Hospital, the University College Alumni Association, and the Toronto Humane Society.
Trish was the solid foundation for her family. She and Charlie, her husband of 65 years, sparked a spirit of adventure in their children, and the family enjoyed many travels. Trish loved reading history, and supported the Royal Canadian Air Cadet movement, in particular the Bell-Irving Squadron 135, Vancouver, recently renamed in honour of her father. Trish was a docent for over 10 years at the Vancouver Museum and was also involved for many years in the North Vancouver Community Arts Council.
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Passages
Deaths Primula ESHELBY Bull’44, on May 8, 2020, in Kingston, Ont. See In Memoriam 1945 Margaret AMBLER von Marx, on January 8, 2020, in Somerton, U.K. See In Memoriam. 1946 Virginia CARROLL Stinson, on December 3, 2016, in Toronto. At Branksome, “Ginny” made friendships that continued for decades as the “Branksome Bridge Club.” Ginny and husband Mike retired to eastern Ontario where they enjoyed many happy years living in the “stone house” on the St. Lawrence River. Ginny enjoyed an active social life wherever she lived and made a wide range of friends through bridge, volunteer work and service with the Anglican Church. She returned to Toronto after Mike’s death to be closer to family. Sadly, she developed dementia but, with support, was able to live independently until 2015.
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Jean WILKINSON Harpham, on February 25, 2013, in Wilmington, Delaware. Jean became a registered nurse at The Hospital for Sick Children. In 1951, after her marriage to the late John Harpham, they moved to Wilmington, where John worked as a PhD chemist for Hercules. She returned every summer to the family cottage at Oak Lake in Stirling, Ont. Jean was a devoted member of The Cathedral Church of St. John and a community volunteer. She beautified her home and those of her children using her extraordinary gifts for gardening and needlework.
Elinor was an extraordinary seamstress and a no-need-to-look knitter, who also did pastel portraits and stained glass works. She was an involved community volunteer and a genealogy buff. Elinor was a wonderful mother and grandmother, and a loving wife to her devoted husband. 1950 Ann COOLING Stuart, on June 12, 2020, in Bristol, U.K. Mother of Kathy STUART Mundy’75.
1948 Sally DALTON Wallace, on June 18, 2020, in Toronto. Dorothy EDWARDS Moore, on July 28, 2018, in Madoc, Ont. Margaret FOULDS Hubble, on August 20, 2019, in Toronto. 1949 Elinor OAKS Sisson, on April 9, 2019, in Belleville, Ont. Elinor graduated with a BA from Queen’s University, where she met Jack Sisson. They were married in 1953 and settled in Belleville where they raised their four children.
Ann attended Branksome from Kindergarten to Grade 13 and went on to study law at the University of Toronto. In 1955, she married Ian Stuart and, together, they raised three children. Ann loved to travel and, in 1984, moved to Bristol, where she was nicely located for trips to the continent.
1953 Sandra SHAW Sharwood, on April 28, 2020, in Toronto. Sister of Sydney SHAW Sharwood’55 and Beverley SHAW Routledge’61. See In Memoriam. 1954 Grace LANGLOIS Kammerer, on October 17, 2020 in Williamsville, New York. Sister of Joan LANGLOIS King’48.
Grace excelled academically, receiving dual BA and BLS degrees from the University of Toronto, and earning a master of library science degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Grace served as medical librarian at both the University of Buffalo Medical & Dental Schools and Kenmore Mercy Hospital and then as acquisitions librarian at Youville College until her retirement in 2000. She lived in Grand Island, New York, for over 50 years, raised her children there, and was an active volunteer.
On their travels, she and Henry, her husband of 24 years, let penguins peck their boots in Antarctica, walked with lions in Zimbabwe, climbed to the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, floated in the Dead Sea, and renewed their baptismal vows in the River Jordan. 1955 Carol HENSON Chandler, on May 8, 2017, in Halifax, N.S. A Maritimer, Carol greatly enjoyed the year she attended Branksome Hall. She possessed innate, razor-sharp political insight, and was passionately interested in social and economic justice. She taught her children not what to think, but how to think, to be independent minded and logical thinkers. Carol canvassed for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Nova Scotia and the Canadian Cancer Society and was honoured as a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters. She supported the arts, particularly the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival and, as an accomplished seamstress, was an avid promoter of local artisans. 1957 Elspeth KING Woods, on April 10, 2020, in St. Catharines, Ont.
In Memoriam 1962 Nancy JOHNSTON Covell, on February 22, 2020, in Toronto.
1965 Jill LE CLAIR, on October 23, 2020, in Toronto. See In Memoriam. 1966 Nancy BRADFORD Bos, on May 29, 2020, in Peterborough, Ont. See In Memoriam.
Nancy earned her BScN from the University of Toronto and worked at Sick Kids and Kingston General Hospitals before staying home to raise her three girls. She returned to the profession and worked for the Victorian Order of Nurses, Veterans Affairs and Toronto Public Health before her retirement. She had a great love for her family and members of her faith community. She filled her life with prayer, music, reading and charitable endeavours. With her boundless energy, she helped to launch numerous educational, devotional and outreach projects. Patricia WILSON Proctor, on September 3, 2019, in Toronto. Sister of Susan WILSON’65. See In Memoriam. 1964 Victoria LEE Weston, on September 28, 2020, in St. Catharines, Ont. Sister of Nancy LEE Dixon’68. See In Memoriam.
1969 Carol MARBLE Thatcher, on June 9, 2020, in Toronto. A Brown University grad, Carol worked in the electronic publishing field, with positions at Quicklaw, InfoGlobe and Infomart; then held management positions at CGI and the Ontario Ministry of Health. A devoted volunteer for 20 years at Out Of The Cold, Carol enjoyed singing with the Toronto Classical Singers, loved to garden and travel, and shared many evenings with her friends at book club, bridge, French and Spanish classes. 1977 Trish LARSSON, on April 23, 2020, in Oshawa, Ont. She was a beautiful soul, kind and loving to everyone and everything that crossed her path. 1980 Susan SHERIDAN Tennant, on July 10, 2017 in North Bay, Ont. 1987 Colleen SILVER, on June 20, 2020, in Burlington, Ont. Colleen excelled at Branksome, where she made lifelong friends, and where she enjoyed soccer
and competitive diving at a national level. At UBC, Colleen found her voice by supporting the environment and protesting against discrimination and corporate America. She returned to Toronto and took a job on Bay Street. Later, Colleen found her true calling in the healthcare sector, perhaps from hearing the many nursing stories from her grandmother. 1992 Molly MacNEILL, on February 16, 2020, in Ottawa, Ont. Daughter of Julie Wildman-Wallis (former Ainslie house mother); niece of Margot VANDERPLOEG Smith’64; cousin of Claire HICKS’92.
Molly was a vibrant young woman with an unquenchable love of life and a flourishing career in Ottawa. She passed away unexpectedly at home from a sudden heart attack. She leaves her husband and 13-year-old son. In recognition of Molly, the flags at the CSIS headquarters in Ottawa flew at half-mast for three days.
Primula ESHELBY Bull’44 March 20, 1927 – May 8, 2020 Prim enjoyed an idyllic childhood growing up in Somerset, U.K. In 1940, she was evacuated, along with her brother Peter, to Canada, where she attended Branksome Hall until she graduated. At 17, she returned to England to join the WRENS and was assigned to top-secret operations at Bletchley Park. She later graduated from the University of Bristol and attended the Cordon Bleu school in Paris. After the war, Prim returned to Canada and worked as a secretary, French teacher and librarian in Toronto. When she started dating our father Keith Bull she would come for Sunday dinners at our home, during which the three teenagers would test her knowledge of slang and swear words, and much to our amusement we would have to explain what they meant. She and Keith married in 1971, and she remained his devoted supporter for 44 years until his death in 2015. Prim was active as a volunteer with St. George’s Cathedral in Kingston, Ont. where she and Keith had retired. She gardened passionately, was a talented seamstress, was “famous” for her dinners, and loved her bridge games and cross-country skiing. She leaves her stepchildren Cathy, Avril and Owen, nieces, nephews, step-grandchildren and step-great grandchildren, and her best friend Nancy HIGGINBOTTOM Robinson’44. (In Memoriams continue on next page)
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Passages
In Memoriam Margaret AMBLER von Marx’45 June 16, 1930 – January 8, 2020
Sandra SHAW Sharwood’53 March 3, 1935 – April 28, 2020
Patricia WILSON Proctor’62 September 3, 2019
Maggie’s talents were considerable. She sculpted, she painted, she wrote a book. She cooked, sewed, gardened, decorated and made homes, all with considerable skill and great enthusiasm. She was a secretary, Maggie with her father ran a B&B, read widely in 1952. and avidly, travelled extensively and inquisitively. She entertained, she socialized, she made and kept many friends, even if it saddened her to have outlived so many of them. She was fiercely independent. After being born in Singapore, between the ages of 4 and 54 she lived in Winchester, Canada, Australia, Hampshire, Oxford, London, Singapore, Guernsey, the Philippines and Spain. Between 4 and 14, she barely saw her parents at all. The world war caused a total diaspora of her immediate family: the origins of that independence are perhaps not surprising. After that 50-year odyssey, she lived the last 35 years of her life in Somerton, U.K. Maggie was married three times—twice unsuccessfully, and all too briefly the third time. Over the last 15 months of her life, the physical and mental decline in one who had been so independent and active was sad, and in the end I feel that we should be grateful that she died when she did, and did not linger after—for her—any tolerable quality of life had irretrievably gone.
Sandra attended various schools in Ontario, necessitated by moves dictated by the family business, the Shaw Milling Company (Maple Leaf Mills). She graduated from Branksome and while there developed championship diving and swimming skills, often training in Lake Ontario in order to win countless competitions against those who trained in heated pools. Sandra loved animals and was an accomplished horsewoman. As a youngster, she rode frequently with her father Hedley, who was killed in action on February 11, 1945, at age 43, during the liberation of Holland. Hedley was a highly skilled sniper serving with the Lake Superior Highlanders. Sandra never got over his tragic death, which was thought to contribute to her lifelong battle with depression. Sandra became an outspoken evangelist for understanding depression. She volunteered with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and served as chair of the Canadian Psychiatric Awareness Committee (CPAC), a committee of the Canadian Psychiatric Foundation. She also volunteered with the Art Gallery of Ontario, National Ballet, Opera Committee, Stop 103, The Royal Winter Fair, Tarragon Theatre and certain Grace Church on-the-Hill outreach activities. Sandra had brief but creative business careers, including with the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce to establish a frontline staff training centre. She retired from the bank as the vicepresident, personnel, in order to focus on raising a family and spend more time and energy on her charitable and outreach interests. Sandra was friendly, kind, funny and incredibly outgoing, and is fondly remembered by everyone she encountered.
A wife, mother and grandmother, Patty was a consummate knitter, bird lover, crossword puzzler, gardener, traveller, hostess, dancer, Georgian Bay cottager and bridge player. She retained good friends from all stages of her life. Patty studied Chinese language at the University of Toronto, with stints for undergraduate and graduate work at Columbia University and the Universities of Oxford, Hong Kong and London, U.K. Her language skills landed her a short-term position at the Royal Ontario Museum acting as a translator for a visiting academic studying the ROM’s oracle bone collection. She parlayed this into a 40-year career, during which she became a recognized expert in Chinese ceramics, an impassioned lecturer on Chinese arts, culture, and history, and was personally entrusted with expanding the ROM’s renowned Chinese ceramic collection.
Rupert Hill Margaret’s son
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Victoria LEE Weston’64 September 9,1946 – September 28, 2020 Vicki was incredibly kind, unbelievably thoughtful, smart as a whip, hilarious, and a force to be reckoned with. No one could write a letter like Vicki. Her dedication to staying connected with so many people in her life with a thoughtful note in her distinct and beautiful penmanship was truly amazing. She showed genuine interest and happiness in
celebrating everyone’s achievements. Vicki was a voracious reader, a movie buff, and a lover of animals. She loved the water—to collapse under it, as she would say. A huge part of her heart lay in Muskoka, a place where so many of her wonderful childhood memories took place. Vicki loved to learn and admitted she was a better student than teacher, lasting only one year in front of the classroom before realizing her talents belonged elsewhere. Completing two degrees at Queen’s University and most recently a university certificate for Teaching English as a Second Language, her passion for learning something new was never satisfied. Vicki was my older sister, my idol. An excellent student, she set the bar for the rest of us. A favourite memory from growing up was sneaking downstairs on Christmas Eve to see what Santa had brought us. Once our mother caught us, but all of those other times were our little secrets. In our later years and after our parents had died, Vicki became our unofficial family “historian.” I was forever asking her questions about our earlier days and she almost always had an answer. A strong, independent woman, no sister could have been a better correspondent— sending notes and cards for birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and so on. She loved my four children and took pleasure in hearing all about their exploits. Every day in my home, I see a little something or card that Vicki sent to me. Nancy LEE Dixon’68 Vicki’s sister
Jill LE CLAIR’65 February 6, 1947 – October 24, 2020
Nancy BRADFORD Bos’66 May 5, 1948 – May 29, 2020
Jill attended Branksome for several years in the Junior School, but remained connected over the years. After attending McGill University, her academic success included a career at Humber College as a professor of social sciences with a focus on sport. In 1993, she received a Humber College Distinguished Faculty Award. After receiving a PhD in anthropology from the University of Toronto, Jill earned a grant from the European Commission: the Marie Curie Fellowship to study sports, disability and the Paralympics at the University of Coventry in the U.K. Her academic career centered on sports, disability and the Paralympics. She published numerous articles and authored a book entitled Winners and Losers: Sport and Physical Activity in the 90s. Jill’s work involved worldwide travel as a speaker at international conferences sponsored by academic organizations and universities on sports-related topics. She attended sporting events throughout the world to interview participants and to discuss the challenges that many athletes, particularly para-athletes, encounter in their sport. In the late 1990s, Jill was injured in a car accident that required her to wear a neck brace. She turned that adversity into an opportunity and created art shows of photographs taken while lying down in places such as airline lounges, hotel lobbies and meeting rooms. More recently, due to some medical issues she had begun to wind down. Tragically, as Jill was enjoying a cup of tea with a friend, she was struck by a van that ran onto the sidewalk.
Throughout her life Nancy remained a loyal friend to Branksome, to her classmates and to all who knew her. After Grade 13, Nancy headed to Queen’s University where she met the love of her life, Carlo Bos. After graduating with a BA, she went to Toronto Teachers’ College for the primary specialist program. She loved her profession and brought her zest for life and inimitable enthusiasm to her students and fellow teachers. Nancy and Carlo married in 1972 and after a few years in London moved to Peterborough, where they settled and brought up their three sons, Carlo, Jeff rey and Graham. As well as being a teacher, Nancy was an active member of the community leading a Brownie pack, volunteering at Lakefield College, the YWCA, her church and Hospice Peterborough. She was also an enthusiastic cottager, book club member, curler and avid traveller. Nancy was diagnosed with leukemia four years ago. She never lost her spirited and optimistic approach to life. She died at home surrounded by the love of her husband, her three boys and their families. Nancy did indeed Keep Well The Road. Gail McKINNON MacNaughton’66 Classmate and Friend
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Wise Words
The Quiet Journey It’s daring to question The Way Things Are and strike out on a different path
I AM INSPIRED by the way my classmates are living out their various remarkable dreams—perhaps differently from how they, too, had planned. In the era of the climate change crisis, success for many of us means not perpetually growing and expanding, taking up more resources and more space, but living more simply. An awareness of privilege and equality may mean not generating more wealth and extravagance, but being wise and gracious in taking less, putting aside the ideals of modern success and focusing on small acts of service. For some people, being remarkable might mean finding a cure for Alzheimer’s or dancing in the National Ballet. For others, being remarkable is a quiet journey. It’s daring to question The Way Things Are and strike out on a different path, having gained the confidence that success is possible against the status quo. We are remarkable not because of the great flashes of brilliance we occasionally have, but because of the way we live our everyday lives: our thoughts, our ideals, our values, our actions—how we listen, how we react, how we move forward and how we pause before deciding. Only one of us needs to invent the machine that will fi lter the oceans of microplastics. But while she is working on her feat of brilliant engineering, the rest of us can get out gloves and paper garbage bags and set to work cleaning up one section of the earth at a time. Only one of us needs to be the next Ruth Bader Ginsburg, but the rest of us can quietly write letters to our MPs, demanding policy changes at the community level. We can protest at Black Lives Matter events. We can stand up to small acts of homophobia, misogyny, racism and xenophobia we see in our everyday lives. Only one of us needs to amass a billion-dollar fortune and become a steward of philanthropy. The rest of us can contribute
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JUSTINE MCNEELY
By Stephanie KAIN’02
small amounts to causes that mean something to us. Dollar by dollar, we can rebalance the scales. Every day, I witness my classmates doing quietly remarkable things: canvassing for political issues, starting businesses, raising children, homeschooling, learning a new language, moving across continents, repatriating, writing books, acting on TV, crafting satire, designing eco homes, building, innovating, singing, and word by word, action by action, changing the world, post-pandemic, for the better. Branksome was our starting block, and we are all capable of leaping off it into the remarkable lives we create for ourselves. R Stephanie Kain is an author, business owner and former academic. Her novels have been shortlisted for the Lambda Literary Award, the Golden Crown Literary Award and the National Indie Excellence Award. She holds a PhD in creative writing from Lancaster University, U.K., for which she studied the history of Idiot Asylums in Ontario during the 1920s. She lives with her wife and daughter on Prince Edward Island, where she runs a bookstore/coffee shop.
Hanging In: With a little SELfcare “Hanging in there” became our new answer to “How are you?” The Student Support Team created an online SELfcare Toolkit packed with ideas to be used by students and families alike, to strengthen resilience, support our mental health and well-being, and nourish our relationships. https://www.branksome.on.ca/coronavirus-response/selfcare-toolkit
Proof the entrepreneurial spirit grows best in fearlessness.
Canada p South Korea
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The READ Fall 2020
