Your friends. Your class. Your school.
30 d
Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31
Honouring the classes of 1940, 1945, 1950, 1955, 1960, 1965, 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010.
Plans are underway to make your reunion truly memorable!
www.branksome.on.ca/alumnae
Branksome Hall Vision
To be the pre-eminent educational community of globally minded learners and leaders.
Branksome Hall Mission
Each day, we challenge and inspire girls to love learning and to shape a better world.
winter 2014/15
12 The New Athletics and Wellness Centre
Take a virtual tour
Why strong connections to Branksome helped ‘Pave the Way’
Meet the new dance instructor
20 Hear Me ROAR
After several high-profile careers, Kate HILTON’91 finds her true passion in writing
23 Promoting Health from Africa to Europe
Young alumna Victoria WELLS ’07 evaluates healthcare in rural Ghana
24 Memories of a Secret War
Athol HUGHES ’39 reflects on the dark days of WWII and her career that followed
26 Knowing the Drill
The delicate, demanding and isolating work of engineer Tess CECIL-COCKWELL’04
28 Working Miracles
How faith and determination made Sara AUSTIN’93 one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women
31 Nursing the North Alix ROBERTSON-SALSBERG’04 lives her
THE READ COMMITTEE
Our new strategy embraces wellness, academics and global engagement
QGAP celebrates its 10th anniversary
35 Alumnae Update
Reunion survey results
A year of networking
Winning Women: Alumnae Award recipients Meredith SHAW’00, Christie SMYTHE’90 and Andrea LENCZNER’90
42 Class Notes*
58 Passages*
64 A Day in the Life Capturing the underwater world
Tanya Pimenoff, Editor
Berton Woodward, Editorial Advisor
Julia Drake
Karen L. Jurjevich
Zahra Valani
Karrie Weinstock
CONTRIBUTORS
Nadia ALY’03
Kate ARMSTRONG’78
Jamie Day FLECK’00
Kate HILTON’91
Athol HUGHES’39
Mark Meyer
Jocelyn MOLYNEUX’03
Ruth Ann Penny
Melanie Reiffenstein
Caley Taylor
Amy VERNER’98
Victoria WELLS’07
Alumnae, Employees and Friends of Branksome Hall
DESIGN & PRODUCTION
Atlanta Visual Communications Inc.
Branksome Hall
10 Elm Avenue
Toronto, ON M4W 1N4
Tel: 416-920-9741
www.branksome.on.ca
Email: tpimenoff@branksome.on.ca
Winter 2014/15
Volume 54, Number 1
Canadian Publications Mail Agreement #40010445
The polybag containing this publication is made from recycled materials and is 100% biodegradable.
34
Look behind the scenes of the CBC TV show with finalist Victoria LeendersCHENG’00
Correction Notice
Winter 2013–14 issue of The READ
On p. 58, Katie HIGGINS’05 was incorrectly identified as the granddaughter of the late Kay SHIRRIFF Reid’38. Katie is the great-niece of both Kay and the late Elizabeth SHIRRIFF Higgins’42.
On p. 58, it was incorrectly printed that Joanne EDMONDS Hunt’43 had passed away. We were delighted to learn Joanne lives in Guelph, ON. The editorial committee apologizes for these errors.
With the new Athletics and Wellness Centre, we celebrate a great accomplishment—and an historic moment for Branksome.
by Karen L.THIS ISSUE OF The READ celebrates wellness—a central theme in Branksome Hall’s new strategy, A Remarkable Future: Strategy for 2014 and Beyond (see p. 5). We are excited about the direction that we have set toward wellness—a direction that guides each of us to “be in our best (not perfect) self.”
Recently, I have been inspired by Arianna Huffington as she tells her personal story
in her book Thrive: “I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself.” Arianna’s words encourage us to recognize our strengths, find our joy and celebrate our accomplishments. She is telling us to live in our best self; not under the scrutiny of others.
Perfectionism is the enemy of progress, some say. Perfectionists get mired in the details and, in the process, they often miss
out on opportunities for collaboration, creativity, risk-taking, and even success. Being in our best self, however, means aiming for health, happiness and success but not beating ourselves up if we miss the mark on the occasional goal.
The opening of our new Athletics and Wellness Centre (AWC), in January 2015, is a great accomplishment; a catalyst that will steer our students and members of the
Jurjevich
“We are a community that is making choices to live a healthy and integrated lifestyle that combines work, family life and personal fulfillment.”Principal Karen L. Jurjevich addresses guests at Installation last October. CALEY TAYLOR
Branksome community to work at being their best selves.
A masterpiece of architectural design, the AWC truly exceeds expectations. And, as it comes to life, the awe and pride that I know will be felt by every person who visits this amazing complex will be part of our collective memory.
This year, we have literally watched the AWC rise out of the ground. Its stunning glass exterior walls invite us into the new gymnasium, dance studio, fitness centre, yoga studio, rowing centre and swimming pools. At the same time, we feel the pulse of the city of Toronto—which is in full view from the rooftop garden. The impact of being part of such a transformational experience has not been lost on us. In fact, I have repeatedly been struck by the fact that, with the opening of the new AWC, we are making history at Branksome Hall.
While making history may seem like a tall order, I have come to realize that the combined effort of legions of people who have gotten behind the construction of the AWC have given us this opportunity. Branksome forever remains a community of committed believers who love the school and are committed to its prosperity and place as a leading school for girls in Canada and globally.
As enthusiasm about this new facility grows, so does the expectation that our lives will somehow be transformed. We are a community that is making choices to live a healthy and integrated lifestyle that combines work, family life and personal fulfillment.
In the months ahead, I look forward to seeing you “dance better than yourself.” Embrace the excitement, appreciate the multitude of people who have made this building possible, and live in your best (not perfect) self. I
Some consider letter-writing a lost art. But not in my family—and not at Branksome.
by Tanya PimenoffSome consider it a lost art. But not in my family—and not at Branksome. For 10 years, Branksome alumnae have wholeheartedly embraced the Student/ Alumna Letter-Writing Project—a feature of our Reunion Program that connects a Junior School student with a reunion year alumna. The project ties into curriculum, teaches letter-writing skills and imbues the value of a lifelong connection to the school. When an alumna writes back, the student is thrilled to share an interesting story, a school memory, historical tidbits and even photos with her class.
The Branksome Archives holds a treasure trove of letters, both hand-scripted and typed—a history on paper that will long outlive the spoken word.
It is the same in my family. Hidden in trunks and cardboard boxes in various basements are some of our most valued treasures. These are letters, all beautifully scripted, brought to Montreal by my Russian ancestors nearly 100 years ago.
We’ve been aware of these letters for a long time, but with a generation that didn’t speak the language, and with the busyness of life, these doorways into our past remained locked away. Until now.
My brother Stephen (a staunch believer in long, newsy letters) took on the challenge years ago to learn Russian. Now fluent, he has begun unlocking stories of an unknown time in our family’s history—accounts of everyday life in the late 1800s and turn of the century that tell of another world in another era.
As life in Canada took hold, family letters (now mostly written in English) have added to our collection and we keep every one. Unlike email, it would seem to me disrespectful to discard a handwritten letter, given the effort put into it and the distance it has travelled.
One particular letter that keeps surfacing at family gatherings was written by my father. In it, he tries to cheer up his nephew who was having a hard time settling in to boarding school. “Well, old cock, I hear it’s not exactly beer and pretzels,” he wrote. Dad, though Russian, was educated in England and through his writing, I hear the British nuances in his humorous pen.
Yes, email is here to stay, thankfully, as this issue of The READ would not be in your hands without it. All forms of electronic communication are thriving and, importantly, keeping our Branksome alumnae connected.
But will future generations remember all the nuances that make someone’s life unique—the beer and pretzels of family life from generations past?
At Branksome, we will continue to add to our archival collection. What about you? Why not take a few moments to write a letter to someone you care about? Send it by snail mail, and ask them for a reply. Your descendants are waiting to read it. I
“Be who you were meant to be, and you will set the world on fire!” guest speaker Sara AUSTIN’93 (see feature on p. 28) told our new student leaders at Installation in October.
The Director of the President’s Office at World Vision Canada, Sara urged the students to discover their passion and purpose, and to harness their “superpowers” to have a positive impact on others. “When we each find our calling and live it out, we can make powerful changes in this world,” she said. “Each of you has something amazing hidden inside of you.”
It was clear that the students at Installation were prepared to do just that. Many in the gather-
ing rose to acknowledge their leadership of one or more of the nearly 80 clubs, service learning opportunities, or music ensembles. Through these activities, the students are pursuing passions that range from astronomy and dance to marine biology, rock climbing, social justice, sustainability and women’s rights.
In her Installation speech, 2014–15 Head Girl Emma Duncanova described Branksome as her “second home,” saying, “I am deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to grow in a school like this—a school which constantly challenges us, and provides us all with this wonderful, and supportive community.”
Does this look familiar? Last June, at a national conference held in Edmonton, the 2013–14 issue of The READ received the coveted Silver Prix d’Excellence Award from the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE). Competing primarily with universities, Branksome Hall’s award was in the Best Print Magazine category. Gold and Bronze recognition was awarded to the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia respectively.
Branksome’s new approach pinpoints the school’s unique blend of wellness, outstanding academics and global engagement opportunities.
BRANKSOME HALL HAS a proud past and an ambitious future. To ensure that the school continues to thrive, sound planning is essential.
A Board-led committee of alumnae, parents, students, faculty, staff and administrators has created a new longterm strategy that builds on the school’s successes. Beginning in 2013, the committee embarked on a new strategic planning process, which involved consulting with the Rotman School of Management and some of North America’s top innovators in education. Their work was also informed by the results of community surveys and focus groups conducted in 2013.
The new Board-approved strategy, A Remarkable Future: Strategy for 2014 and Beyond, unveiled in fall 2014, is designed to serve as an overarching guide for the school over the next five years or longer.
“Our history and our past successes are the solid foundation on which we will build a strong future—a future where wellness, internationally recognized academic programs, global engagement opportunities, and transformational leadership feature prominently,” says Principal Karen Jurjevich, who co-chaired the strategy committee.
Today, Branksome Hall’s reputation is “unparalleled,” she adds. “Our students are recognized as globally minded learners and leaders; our faculty represent the finest educators in Canada; and our awardwinning facilities, in both Canada and Asia, have positioned us on the world stage as a leader in education.”
The strategy is designed to open the door to new opportunities and ensure that Branksome continues to lead the way for girls’ education in Canada and globally.
Branksome will continue to nurture “transformational leaders” who will give back to their global and local communities. Transformational leaders focus on developing capacity in others. They influence by broadening and elevating the goals of others, and by providing others with the confidence they need to exceed their own expectations.
Many faculty members are already conducting “action research” at Branksome. In the years ahead, we will gather and conduct world-leading
research in girls’ learning and well-being. We will use that research to enhance our programs and we will share our research with others—all to benefit girls’ learning.
The unique combination of wellness, outstanding academics and global engagement opportunities ensures that Branksome Hall stands out from other girls’ schools.
• Wellness: It’s crucial to ensure our students’ emotional and physical well-being. The new Athletics and Wellness Centre will become the heart of our wellness initiatives, which include providing girls with opportunities to manage stress, develop resilience and organizational skills, and make healthy choices.
• Outstanding academics: Branksome Hall is already recognized as a leading IB World School. As we gather new research, we will enhance our understanding of girls’ learning needs and will adjust our academic programs as needed.
• Global engagement opportunities: Our global partners—such as the Queenstown Get Ahead Project School (QGAP) in South Africa, our service learning partners in Costa Rica, and Branksome Hall Asia in South Korea—are examples of our global network. We see Branksome as a global hub, based in Toronto, with an integrated, interconnected network of partners.
Talking about women and alcohol
At St. Clement’s School on April 29, Ann DOWSETT Johnston’71 led a provocative evening discussion for Grade 12 students and their parents. Ann touched on issues she faced during her struggle with anxiety, depression and alcoholism, as detailed in her book Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol.
F or student Juliette Escande, a March Break school exchange proved to be a lifealtering experience.
Last March, Juliette joined 16 classmates for the Grade 9 Branksome Hall Asia exchange. The trip included several days at Branksome Hall Asia on Jeju Island in South Korea, as well as visits to the nation’s capital, Seoul, and the demilitarized zone that separates North and South Korea.
“I have never been so welcomed into a new community,” says Juliette, “and after just the first day, I felt like I had known the students for years.”
Juliette and Jiwoo, the “buddy” she was paired up with, continue to keep in touch. A few weeks after her return to Canada, Juliette received a special surprise in the mail—a letter from Jiwoo,
*The Best Experience of your Life
written in English, in cursive. “When I saw that Jiwoo taught herself how to write in cursive just for me, I almost cried,” recalls Juliette. “This must have taken her so much time!”
In return, Juliette wrote a letter in Korean for Jiwoo. “It was a lot of work and it was hard to write the Korean characters— they were very complex and never the same!”
It wasn’t merely the beautiful sights, the culture and the history that left a lasting impression on Juliette. Her favourite experience was seeing so many strong relationships form quickly, regardless of cultural differences.
Branksome Hall Asia opened in 2012, and an exchange program between the schools launched in 2013. Interest is strong, and many Grade 9 students will visit South Korea over March Break 2015.
This new and now annual speaker event is the collaboration of four Toronto girls’ schools—Branksome Hall, St. Clement’s School, The Bishop Strachan School and Havergal College.
Now six years sober, Ann is an advocate for educating students and their parents on women’s drinking. In June, she was the recipient of the Transforming Lives Award, presented by the CAMH Foundation. In a quote from an interview, Ann said, “Of all the things I’ve won in my life, this is the most meaningful, by far.”
Sparked, in part, by Ann’s presentation, Branksome Hall has launched “The Drink Initiative: Understanding and Managing Your Risk.” The new program, which reflects Branksome’s commitment to wellness, provides a forum for girls to discuss and explore the impact of substance use. It features guest speakers and a partnership with Sunnybrook Hospital’s “PARTY” program, which stands for Prevent Alcohol and Risk-Related Trauma in Youth.
Looking for a wide variety of gifts, crested items and memorabilia? You’ll find the new location of The Shop in the former Coach House, located west of the new Athletics and Wellness Centre. Visit branksome.on.ca/alumnae for hours of operation, or contact Shop Manager Andrea McAnally at amcanally@branksome.on.ca.
너의 인생에서New friends Jiwoo and Juliette have kept in touch since meeting at Branksome Hall Asia last March.
The Triangle of Hope, founded by Peter Oliver, Chair of the Stephen Leacock Foundation for Children, partners a Toronto independent school with a Toronto inner-city school and a school in South Africa, providing opportunities for student learning, service and friendship.
For a decade, Branksome Hall and Rose Avenue Public School in
Toronto have partnered with the Queenstown Get Ahead Project School (QGAP) in South Africa.
Last May, alumnae and current students who participated over the years gathered at Branksome to celebrate the program’s 10th anniversary.
Deputy Principal Karrie Weinstock, a native South African, helped launch Branksome’s
participation in the Triangle of Hope. During her remarks, she recalled an unforgettable moment when she accompanied Branksome teachers and students to see Nelson Mandela’s birthplace—now his burial place.
“Walking with students through the Nelson Mandela Museum and showing them photographs of life during my
childhood, growing up in the apartheid years and witnessing first-hand the resistance against it through my father’s work in the Liberal Party, was particularly moving,” she said.
Carol DRUMM’13, during her service trip to QGAP in 2012, noted the optimism displayed by students and others she met in South Africa. “Although every group that visits QGAP brings something different to the school, it is the culmination of all these visits that has allowed QGAP to grow,” says Carol, who is now studying at the University of Toronto.
The 2013–14 Donor and Giving Report, Sharing Wellness, is online at branksome.on.ca/ support branksomeA major campus improvement completed in summer 2014 was the repair and reconditioning of Branksome Hall’s landmark porte-cochère. Improvements include a new roof and railings, structural support beams, a new cedar ceiling and light fixture, and refurbished limestone bricks.
At the Mother/Daughter Breakfast last April, graduating year students and their mothers or special guests were treated to an inspirational speech given by Tracy DALGLISH’81, mother of Allegra BETHLENFALVY’14 and Alexandra BETHLENFALVY’10. This event is co-sponsored by the Alumnae Association.
Tracy is a social science teacher at Branksome Hall and has led the debating program for the past six years. Here is an excerpt from her speech:
Ibegan at Branksome as a shy Grade 7 student. I owe this school very much; it gave me the education and confidence to go out into the world.
Every single one of you has been prepared by Branksome to use your voice—you all have the skills to assert your views. When I talk about using your voice, I mean speaking up for yourself and what you believe in. It is so
important to be heard and to respectfully speak up no matter the circumstances. I can assure you that there will be many situations in life where you may find [this challenging].
Recently, many of you participated in a Cold War simulation regarding the Cuban
missile crisis. You were asked to solve the crisis through diplomacy and consensus. I was so proud of every one of my students who used their voices so effectively that not only were each of you heard throughout the negotiation process, but both classes came to brilliant solutions and avoided the potential of World War III!
We proudly look forward to watching you succeed in all of your future endeavours. Remember that you will face countless opportunities in life to use your voice. As Sheryl Sandberg, the successful COO of Facebook, stated, “When a little boy asserts himself, he’s called a leader. Yet when a little girl does the same, she risks being branded ‘bossy.’”
I encourage each and every one of you to use your voice and if someone suggests that you are too outspoken and bossy, remember that if you all keep silent, then all of your wonderful ideas, thoughts and solutions will remain silent within you always.
When all the prefects are old and grey, and every girl’s grown up
Then, only then, the ghost will walk, the ghost of Branksome Hall
Who cannot sing, who cannot talk, but can, and has, seen all.
Up and down the halls he’ll roam, his small eyes gleaming bright
As, gliding softly through his home, with moans he fills the night.
The next time you find yourself on one of the busiest corridors in the Senior School, just outside Principal Jurjevich’s office, you will undoubtedly be captivated by restored archival photos that now hang prominently on the wall. The historical display highlights old traditions, the growth of the student population from 1903 to 1939, the arrival of the kilt, and the now-famous “ghost picture.”
And so, through all the years, through all the days and months together
Live on, thou ghost of Branksome Hall! Live on, O Ghost, forever.
Jean Campbell, Form IIA
AT THE GRADE 11 CAREER PANEL last February, students learned that finding the perfect career path is an exciting adventure through winding and inter-connecting pathways.
From left: Jennifer SYKES’93, Managing Partner at Steam Films, Hana JAMES’05, co-founder of Greenhouse Juice Co., Sophie GREEN’02, co-founder of Greenhouse Juice Co., Laurence RIVARD’07, civil engineer, and Melanie WALKER’96, Head of Media Development at World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).
FITNESS GURU ASHLEY NIBLETT’07 warms up in the east side F itness Centre prior to hosting a week of classes for employees and students in March.
ON MAY 14, JULIA COLUCCI’10, a graduate of Sciences Po, an international university in Paris, shared her experiences with Grade 11 students. Here, Julia catches up with Guidance Counsellor Jennifer Stumborg.
AT ASSEMBLY
ON MARCH 24, 2014… Lindsay FARBER’04, Data Scientist at MoneyKey and Ph.D candidate at McMaster University, and Tierney SMITH’05, Program Manager at TechSoup Canada, fascinated students about their careers in science and technology.
AT ASSEMBLY ON APRIL 7…
Two alumnae spoke to students about their careers in the ar ts.
From left, Judith FRIEND’75, Head of Performing Arts, with speakers Rachel PENNY’07, Front of House Manager at Young People’s Theatre, and Marielle BRYCK’07, Major Gifts Officer at The National Ballet of Canada.
ON APRIL 16, LAUREN BRADEEN’09 met with students to share her insights into the Media, Information and Technoculture program at Western University.
ON JUNE 12, MEREDITH SHAW’00 was Guest Speaker at the Green Carpet year-end ceremony for students in Grades 7–11. Before sharing her story with the audience, Meredith began by singing “Angel,” by Sarah MacLachlan. (See her story on p. 39.)
A generous donation sends two faculty and a student on unique journeys
BRIDGET HORNE COLMAN’87 believes in outdoor adventure.
She believes in it so passionately that, through a generous donation from The Horne Family Foundation, Bridget provided the opportunity for three participants—two faculty and one student—to attend a summer course with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS).
Wyoming-based NOLS conducts wilderness education in challenging backcountry settings all over the world, where participants build character and leadership skills while connected to nature.
Bridget’s unique gift was the first of its kind for Branksome. “It was important that I give back and support something I believe in, which is learning outside the classroom,” says Bridget. “It’s exciting that participants can choose their own journey.”
Bridget boarded at Branksome during her high school years and experienced her own adventures living in London, England, and later, Tokyo. She now resides in New York City with her husband, Mark, and two daughters, Allegra and Mia.
Last September, Bridget returned to Branksome for a special assembly where NOLS participants Grace Webster (Grade 12), Ali Farlow (MYP Science Teacher) and Sarah O’Connor (IB English Teacher) shared a slide presentation of their life-changing experiences in Alaska, Italy and Tanzania.
Branksome is grateful to Bridget and her family for their belief in adventure and their ongoing support of Branksome Hall. I
WHEN GRACE WEBSTER applied to attend the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) program, she didn’t know much about Alaska. She just knew it was calling her. After returning from a 30day outdoor trip, she knew why.
Chance encounters with sea otters, bald eagles flying overhead and awe-inspiring glaciers greeted her.
Grace was chosen to attend the August 2014 NOLS trip after an invitation to apply went out to all Grade 11s wanting a unique leadership experience. Wyoming-based NOLS takes students of all ages on remote wilderness expeditions and teaches them technical outdoor skills, leadership, and environmental ethics. A panel of Branksome teachers reviewed the applications and selected Grace as recipient of this fully funded trip.
“I love being outside and on the water. I’ve always been drawn to the ocean, so it seemed all very appealing. When I was chosen, I had a moment of, ‘Oh, what I have done?’” she laughs. “But it was awesome. Really great.”
There was no shortage of adventure for the group, which included three instructors and 12 students. The team spent the first 15 days backpacking in the Chugach Mountains, and then made their way to Valdez, where they switched their equipment and started kayaking and camping at night.
“We were carrying all our food, our equipment, everything,” says Grace.
Participants practised leadership skills by working in pairs to navigate the group’s route for the day. Although it was somewhat daunting, Grace accepted the challenge and used the inspiration she
found in some of the other strong leaders. With an array of wildlife spotted on the trip, Grace found it hard not to be at one with nature. “There were sea otters everywhere!” she says. “Once, we parked our boats and when we turned around, we saw 1,000 heads just looking at us and barking. They’re really curious and friendly animals.”
Although she was the only Canadian, she made strong connections with the other students on the trip, particularly a girl named Caroline from Seattle. “We’re in contact pretty
much every day,” says Grace. “Although the trip is only a month long, you get to know each other so well.”
As well as being a physically challenging experience, the leaders ensured participants felt an emotional connection to the land.
Grace says she was fascinated learning about the natural landscape and history of Alaska, the cloud systems, the rock formations and the native Athabaskans who live off the land.
Since returning from Alaska, Grace sees ecological protection as a much more
important part of her life. “It’s reality that the icebergs are melting and the glaciers are receding—it’s change that you can see,” she says.
Now in Grade 12, Grace feels the NOLS trip has inspired her to consider a career in environmental studies. “It opened my mind to environmental work,” she say. “It’s so incredible and huge and you feel so small. I really like that.” I
TOWERING OVER ITALY’S northern city of Bolzano, the Dolomites are synonymous with skiing, mountain climbing and hiking. The mountain range, a pivotal landmark during the First World War, reaches an elevation of more than 10,000 feet and has a number of long-distance footpaths that are perfect for the experienced hiker.
“It was incredibly beautiful,” says Ali Farlow, Middle Years Program Science Teacher, who was selected to spend eight days in the alpine region as part of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) alumni trip last August.
NOLS is demanding both physically and mentally. Ali’s days consisted of eight- and nine-hour hikes, sometimes amid the unpredictable weather of the Southern Alps. Travelling alongside nine other NOLS alumni, she believes her leadership manifested itself during some of those more difficult hikes. “You’re tired, but you keep going. NOLS taught me when it is important to step in and when to step back.”
An avid runner—she’s completed the Boston Marathon—Ali has always had a love for the outdoors, spending summers in Algonquin Park. Her trip to Italy was her third excursion organized by Wyomingbased NOLS, having already completed adventures in Alaska and Scandinavia.
And she’s seen the benefits of her NOLS experiences cross over into her Branksome Hall classroom. “Out there, we spoke about the environment, leadership and coaching—the types of discussions I have with my students.”
About 7,000 km from Italy is the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania, where Sarah O’Connor, Senior School English teacher, spent two weeks with the NOLS program. “My trip was mentally and physically challenging,” she says, “but that is what made it all the more memorable.”
Like Ali, Sarah speaks about her experience with a renewed sense of confidence. She recalls her two weeks in the grassland as though she was speaking about a new friend. “There is something so satisfying about carrying everything you need. That sense of self-sufficiency is addictive.”
Famous for the Ngorongoro Crater—the world’s largest inactive and unfilled volcanic caldera—east Afr ica challenged Sarah with
exhausting 10-mile hikes in mostly hot and humid conditions. But, unlike the solitude of the Dolomites, part of her excursion included interacting with local tribes. Her group hunted with the Hadza and spent time with the Datoga. Through a translator, “we spoke with the Datoga women about their position in society.”
Sarah noted that it was important to communicate within the group. “We were encouraged to share our thoughts and feelings with each other at the end of each day. This promoted community and allowed us to express ourselves in a safe space.”
Inspired by their experiences, both women would one day like to attend a NOLS instructor course. And they agree that beyond the mountains and grasslands and the wonderful people they met is how much they learned about who they are.
“You learn to be your best self,” concludes Ali. I
Before the grand opening of the Athletics and Wellness Centre, allow us to take you on a virtual tour of our beautiful new facility.
The landscaped heritage
You’ll find yourselfin the spacious first-floor communityconcourse
3
Through glass walls, you overlookthe saltwater swimming pools
The story behind the successful Alumnae Walkway campaign
A year ago, Branksome Hall launched a special fundraising campaign—the Alumnae Walkway.
During the conceptual phase, we decided we wanted to build an outdoor place—a pathway—where an alumna could leave a lasting imprint on campus. We initially hoped to build this pathway from bricks taken from the demolished MacNeill House. However, plans quickly changed when we were advised that new materials would be more suitable for harsh weather and fluctuating temperatures.
This pathway would consist of individual pavers, each engraved with an alumna’s name and laid chronologically by class year. It would be modern and attractive. It would blend into the beauty of the landscape and be visible from the rooftop and ravine terraces of the new Athletics and Wellness Centre.
The campaign ran for seven months and was embraced with great enthusiasm. By June 30, when the campaign closed, 1,158 pavers had been sold and $289,500 raised. It was an unprecedented success!
On your next visit to Branksome, be sure to stroll along the Alumnae Walkway—a special place on campus that you can call your own.
Branksome was a happy and secure “family” for so many of us in the 40s and 50s. Edith M. Read was an educator ahead of her time and an amazing human being whose open door policy accepted children from all walks of life. She was without prejudice and, as a result, so were we! My granddaughter now enjoys the stellar programs offered at Branksome today.
Jane WATSON Smith’57 Head Girl, 1956–57 Reunion Rep, 2007 Grandmother of Madeleine Smith, Grade 8I loved Branksome and I believe in supporting my school. That’s why I have been giving back for over 70 years.
Gwen DeMONT Hawke’42 Reunion Rep, 2002 and 2007Nine women tell why they donated to the Alumnae Walkway Athletics and Wellness Centre
Branksome played an important role in my life and I often think of my school days with fond memories. I also believe in the importance of education in one’s life. I continue to support Branksome, not only to give back but to give forward to all the young women of today who will benefit from being a Branksome girl, as I did.
Barb PATTISON
Hepburn’69
Head Girl, 1968–69
President of the Alumnae Association, 1982–85
By contributing to the Alumnae Walkway one is ‘Keeping Well the Road’ to the new Athletics and Wellness Centre, which is also the home of Branksome’s first dance studio (see p. 19). As a performing arts teacher, I encourage students to take creative risks and to learn something new about themselves and the world every day through drama, dance and music. So many programs at Branksome are further enhanced through annual donations.
Judith FRIEND’75
Faculty, 1984–Present
Head of Performing Arts
Kimberley FOLEY’86
Wife and mom of three
The Alumnae Walkway struck me as a unique and innovative approach to fundraising for the school, and one that my daughter, as a current student in the Junior School could experience and enjoy.
Claire STURGESS’91
Reunion Rep, 2011
Parent of Kate, Grade 4
I believe in supporting Branksome—the school that has given me a world-class education, lifelong friends and the confidence to succeed.
Ashley CALDWELL’01
Head Girl, 2000–01
Branksome Hall Board of Governors, 2012–Present
Branksome guided me towards becoming a confident and independent woman and I hope that the “path” will continue leading the bright minds of our future to great success.
Elana MLOTEK’10
Reunion Rep, 2015
First-time donor
I am excited to be an alumna one day and to have my own paver on the walkway!
Madeleine Smith
Class of 2019 (Grade 8)
Granddaughter of Jane WATSON Smith’57
I feel a significant connection to Branksome through the friends and memories created there and I am happy to help support a new chapter in Branksome’s future.Photographed near the site of the spectacular Alumnae Walkway are, from left, Ashley CALDWELL’01, Jane WATSON Smith’57, Barb PATTISON Hepburn’69, Elana MLOTEK’10, Kimberley FOLEY’86, Claire STURGESS’91, Madeleine Smith, Judith FRIEND’75 and Gwen DeMONT Hawke’42. CALEY TAYLOR
Popular chef Trish MAGWOOD’89 has revamped Branksome’s approach to meals by
Julia Drake
CRISP ASPARAGUS plucked from Ontario fields in the spring. Juicy McIntosh apples harvested locally each fall. Farm-fresh roasted chicken and potatoes with a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and a dash of lemon juice.
These are some of the simple, delicious foods that Trish MAGWOOD’89 savours. They’re in keeping with the foods featured in her two cookbooks, In My Mother’s Kitchen and dish entertains. They’re also the type of foods that she wants the students of Branksome Hall to be able to enjoy daily.
“Freshness and simplicity” are key to Trish’s approach to food. “Then, the food speaks for itself,” says the popular chef, media personality, author and food entrepreneur.
In recent months, Trish was enlisted to revamp Branksome Hall’s approach to food. She connected with students and parents about their vision of great food. Then, she developed a “food philosophy” that guides food decisions in our kitchen and dining facilities. Such changes are part of the school’s increased emphasis on overall health and wellness.
By fall 2014, this new approach to food was already having an impact on campus. Students were enjoying more vegetables and fruits, more gluten-free offerings, and less refined sugar and fats in the meals being served at Branksome. They were enjoying simpler food preparation as well as improved presentation. “You eat with your eyes first,” explains Trish.
Students were also enjoying plenty of choice—informed healthy choices. “It’s important to offer choice and variety, so that kids can own the decision-making without taking the fun out of it,” Trish says.
At the school, and when feeding her own busy family, Trish adheres to the adages of “no forbidden foods” and “everything in moderation.” She also believes in serving small “no-thank-you helpings” to encourage her three children to experiment with foods they think they might not like.
When she was a student herself, Trish wasn’t planning a career as a food entrepreneur. At Queen’s University, she studied communications, but then she and classmate Jane WADSWORTH Flynn’89 got together to launch a summer catering company. Working out of Trish’s parents’ home, the friends catered weddings and parties until Trish landed a full-time communications job at Toronto Life
At the magazine, she found herself drawn to food-related projects, restaurant reviews, and the food experts she encountered. That’s when friends and colleagues told her, “You’ve got to go to chef school!” She took that advice.
While a student at what’s now called the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in New York, Trish landed a one-night gig as stagiaire to Julia Child, which helped open doors. She later became a private chef, created cookbooks and launched television shows for the Food Network. In 2000, she established dish cooking studio, a successful enterprise, which she sold a decade later. She has been thriving in consulting work ever since.
Trish’s expertise brought her back to her alma mater to benefit all Branksome community members who will dine on the fresh, simple and healthy dishes served at the school.
“The hope is that Branksome students will have a lifetime of good food habits and a high nutritional IQ,” and, she adds, laughing, “a love and joy of food.” I
The new dance studio will be a place for creativity and drive, says incoming instructor Annie Wood
by Lydia LevinDANCE IS ABOUT learning to collaborate. It’s about communicating, listening and learning leadership skills,” says Branksome’s new dance teacher, Annie Wood.
From learning ballet in Junior Kindergarten to participating in Dance Crew, Branksome girls love to dance. And now, opportunities for dance are poised to grow by leaps and bounds.
Why dance, and why now?
The answer lies in a mix of inspiration, vision and taking just the right steps to put it all together. “Making dance a bigger and more formalized feature at Branksome is a long-term plan,” explains Head of Performing Arts Judith FRIEND’75.
“The time is right for us to take dance to a new level,” she says. “We are pulling all the existing strands of dance together and adding even more opportunities for our students. We are creating a cohesive ‘dance continuum,’ so that there will be many ways that girls can learn and grow in this discipline.”
This year, Ms Wood joined our faculty as a full-time dance instructor. She is an experienced professional dancer and an educator with an enormous amount of passion and energy.
Another source of inspiration is the beautiful new dance studio in the Athletics and Wellness Centre. With its high glass windows overlooking Mount Pleasant Road, the studio is destined to become home to all things dance at Branksome.
“I’m excited to be in the new studio,” says Ms Wood. “When you learn science, you are in a science laboratory and it is the same with dance—a formal space provides a more dynamic approach to learning.”
And there’s a lot to learn. “The students are so keen to embrace dance,” says Ms Wood, who choreographed the Senior School production of Grease in November. “In the Junior School, I will use dance to engage the girls in all the big ideas in their curriculum,
such as Nature in the “Sharing the Planet” Unit of Inquiry. The girls will learn to communicate these ideas through dance and movement.”
For all dancers, she notes, performance is just one aspect of the experience. “Dance involves discipline in space, time, mental capacity and body. It also brings joy, love, passion and expression. Ninety-nine per cent of time is spent in a process of creating, developing and learning; performance is only one per cent.”
As Ms Wood describes it, the dance program will mesh perfectly with way the girls learn in the IB Program. “Those who have had dance training,” she says, “have drive, commitment and the ability to articulate their ideas.” I
Kate HILTON’91, bestselling author of The Hole in the Middle, offers advice, garnished with humour, on how to have it all — even mathematically.
by Kate Hilton
FOR MANY PEOPLE, a 40th birthday is a time to celebrate success in achieving the basic requirements of survival. For others, it can be a shocking reminder that time is finite, and a discovery that one has become less, rather than more, self-aware since leaving high school.
When I graduated from Branksome, I was extremely clear on what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wanted to be writer.
I studied English at McGill, and then did what so many aspiring writers do: applied to law school. Unsurprisingly, it turned out that I didn’t want to be a lawyer, so I became a university administrator, and then a fundraiser for the law school at the University of Toronto. At the same time, I also became a wife and mother, and a community volunteer.
Then one day, while cooking a gourmet meal for 10, planning a school fair and raising
$50 million for a capital campaign, I looked up and realized that I was about to turn 40.
To say that this realization made me unhappy would be an understatement.
I still wanted to be a writer, but a writer needs a story. And what kind of story did I, an overburdened working mother on the verge of a midlife crisis, have to tell? What about the story of an overburdened working mother on the verge of a midlife crisis? That could work, I thought.
Thanks to my former English teacher, Diane Watson—the source of many useful life lessons—I knew that all writers had one thing in common: they wrote on a regular basis. So, I arranged to write on Sunday afternoons from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Every Sunday. For three hours. Religiously. Obsessively.
Within three years, I had completed a
(continued on page 22)
‘Having it all’ isn’t a single destination; it’s a road trip on terrain that is constantly shifting, with a broken GPS, unexpected detours and companions that get on your nerves.
Requirement Of Action Rating
Where
DPA = Desire to Perform an Activity
GF = Guilt Factor
NBLG = Need to Behave Like a Grown-up; and
AS = Allowable Selfishness
Note that AS is generally in the range of one to five, except when it is your birthday (8), you are in labour (9), in the hospital in critical condition (9.5) or in a coma (10).
the Middle. Using a scale of 1–10, take your Desire to Perform an Activity (DPA), add the Guilt Factor (GF) should you fail to perform said activity, then further add your Need to Behave Like a Grown-up (NBLG). Subtract any Allowable Selfishness (AS), bearing in mind that AS is generally in the range of one to five, except when it is your birthday (8), you are in labour (9), in the hospital in critical condition (9.5) or in a coma (10). And there you have it: DPA + GF + NBLG – AS = ROAR
Assign a ROAR number to every activity in your life and your priorities will be crystal clear.
(continued from page 20)
novel that I was really proud of, and set about submitting it to agents, all of whom promptly rejected it.
There is a talk that I give occasionally. It’s titled How to Self-Publish a Novel No One Wants, Be an Amazon Success Story, Get Acquired by HarperCollins, and Land on the Globe & Mail Bestseller List, in Five Easy Steps. The Coles Notes version is this: after a period of wallowing, I decided to self-publish my novel for Mother’s Day 2013. Within a month on Amazon, my ebook was downloaded more than 14,000 times. It caught the attention of an agent, and within a week of signing with her, I had a book deal with HarperCollins.
SOON AFTER, the book was in stores, getting great reviews, and becoming a book club favourite. It spent 11 weeks on The Globe and Mail’s bestseller list. I got invited to speak at literary festivals. So many people described me as a writer that I began to believe it must be true. I quit my day job to start writing full time.
The Hole in the Middle is about the struggle to do and have it all. And since I seem, at least from the outside, to have found that elusive formula for work-life balance myself, readers often ask me to tell them my secret. How can women today have a balanced life that includes satisfying personal relationships, healthy families and challenging work?
If you are mathematically inclined, you could try the ROAR (Requirement Of Action Rating) system espoused by Sophie Whelan, the fictional working mom in The Hole in
OR, YOU COULD ACCEPT, as I do, that “having it all” isn’t a single destination; it’s a road trip on terrain that is constantly shifting, with a broken GPS, unexpected detours and companions that get on your nerves. And the people who come closest to believing that they have it all are those who manage to find everyday pleasure in the journey.
Joy, it seems to me, is the great casualty of working motherhood, a luxury that rarely finds its way onto the schedule. And that is a great pity. As my favourite character in The Hole in the Middle, Lillian Parker, says: “No one is going to hand you a medal at the end of all of this because you ran faster and harder than everyone else. The point is to enjoy it.”
Lillian also says that advice itself is rarely useful and always boring, but I’ll risk offering three sure-fire methods to enhance daily joy.
Kate, at the official book launch of A Hole in the Middle in December 2013, with her former teachers, from left: Deputy Principal Karrie Weinstock, Mimi Hollenberg and Diane Watson. “It was a privilege to be able to thank them, after so many years, for their contagious joy in the written word.”
1. UNLOCK YOUR CREATIVITY. Everyone has a creative side, whether you write, paint, cook, garden or surf Pinterest for craft ideas. There are few other things in my experience that equal the joy of creating something beautiful.
2. FIND COMMUNITIES of women that nourish you, organized around activities you love. These communities (in my case, a book group, a tennis clinic and a regular dinner club) allow me to spend time with younger women, who remind me that I’m happy not to have very young children anymore; with older women who reassure me that everything comes to pass; and of course, with women who are in exactly the same boat, which makes me feel normal and is always good for a few laughs.
3. LASTLY, LET GO of the idea that a perfectly balanced life exists, just beyond your grasp, and that you’ll achieve it if only you try a bit harder. Understand that having it all is a state not of balance, but of flux; not of control, but of resilience; and not of perfection, but of acceptance. Once you do that, you may come to realize that you’ve had it all, all along. I
Kate HILTON’91 received a B.A. (Hons) in English from McGill University and a J.D. from the University of Toronto. A full-time writer, she lives in Toronto with her husband and two sons.
Why I’m in no rush to return to Canada by Victoria WELLS’07
AFTER HIGH SCHOOL, like most of us, I packed my bags, excited to jump straight into the world of post-secondary education and independence.
I headed for the University of Guelph, where I completed my B.Sc. in biology. The more I learned, the more I began to think about how much more effectively we could improve population health if we tackled the causes of disease, rather than the symptoms.
With my newfound education, appreciation of so-called “upstream” disease prevention, and love of communications and public speaking, I entered the Master of Public Health program at Guelph. I learned about health promotion and protection, epidemiology, program development and evaluation, and health policy.
While studying for my degree, I became involved with Ghana Medical Help (GMH), a global health charity. GMH aims to improve the quality of healthcare and decrease mortality rates in rural northern Ghana by delivering medical equipment to disadvantaged hospitals. The executive director, Kelly Hadfield, approached me to conduct an evaluation of the organization the following summer.
With my degree in hand, I travelled through Southeast Asia for six months before flying to Ghana to begin the field visit portion of the evaluation. For four weeks, I travelled to nine district hospitals throughout the two most
northern regions of the country, collecting data and conducting interviews with hospital staff and community members. I was trying to establish the effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of the program.
The area is rife with economic, structural and environmental challenges that threaten the quality of healthcare. Public health initiatives focus largely on disease control but ignore the everyday barriers to healthcare experienced by the population.
Though facing challenges of its own, GMH has done a fantastic job of decreasing mortality rates and increasing the quality of patient care, reflected by heightened staff morale. It’s not a perfect solution to the larger issues that face the region, but the charity takes huge steps to improve the quality of life for thousands of people living there.
I completed the data analysis and report writing process last summer while visiting family in Sweden, and I have stayed on. After my year abroad, I am addicted to travel, and more of the world is accessible from Europe than from Canada.
I am in no rush to return to the normalcy of my life in Ontario, and will remain in Europe, where public health is advanced and the cities are filled with history and culture. In early 2015, I shall settle in London, England, in search of the next opportunity. I
Victoria WELLS’07 enjoys the tranquility of Sweden’s Lake Drängsjön, near her family’s property outside the town of Åkersberga, north of Stockholm.
Just months after Athol HUGHES’39 left Branksome, the Second World War broke out across Europe. She soon found herself caught up in the high drama of intelligence work.
by Amy VERNER’98UPON GRADUATING FROM Branksome in 1939, Athol HUGHES was awarded a prize for her proficiency in Latin. But it was her competence in German that would prove especially useful when she assumed a key role at the Operational Intelligence Centre (OIC) during the Second World War.
Tensions in Europe had been escalating during the summer before Athol started her undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto. She even remembers how Adolf Hitler had begun “ranting on in huge rallies and talked in a megalomaniacal way.” Then, on Sept. 10, 1939, nine days after Britain and France declared war on Germany, Canada followed suit. The frontlines may have been across the ocean, but Athol recalls the immediate impact on home soil: young men began enlisting in the armed forces, and rationing was enforced on gas and various foodstuffs.
Athol liked German enough to continue taking classes—along with French and psychology—as part of her bachelor’s degree while the war progressed overseas. She was still living with her parents and two sisters, Eleanor HUGHES’34 and Marian HUGHES’42. “One did not buy oneself a flat in those days,” she points out. “One did not have the money and it
was just not done. You supposedly stayed at home until Prince Charming came along and you became his wedded wife.”
Yet women were making advances in other ways. By 1942, a group of senior officers from the Women’s Royal Naval Service (commonly known as the WRENS) came to Canada to start up the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service (WRCNS). Athol joined, figuring this could afford her the chance to travel, even if the circumstances seemed less than ideal. After completing a few months of basic WRENS training in Galt, Ont. (modern-day Cambridge), she was informed that she would be stationed in Ottawa at the OIC. “Not exactly seeing the world,” notes Athol, dryly.
Athol was not the only Branksome alum to serve in the WRENS. Audrey LYONS McQuaig’40, who died in January this year (see p. 61), left the University of Toronto before graduation to work in operational intelligence from Ottawa. Both women had similar responsibilities—namely, to transmit warning signals to the Canadian and Allied convoys.
Athol’s, in particular, involved plotting the bearings emitted by the signals from German submarines (U-boats) as they surfaced to
transmit messages back to control. The bearings could be traced to high-frequency listening stations around the Atlantic. Anytime the boats crossed the stations, they established a fix, which revealed their locations. Consequently, convoys could zigzag and bypass them to avoid torpedoes by sea or bombs by air.
ATHOL’S JOB AT the OIC involved informing convoys within the Canadian area of the Atlantic—around 40 degrees north and 40 degrees west—about the presence of the enemy boats. Safe passage was critical. “These convoys were carrying troops and cargo such as wheat to the U.K. The U.K. was highly dependent on the convoys and the foodstuffs that kept the country going,” she explains, noting grimly, “In the first years of the war, many of these ships were sunk.”
Unsurprisingly, the OIC’s actions were “highly secret” and the messages Athol handled fell under three categories: B Bar for position information, WW for weather reports, and the coded Enigma messages, which required decryption by specialists in Bletchley Park, England. Athol and her group of ratings (the British term for those enlisted in the navy)
worked round the clock, divided into three shifts: midnight to 8 a.m., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 5 p.m. to midnight. All the while, Athol lived in a WRENS residence.
By 1944, she was made a sub-lieutenant, a more senior post than those around her who remained ratings. After spending three weeks at a Naval Service headquarters in British Columbia, Athol returned to the OIC as an Officer on the Watch.
BUT JUST AS HER responsibilities increased, the U-boats were less and less active. She recalls a climactic moment while on duty in 1945. “There was great excitement when I had to report to the captain that a U-boat in the St. Lawrence River had transmitted a message. It turned out that this U-boat crew knew that the war was ending and had come in to surrender, not to attack Canada.”
Athol was in Ottawa at the Naval Service Quarters on May 8, 1945, when victory was declared in Europe. “There was great rejoicing,” she says of the general mood. Of course, fighting continued in the Pacific, and Athol volunteered to take part in the Japanese offensive. But before any relocation arrangements could be made, the atomic bombs had
been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. With the war over, Athol returned to U of T to pursue her master’s in psychology, aided by grants from the Department of Veterans Affairs (now Veterans Affairs Canada). “I found it a fascinating subject with so many facets, such as employment, industrial, educational, vocational and clinical,” she says.
M.A. in hand, she focused on industrial psychology, working in personnel. But after being asked to diagnose and test children at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, she took up clinical psychology, establishing a new life in Montreal, where she remained until 1959. Meanwhile, she opted to further study psychoanalysis with Dr. Clifford Scott, a respected psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who encouraged her to relocate to London, where she could spend several years in training.
Athol received her Ph.D. from University College, University of London, in 1966. In the end, she felt compelled to stay in London and broaden out her analyst work, travelling to China, India and Italy at various points to share her knowledge. She cites with pride how women today comprise nearly 50 per cent of the British Psychoanalytical Society, to which she belongs, and expresses a sense of
Diaries and letters written by British children, whose parents sent them to Branksome during the war years, offer heart-rending accounts of the devastating effect of war. Memories are kept alive through these documents, housed in London’s Imperial War Museum, and through vivid stories told by our alumnae who have long since returned home to Britain.
achievement from the numerous papers she has published or assessed over the years, not to mention the book she published on the British psychoanalyst Joan Riviere in 1992.
BY 2002, age-related macular degeneration had significantly impaired her vision. She stopped seeing patients, but continued supervising students and giving lectures on psychoanalytical theory and practice until 2007. But only when she speaks of never having her own family does she reveal anything resembling regret. She remains bolstered by her sister Marian’s four children and their children (eight in total), who are her closest living relatives and visit whenever they pass through London.
By any measure, Athol’s memory of the events that transpired from 1942 to 1945 is remarkable. It has been seven decades since her participation in the WRENS and, as she looks back on this time in her life, she freely admits it feels like ages ago. “So much has happened in my life,” she says. “I can fully believe 70 years has passed.” I
Amy VERNER’98 is a freelance writer covering lifestyle and culture from Paris and Toronto.
IT’S EARLY SEPTEMBER and the Arctic days are shortening. Anchorage is rainy and cool, but Tess CECIL-COCKWELL’04 feels relief from the “unending light” of high summer and excitement about the work projects ahead. The rhythms of the seasons dictate the rhythms of daily life and she likes the practicality of having to adjust to them.
Just a decade ago, Tess was Head Girl at Branksome. Today she is a drillsite petroleum engineer for Conoco-Phillips, Alaska’s largest oil and gas producer. She has been in the North since shortly after graduation from Princeton University, but this is a new role for her, and stimulating. She works to optimize the production of wells, keeping them online and properly supported with waterflood pressure. She troubleshoots wells that break, leak or inject into the wrong place. It’s delicate, demanding mental and physical work—work that has an immediate impact on the environment of the well and on production success. And it’s work that not many women do.
Winter and summer, Tess is out in the field. Sometimes the winter cold is so deep that the ice crystals freeze in the air, creating ice fog. “But it’s beautiful,” she reflects, and she has never
lost her fascination with how the harsh beauty and desolation of her world combine, and how stalwart those who engineer in that world have to be.
“My job is to get the drill to go from A to B without hitting or endangering Y or Z,” she says. Day-to-day problem-solving means assessing the geological elements in the drilling environment, determining the rock’s density and porosity and, through sonic measurement, gauging how much pressure to apply. The rotation, pressure and speed of the drill bit are all up to her. “It’s complex and dynamic,” she says, then chuckles, “and
even more exciting when radioactive materials are involved.”
She previously worked for a multinational oilfield services company as a field engineer. “I was, and still am from time to time, up doing horizontal drilling on what’s known as the North Slope of Alaska, four weeks on and one week off,” she says. “There have been times when I could see the Arctic Ocean, but I sure wouldn’t go swimming!”
Tess discovered geology at Princeton during her undergrad years. Its attraction was its non-theoretical nature, its “hands-onness.” She saw that she could be an engineer,
a scientist, and combine her professional interests with her longstanding love of the outdoors, especially remote environments. She became attracted to what lies beneath the earth’s surface, to seeing and touching what she studied.
TESS ALSO HAD the good fortune to meet two women at Princeton—one a geological engineer, the other a geologist—and their career paths reshaped Tess’s thinking. What began as an adventurous break after Princeton became a full-time job, and she decided to stay in the North, despite the Spartan workplaces.
“Alaskan rigs are comfortable—compared with those offshore in Angola,” she jokes. The workers’ camps are about a 10-minute drive from the rigs. Rooms are simple, and Tess delights in small comforts such as a good sleeping bag and her favourite books and music.
Her colleagues are mostly male. She is one of the first women in her role, and has worked hard to erase gender misconceptions and limitations. “Initially, I was mistaken for the housekeeper a couple of times, but there are more women in the field now.”
Men love to talk to women, she observes, and she has often found herself hearing about their loneliness and personal challenges. Although more men and women are coming to the rigs with their families, single men predominate. They seem to party to deal with their separation from family, she notes.
Tess prefers to read and attend to the simple things when not on shift, except when playing hockey with the all-women team in town, or out in the bush hunting or shooting skeet. Yes, shooting, which Tess finds “fun and challenging, especially for someone unused to guns!”
Tess is well grounded and always has been. Calm dependability was the hallmark
of her leadership style when she was Head Girl. “Branksome gave me that sense of self,” she says, “that thing which is both a simple and a complex state to achieve.” Such foundational strength—combined with the lessons of teamwork and interdependence offered during her rowing years at Branksome—helped shape her clear sense of purpose as a young professional. Add in the legacy of time in the outdoors with her mother, father and brothers, summers tripping and hiking at the Taylor Statten Camps, and the path to Tess’s current place in the world isn’t surprising.
LAST SUMMER, Tess married Zach, an IT engineer whom she met in the North—“a solid midwestern guy.” They can see moving back toward Calgary some day, where it’s possible to do the work they do and live in a rugged outdoor setting. She misses Canada. Time and distance from Toronto mean she doesn’t see much of family or old friends, “but I think about Branksome and its gifts a fair bit, especially when I’m the only woman in the room dealing with complicated engineering challenges.”
Tess is a testament to women who work in professional environments where their strengths are acknowledged and applied. There, in a northern drilling camp outside of Anchorage, she knows who she is and what she can offer. She is happy, and rock solid. I
Ruth Ann Penny is a Toronto-based freelance writer and is Director of Community Relations at Upper Canada College. She is a former employee of Branksome Hall and mother of alumnae Rachel’07 and Fiona’09.
“I think about Branksome and its gifts a fair bit, especially when I’m the only woman in the room dealing with complicated engineering challenges.”Tess takes in the remote beauty of the rugged landscape outside Anchorage, Alaska. MARK MEYER
And personally, her faith has supported her through a harrowing series of medical tribulations in the past decade that make you wonder at how she has balanced it all. She and her husband have both survived cancer, and their four-year-old son was born with a rare genetic disorder that requires continual monitoring. “We’ve been through the ringer in the past 10 years,” she concedes.
by Berton WoodwardYet meeting Sara gives you a sense of calm, determination and utter unflappability. She’s outgoing and warm, but very focused. “People have told me I’d be good in politics,” she says with a smile. Her public star is certainly on the rise. This summer, she learned she’d been honoured with two of Canada’s major awards for women—Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100, in the Trailblazers and Trendsetters category, and the Top 25 Women of Influence.
And all this for a person who, at Branksome, thought she’d go into marine biology.
WHEN SARA AUSTIN’93 was four, her parents hosted a Laotian family of refugees at their Toronto home. It was 1979 and the Indochina boat people crisis was at its height. The Laotian couple and their two young boys stayed for about six months before moving on. But Sara has never forgotten that time and what it meant.
“That was my first experience of faith in action,” she says. “My parents raised my brother and me with strong Christian values. They taught us these values in many ways, whether it was volunteering in soup kitchens or delivering Christmas gifts to children in low-income areas. I think my desire to defend children came out of that.”
Indeed, Sara’s faith is at the centre of a still-blooming career that has taken her around the globe and into the upper echelons of World Vision, the international Christian relief, development and advocacy organization. It has also helped propel her into a leading role at the United Nations in advancing the protection of children. Last April, a new international law that she conceived and fought for came into effect, bringing real force to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
THAT WAS PHYSICS teacher Jacqueline Shaver’s doing, says Sara. “She was a huge inspiration. She ignited a real passion for me about the sciences.” Sara also spent a gap year after high school volunteering in Costa Rica, where part of her work involved sea turtles. Yet there was another thread at Branksome, too. She participated in the social justice club and the Gaia environmental club. And she did fundraising for global causes, including World Vision’s 30 Hour Famine. At Branksome, she notes, “there was a real focus on helping students to see themselves as global citizens.”
She entered marine biology at Dalhousie University, wanting “to swim with whales, dolphins and sea turtles.” But despite her passion, “I really came to see that I wasn’t cut out for science.” That other Branksome
Driven by her faith, Sara Austin has dedicated herself to protecting the world’s children.
thread took hold, and she switched to a degree in international development and women’s studies. Her path was set.
While at Dal she studied and worked in Cuba for a semester, perfecting her Spanish. Then, right after graduation, she started what was supposed to be a six-month internship with World Vision in Bangkok, Thailand. She stayed for three years, working with children living on the streets and learning Thai fluently. She saw up close the horrors of the exploitation of children, including child labour, prostitution and sex trafficking. “It’s evil at work,” she says.
Returning to Toronto as a World Vision staffer in 2001, she continued thinking about what she’d witnessed in Thailand and elsewhere, including travels to Africa. “I was just so alarmed and upset about seeing children subjected to such horrific crimes, knowing it was a violation of international law. Yet governments were often not doing anything to comply or hold people accountable.”
IN 2004, SHE ENTERED the University of Oxford’s master’s program in international human rights law. In her dissertation, she laid out the structure for an additional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child that would allow young people, or their advocates, to make complaints directly to the UN about violations and would require their home countries to respond. If needed, the UN could order interim measures on an urgent basis. It was a groundbreaking proposal, covering the full range of rights from labour to sexual abuse to access to health care and education.
When her work was complete in 2006, “I didn’t want to just leave it on the shelf,” she says. Using her World Vision contacts, she convened a meeting of supportive NGOs in (continued on page 30)
At Branksome, she notes, “there was a real focus on helping students to see themselves as global citizens.”
WHEN SARA AUSTIN TRAVELLED TO THE United Nations in New York last April to celebrate the coming into force of the child-protection measure she championed (see main story), she could look with pride at the list of 10 initial nations that had signed and ratified it since its passage at the General Assembly in late 2011.
The countries were as widely different as Germany, Bolivia and Gabon. In relatively short order, they had all become full parties to what’s formally titled the “Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure” and known for short as the Third Optional Protocol or OP3. It adds a critical element of enforcement to the Convention, allowing children and their agents to complain directly to the UN of unaddressed abuses, and requiring parties to respond.
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Geneva and got the idea before the Convention’s overseeing committee. Then came the real struggle. The dozen or so members discussed whether it was workable, whether it might subject children to more risk, whether children were even competent to make complaints. The consensus answer: sorry.
“It was really discouraging,” she says. But with characteristic determination, she kept at it, with the help of friendly diplomats and a supportive UN Committee chair, lobbying
By this fall, fully 46 of the UN’s 193 members had signed the protocol, the first step to ratification, and 14 had gone all the way. But Sara’s own country was not among them.
“It’s critical that all countries ratify the OP3 without delay,” says Sara. “Generally, people are surprised when I tell them our government hasn’t supported it yet.”
Canada, she notes, was a strong supporter of the original Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989 under Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and there has been consistent cross-party backing ever since.
In Ottawa, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) confirmed to The READ that while Canada had ratified the previous two protocols, “The Third Optional Protocol is not currently under consideration for signature and ratification.”
and nudging. “I felt it was just a matter of time.” A working group investigated. Finally, after what Sara calls “a very slow, painful process,” the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva recommended the measure to the UN General Assembly in New York, which adopted it in late 2011.
The Third Optional Protocol, or OP3 as it’s known, still needed a minimum of 10 countries to ratify it before it went into effect. Thailand was among the first to join. Last
Why not? DFAIT would only say that “Canada is a party to seven of the core United Nations international human rights treaties and efforts are focused on the implementation of these treaties.”
Some observers have speculated that Canada does not support an accountability mechanism because it fears that some of its own people, perhaps Aboriginal children or their advocates, might use it. (They can only do this after failing to resolve the issue through domestic complaints procedures such as courts or tribunals.) DFAIT declined to comment on this point.
“Hopefully it is just a matter of time,” says Sara of OP3 ratification. “I think the majority of Canadians would expect it and would support our government showing continued leadership in the protection of children.” — Berton Woodward
January came Number 10—Costa Rica—and in April, Sara delivered a heartfelt speech at UN headquarters to mark the official culmination of eight years of work. “In many ways, it was like starting a whole new journey,” she says. Now the push is on for more countries to adopt the measure, and to raise global awareness about it—including among children themselves.
None of this even touches on Sara’s day job. As Director of the President’s Office at
World Vision Canada, she has won several awards for her work on governance and workplace equity issues. She also serves as vice-chair of the York Region Children’s Aid Society and a member of Imagine Canada’s Standards Council, overseeing standards for charities and non-profits.
And somehow, she has coped with her family’s dramatic medical history. Soon after her marriage in 2004, her new husband, program management consultant Al Sinjakli, developed thyroid cancer. A year after that, she was diagnosed with the very same disease. Both had major surgery and underwent several years of treatment. It was small comfort that theirs is among the more treatable cancers. “When you have the big C hanging over your head,” says Sara, “it’s a very frightening thing.”
Happily, they are cancer-free now, and enjoying their highly active four-year-old son Felix, who has also experienced serious medical challenges. “We have faced a lot of hurdles,” says Sara, “but we also have a lot to be grateful for.” As you might imagine, she has found inspiration in her faith. “I feel God is very actively involved in my life and that we’ve experienced miracles.” She says she and her husband have also grown from their experiences. “We feel incredibly blessed, and very thankful that we had good medical care and a very supportive family and community around us.”
It’s the kind of environment, in fact, that Sara has long been striving to bring to children around the world. I
Berton Woodward is a Torontobased writer, editor and communications consultant.
There is no typical day at Dawson City’s new hospital.
by Melanie ReiffensteinA YEAR AGO, ALIX ROBERTSON-SALSBERG’04 left her home in Toronto for the rugged reaches of Dawson City, Yukon. It was not for the excitement of the historic gold-mining town, which still draws many prospectors, but to further her nursing career at a new hospital where access to basic quality healthcare is limited.
In 2008, after graduating from Bishop’s University with a B.A. in Psychology, and a concentration in Health Promotion, Alix embarked on a three-month medical internship with a grassroots organization in Kathmandu, Nepal. At the end of her trip, while hiking in the Himalayas, she
literally crossed paths with a group of local nurses who were hiking between remote villages providing basic health services. “I wanted to do what they were doing,” she says. “It was serendipitous. I knew I had met them for a reason.”
And so, upon returning home, she entered the accelerated B.Sc. Nursing Program at the University of Toronto.
Until last year, Alix worked at Toronto General Hospital, most recently in the ER. Yet, however satisfying it was to nurse at one of Canada’s busiest hospitals, she knew it was time for an adventure outside her comfort zone.
But dramatic life changes are not without doubt, and when Alix and her partner, Jeff, arrived in Dawson City, with its population of 1,800, she wondered if she had done the right thing.
“After I arrived, all planes were grounded for over a week due to ice fog,” she remembers. The ice fog—a sign of extreme cold—had closed off the town, located more than 500 km north of Whitehorse, and flying supplies in or out was impossible. “It was harrowing. No matter how acutely ill a patient became,” Alix explains, “all medical care had to be handled here with our limited resources.”
But she is not looking back. “There is no typical day at the Dawson City Community Hospital,” she says. “I am a nurse, but I also take x-rays, process lab samples, dispatch EMS, and drive the ambulance.” She has experienced more than she ever anticipated.
“Nurses deal with life and death every day,” she notes. “When you work with the most vulnerable, you can never forget to be kind. A smile, a comforting hand; the small things have a big impact.”
Kindness is just one aspect that Alix remembers from her days at Branksome. Strong
female influences have had a lasting effect, from her mother’s tireless support to that of her many teachers. “Branksome always nurtured my potential,” she says. “I learned about integrity and perseverance.”
In fact, the words of the late Linda Meyer, a much-loved Branksome guidance counsellor, remain in Alix’s mind to this day: I am a valuable person, I have dignity and worth, and what I do makes a difference.
“It is my mantra that I take with me wherever I go.” I
CANADIANS TEND TO THINK of themselves as part of a highly democratic society, the envy of the world. Yet when it comes to elections, fewer and fewer actually vote. Even more troubling, the portion of surveyed Canadians satisfied with their democracy has plummeted by 20 points in the past 10 years—from 75 per cent down to 55 per cent. What’s going on?
“It isn’t apathy and it isn’t lack of interest,” says Kendall ANDERSON’94. “It’s real experiences with politics that are disappointing people. Whether it’s writing to an MP and getting no answer or a pat answer, or viewing the scandals reported in the media, there’s a real sense they can’t do anything about it. No one’s going to hear them, no one’s going to listen to them.”
Kendall should know. She is the voice of Samara, a Toronto-based non-profit organization that has gained national recognition and respect for its dedication to getting Canadians more involved in politics. Kendall is currently acting director and communications manager,
working closely with Samara’s two founders, media entrepreneur Michael MacMillan, former executive chairman and CEO of Alliance Atlantis Communications, and Alison Loat, a former McKinsey and Co. consultant with a master’s in public policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
Samara made waves last spring with the publication of Tragedy in the Commons: Former Members of Parliament Speak Out About Canada’s Failing Democracy, authored by MacMillan and Loat. They drew on Samara’s groundbreaking “exit interviews” with 80 former MPs, detail-
Kendall ANDERSON’94 is the voice of Samara, which aims to get Canadians more involved in their democracy
ing their frustrations. “One of the things that came out in the book is that we send these people to Ottawa who are often powerful, amazing leaders in their constituencies, but then they’re simply told to follow the party line,” says Kendall. “Some of the MPs describe themselves as trained seals clapping.”
Samara is non-partisan and does not advocate any particular change in the
political system to expand participation, such as oft-discussed proportional representation. “But we do advocate more discussion of what Canadians want from their democracy,” says Kendall.
She points to a private member’s bill, the Reform Act, 2014, introduced by Conservative MP Michael Chong, as an example of a measure built on Samara’s research. It would give more local control over party nominations and require caucus votes before MPs are expelled. Samara also urges MPs to deliver their own speeches in Parliament, rather than speak from notes they’ve been handed from on high. “Let’s have some substantive conversations in the House of Commons,” says Kendall.
THE MP BOOK was the bridge that led Kendall into Samara from a very different world. She had attended Branksome from Grade 7 to 11, finding it “a very accepting place. I really felt so comfortable stating my opinion.” She did her last two years at a coeducational school and immediately noticed the difference. “I really did feel that the boys spoke more than the girls.” In an all-girls environment, “there is nobody to impress.”
After graduating in biology at the University of Guelph, she decided to “follow my passion—reading” and got a diploma in publishing at Ryerson University. She worked as an editor at Random House for 10 years. Marrying her Guelph sweetheart, Stephen Whillans, an actuary, she turned to freelance editing after children Talia, now 7, and Luke, 5, arrived. In 2011, Samara and Random House began discussing a book about the MP exit interviews, and Kendall was hired
by Samara to prepare the book proposal. Alison Loat, as it happened, was an old friend.
Samara, named for the helicopter seed of the maple tree—“seeding ideas for Canada’s future,” says Kendall—had been going only two years. Kendall became its third employee, first part-time, then full-time as the kids grew. Now, with Loat away on maternity leave until next June, Kendall oversees all of Samara’s projects, as well as handling the full range of communications work.
KENDALL LIKES TO point out that unlike most of her colleagues, she is not a student of politics. That helps her add popular elements to Samara’s research work, bringing out people’s stories in reports and illustrating complex work through simple infographics. She also conceived Samara’s Everyday Political Citizen Project, where Canadians can nominate people who are making positive contributions to public life. (Among recent nominees: Sara AUSTIN’93. See page 28.) Using social media—“we’re not as dependent on the traditional media to get across our message as we would have been five years ago”—she crowdsourced 50 Ways to Redesign Parliament. Now Samara is gearing up for the federal election, expected next October.
“When I was freelancing I said to myself, what would be the ideal job?” says Kendall. “I went through a checklist—working with really interesting people, working with ideas, having something different happen every day, working on something you can be proud of. I feel Samara checks off all of that for me.”
Learn more about Samara at www.samaracanada.com. I
“One of the things that came out in the book is that we send these people to Ottawa who are often powerful, amazing leaders in their constituencies, but then they’re simply told to follow the party line,” says Kendall. “Some of the MPs describe themselves as trained seals clapping .”Kendall, at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Queen’s Park. CALEY TAYLOR
What I learned from my brief stint on national television
by Victoria Leenders-CHENG’00
THIS FALL, I APPEARED on a CBC television show called Canada’s Smartest Person. My Branksome classmate Giselle DE GRANDIS’00 nominated me for the show, and the taping in Toronto gave me a chance to see her for the first time in three years. The bonds you form at Branksome really do stay with you for life.
Why did CBC pick me? Well, to quote the show’s website: “Victoria is a ‘Jill of all trades’—she does it all: mom of two, editor of McGill’s Law School alumni magazine, a classically trained musician and an accomplished athlete. She scored above the 97th percentile in both the verbal and quantitative portions of her SAT test. Victoria excels in all aspects of her life with finesse, and it’s her range of abilities that make her a threat to other competitors on Canada’s Smartest Person.”
During my qualification episode on the show, we did speed math, puzzles, and a social intelligence challenge. We also did a choreographed dance and an obstacle course with five challenges lined up one after the other.
Host Jessi Cruickshank did a wonderful job of putting everyone at ease. She seemed to provoke very strong reactions from viewers, but I personally identified strongly with her ability to combine book smarts and life smarts.
I won my episode, meaning that I went on to compete in the grand finale, featuring, in the show’s bombastic terms, “the eight smartest people in Canada.”
To my great surprise, when I walked into the studio for the first day of taping for the grand finale, I found myself staring at seven men.
The show received almost 4,500 applications (mostly self-nominated, mostly men), which they whittled down to 32 participants.
Of those 32, almost half were women. What happened along the way to eliminate all the women but one? I’m still not sure I have the answer.
WOMEN ARE underrepresented in domains ranging from entertainment to corporate hierarchies, as well as in STEM—science, technology, engineering and math—and in academia more generally. As a feminist now studying human systems at Concordia University, I see my Canada’s Smartest Person experience, and my presence as the only woman in the finals, as a signal to examine this phenomenon.
While a variety of factors can influence a woman’s ability to “lean in” like Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, what I’ve learned from my TV experience is that sometimes you simply need to be willing to put yourself on the line:
• To relinquish some control over the conditions of your own success (knowing that many of the conditions are out of your control anyway).
• To potentially feel judged based on the most random of traits—weight, intelligence,
motives, personality, appearance, etc.—and to be able to ignore those judgments when they are erroneous or irrelevant.
• To confront and dismantle the fear that people will “discover that you are a fraud.” (When I lost in the finale with the lowest score, it triggered every insecurity I had about being an impostor—this has probably been the hardest thing about the experience.)
• To advocate for and believe in yourself with the understanding that nobody is perfect—if you aren’t athletic, fine; if your house is messy, who cares; if, like me, you are a terrible cook, embrace the disaster of your efforts. If you don’t like math, though, I strongly suggest you learn to like math! (My favourite interaction with an audience member was when a ’tween girl came up to me after the show to express her admiration for me in general, and for my abilities in math in particular.)
• And then, ultimately, to figure out what you really want to do and do it.
I may have been the only woman on the finale of Canada’s Smartest Person this year, but if the show goes to a second season, I hope to see many of you out there. I
A glimpse into the lives of fi ve new members
Marielle BRYCK’07 is a major gifts officer at The National Ballet of Canada. While studying economics at the University of Waterloo, she interned at Octagon Capital, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and The Canada Council for the Arts. Before joining the National Ballet, she was a development officer at Canadian Stage. Marielle was very involved in the arts at Branksome, and continues to dance in her free time. Recently, she has begun to learn Russian.
Karen CORDES Woods’99 works in client relationship management at Scotiabank Global Banking and Markets (GBM). Previously, she was a financial markets economist for six years within the same institution. She has a master’s degree in Economics from Queen’s University and a B.Sc. (Hons) in Economics from the University of King’s College in Halifax. Karen lives in Toronto with her husband and their two daughters.
Jocelyn DEEKS’95 is an urban planner working in the Economic Development and Culture division
at the City of Toronto. She has a Masters in Planning from Queen’s University and a B.A. from Western University. Jocelyn is an active patron of the arts and is currently the co-chair of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s Young Leadership Council.
Jennifer JARVIS’95 is the Senior Development Officer of Corporate Partnerships at Ronald McDonald House Toronto where she played a key role in the $33-million capital campaign to build the new and largest Ronald McDonald House in the world, which opened in
To unite, engage and grow Branksome Hall’s alumnae community of globally minded learners and leaders.
Toronto in 2011. She has a B.A. from the University of King’s College in Halifax. Jen currently sits on the board of The Joseph H.M. Wood Foundation and enjoys the opportunity to direct funds to make a difference to the local community, most notably an annual reading festival for students that was created in memory of her mother, Margaret WOOD Jarvis’62.
Carol McCLELLAND McCabe’68 has an M.Ed. and is retired from full-time work after 40 years in the field. Most (continued on page 36)
ALUMNAE EXECUTIVE
2014–15
Allison ROACH’51
Honorary President
Tenley GIBSON’94
President
Officers
Jessica ZACKHEIM Hurwitz’95
Vice-President
Melanie LANGILL’03
Treasurer
Deena PANTALONE’95
Communications
Kathryn CAMPBELL Holland’80
Secretary
Members-at-Large
Marielle BRYCK’07
Karen CORDES Woods’99
Norah DEACON Matthews’98
Jocelyn DEEKS’95
Lindsey DELUCE Ball’99
Barbara DUNLOP Mohammad’70
Alex GILLAM’08
Carolyn HELBRONNER’79
Jennifer JARVIS’95
Katie McCABE Cheesbrough’03
Carol McCLELLAND McCabe’68
Gabriella SICILIANO’06
Jennifer SULLIVAN Willmot’95
Melanie WALKER’96
Ex-Officio
Karen L. Jurjevich
Andrea McAnally
Tanya Pimenoff
Zahra Valani
Jane Drumm, Advancement Student Rep
The Alumnae Association is 5,600 members strong. Both grads and non-grads everyone who attended Branksome for at least one school year is an alumna. The Branksome community is thriving and the message to all alumnae is to “Stay Connected” to each other and the school.
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recently, she was the Coordinator of Programs at Bloorview School and previous to that, was the Coordinator of Special Education with the Toronto District School Board. She continues to work in the area of special needs and is currently developing an early reading app. Carol has three daughters, all of whom attended Branksome. She enjoys walking, playing golf and tennis, reading, travelling and spending time at the cottage.
Jane Drumm Advancement Student Rep
Jane has been at Branksome Hall since Junior Kindergarten. She was a school ambassador for two
years and is a peer supporter for Middle School students. Last year, she was elected by her peers to be the Grade 11 Community Service Representative. Jane’s passion for community service is evident by her involvement in a variety of volunteer positions, including the Reading Buddies program and the Leap into Literacy Camp with Rose Avenue Public School. She has also travelled to South Africa to teach at QGAP. Last summer, Jane achieved her Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award.
When we sent out our first-ever reunion survey last August, we were thrilled by the 30 per cent response rate. Participation from 400 alumnae indicated good engagement and offered terrific feedback and suggestions, both from past attendees and non-attendees at their most recent reunion.
Plans for Reunion 2015 will incorporate new approaches into an already well-loved annual event. Watch your mail and email for information about Reunion 2015, which will be held on Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31.
Key Findings:
• The highest ranking reunion motivators are: seeing classmates, seeing teachers, touring the school, seeing a student performance and being back on campus.
• Whether celebrating a milestone reunion or not, there is very low interest in Saturday daytime activities. Alumnae not celebrating a milestone reunion, are unlikely to attend any aspect of reunion weekend.
• Although a plated dinner ranks high, a longer cocktail hour and ability to mingle freely is equally appealing. Delicious food, give-aways and recognition of each reunion class are musts!
• The ideal time to honor alumnae award recipients is on Reunion Weekend.
• Class Reps are key to good attendance.
The Alumnae Association has been built on the strength of many dedicated volunteers who have devoted hours of their time over the years. We thank these retiring executive members for their service to Branksome Hall.
Dana DELUCE’96 (2013–14)
Dana volunteered on the Networking and Communications Committees until last winter, when she relocated with her family to the United States.
Jamie FLECK’00 (2012–14)
Jamie, a professional photographer, has returned to Branksome several times as a career speaker. She volunteered on the 2013 take pART Committee and has tapped into her talents to publicize our activities, including providing photography for The READ.
Christie GORRIE Chapman’96 (2011–14)
Christie served on a variety of committees and, in 2013, co-chaired our most successful take pART event. She always stepped in to volunteer at networking events and at the school’s Open Houses. We are
Pauline KOSALKA’09, one of our survey respondents, won the draw for a $50 gift certificate from the Alumnae Shop. Pauline is in her first year of medical school at McMaster University.
delighted she will continue her involvement on a future take pART Committee.
Heather ADAMSON Wicken’99 (2010–14)
Even before joining the executive, Heather had been a career speaker and Plaid Tidings volunteer. From 2011–13, she served as Treasurer on the Executive, and was co-Treasurer for the 20th anniversary of Plaid Tidings. In 2011, she was instrumental in launching the Networking Committee and subsequently worked on a variety of successful networking events. In 2013–14, Heather served as Vice-President of the Executive. Her leadership role in initiating strategic planning over a five-year period has allowed us to focus our activities, and we are so grateful for her support and tireless commitment.
at the Alumnae Executive and Honorary Executive year-end dinner last June, held at Catch Restaurant in Toronto. From left: Lynn HUGHES Clappison’65 (1993–95), Wendy MORGAN Deeks’66 (2003–05), Sally ADAMS Medland’66 (1985–88), Devon DOMELLE Parsons’95 (2005–07), Jane CONNOR’84 (2007–10), and current President Tenley GIBSON’94 (since 2012).
January 28, 2014
Branksome Hall, Upper Canada College and The Bishop Strachan School participated in a networking event and panel discussion on the topic of Gay Rights at Sochi 2014. Each panelist brought personal insight into political issues that arise within a host country. Held at the offices of Fasken Martineau LLP in downtown Toronto, the event and its timely topic drew inquisitive minds from all three schools.
September 21, 2014
Once threatening storm clouds vanished, an 8-boat of alumnae delighted in being “back on the water” for an invigorating late morning row, complete with tips from Branksome rowing coach Scott Fleming. Light refreshments followed in the Henley Room.
AFTER THE ROW. From bottom left: Carolyn DENNIS’89, Hillary POUNSETT’86, Julie GILMOUR’05, Lisa HALLISEY Orr’97, Emily GILMOUR’08, Kathryn CAMPBELL Holland’80 and Amanda MILBORNE Ireland’02.
June 16, 2014
The Ladies Golf Club in Thornhill, ON, extended an opportunity for alumnae from St. Clement’s School and Branksome Hall to participate in a two-hour golf clinic or a 9-hole game. Enjoying the beautiful venue are, standing from left: Hanna NOWERS’06, Gabriella SICILIANO’06, Katy BREBNER Mulroney’03 and Katie REIFFENSTEIN’04. Seated are 2003 classmates Grace LEUNG, Katie McCABE Cheesbrough and Melanie LANGILL
Held at El Caballito in downtown Toronto, this Mexican-themed social event brought together young alumni from Branksome Hall, Upper Canada College, Bishop Strachan and Royal St. George’s. From left: Hubie YU’08, Stephanie PENNAL’08, Brady HENDERSON’08, Alex GILLAM’08 and Genevia GRIMES’09.
January 12, 2014
A delicious outdoor luncheon, held at the home of Wendy MORGAN Deeks’66, Past President of the Alumnae Association, was enjoyed by alumni and parents of alumni from Branksome Hall and Upper Canada College.
March 13, 2014
Our war guests were reunited during an enjoyable afternoon tea at the Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes. As young British girls, whose parents had arranged their travel to Canada, they had been welcomed by Principal Edith Read, who rolled out the welcome mat and offered a safe haven at Branksome Hall.
Those who attended from London, and outside London, were: Brigid HAYDON Wells’43, Anne HOWITT White’44, Sheila McCLOUGHRY Harvey’44, Joy TRETHEWEY Fairbarns’44, Christine CALDER Short’45, Elspeth FAIRBAIRN Colebrook’45, Elva PARKINSON Carey’45, Kathleen WATSON Wells’45, Liz RIDDELL’46, Caroline JEAN Mather’48, Felicity JEAN Field’48, Patricia CAVE Smith’49 and Ann COOLING Stuart’50.
March 14, 2014 Thank you to Claire
and
June 4, 2014
There’s always animated conversation when alumnae from different decades get together, and dinner at the Manor Bistro was no exception. The evening was hosted by Tanya Pimenoff, Associate Director of Alumnae Relations, who was in town to attend a conference. From left: Hillary CRAWFORD Harrison’75, Wendy SCHAAL Oldham’90, Amanda RUSSELL’90, Mary PATTERSON Preston’64, Sheila BARNARD Fraser’66 and Charmaine LEE’94.
The Alumnae Association has bestowed its prestigious annual awards on three high achievers
2014 Young Alumna Achievement Award: Meredith SHAW’00
YOU MAY BE CONTENT WITH PURSUING ONE CAREER AT A TIME. Not Meredith Shaw. She’s currently managing at least four.
First, she’s a popular singer, songwriter and recording artist, with an album and a series of three-song EPs—“tringles,” she calls them—to her credit.
Next, she’s a full-time DJ on Toronto’s Boom 97.3 radio, playing 70s, 80s and 90s tunes.
Then, too, she’s a design entrepreneur, running a card and gift company called muffymade.
And she models. Beautifully.
That list doesn’t even count the considerable time she devotes to volunteering and to her inspirational sessions for young women, Girls Who Believe.
Where did she learn to keep all these glittering balls in the air? “I learned how to multitask at Branksome,” she says, “especially in my year as Head Girl. I had to go to meetings. I was playing basketball. I was in a play. I was in choir. I was doing crazy skits with the other prefects for Spirit Week. I was helping to run a school coffee shop. So, what I do now makes sense to me, and I think it would make sense to a lot of other Branksome girls.”
At Branksome, she also got some help from teacher Nancy Olfert in booking a recording studio to make a demo, which led to other singing work. She went on to Queen’s University for a degree in music and theatre, and emerged as an actor and singer. When Canadian producer Gordie Johnson heard her singing with a band, she got her break.
Johnson invited her to tour in 2011 with his newly resurrected rock band, Big Sugar—“11 guys and one girl on a bus,” says Meredith—and he produced her first album, Place Called Happy. Her style has been described as “roots-pop,” meaning folk-influenced with a strong emphasis on melody. She followed up with two three-song EPs, Trouble and Hardest Goodbye. In October came her first country single, “Better Than This.”
A person who makes her own luck, Meredith got her radio job by sending an iPhone recording of herself doing quick interviews to 60 radio stations across Canada. Boom responded, and she started on-air in the middle of the night. Now she is one of its top personalities.
She’s always made cards, she says, and she started muffymade in 2007 after her friends from Branksome—a 12-strong posse, still very close— said she should try selling them. She did, and now she also produces custom design items, such as T-shirts and mugs. Why Muffy? “It’s been my nickname since I was little. I would sign my artwork, ‘Muffy made it.’”
As a model, she is represented internationally, appears regularly on national television, and walked in the city’s first “plus-size” fashion show during Toronto Fashion Week 2013. She feels strongly that women
should see a range of bodies in media. “It’s about making women feel beautiful instead of inadequate,” she says. “And at the same time I love fashion, I love style.” But “plus” is a bit of a misnomer for Meredith, who prefers “curvy.” She’s a statuesque 5-foot-10 and in great shape, working out three to four times a week.
Her commitment to women took on new life when her song, “Girls Who Believe,” was used for a key scene in TV’s Degrassi: The Next Generation. That brought her a new set of young fans who couldn’t get into her over-19 venues. She started playing schools, including Branksome, and the sessions became discussions of teen issues and aspirations. Now she organizes the annual Girls Who Believe Fest in Toronto, supporting the charity Girls Inc. Female artists perform, female business owners are spotlighted, and there is a national song contest for girls 8 to 16, judged by celebrities.
“I wrote ‘Girls Who Believe’ as an expression of gratitude to the women I’ve had in my life—friends, teachers, mentors,” says Meredith. “I’m also grateful to my parents for sending me to Branksome. Growing up in an environment like that really encourages you to be who you are, say what you think and express how you feel.” Now she’s able to share that very special ethic—in all her careers. I
— Berton WoodwardTHEY REALLY DO FINISH EACH OTHER’S sentences. They call each other “babe.” They talk about each other as their “second husband.” Their families vacation together. They even use the same email address at work.
Close is not even close as a description of Andrea Lenczner and Christie Smythe, co-founders and designers at Smythe Inc., the groundbreaking fashion house they started in Toronto in 2004. From the time they got to know each other in high school math class at Branksome Hall, they’ve been inseparable, even when they lived in different cities.
“I don’t think I’m as honest with anyone as I am with Christie, and she with me,” says Andrea. “There’s a huge level of trust.” Adds Christie: “It really is like having a second marriage. We’re 10 years in and I would never have wanted to do this by myself. I feel like I’ve got someone in my corner.”
This emotional and creative fusion has propelled their company into a sought-after, internationally known label, specializing in women’s jackets tailored in a traditionally male style. Their work has been spotted on such celebrities as singer Gwen Stefani, actresses Blake Lively and Kate Hudson, and, most famously, the Duchess of Cambridge.
The pair have also used fashion to give back, supporting anti-bullying campaigns and young people who want to enter the industry. Christie recently took over as Chair of the Conn Smythe Foundation, named for her late great-grandfather, former owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs, which focuses on charities for women and children.
But, as with many success stories, fate played a role at several stages.
Andrea, who came to Branksome in Grade 9, was a year ahead of Christie, who’d arrived in Grade 6. But Christie decided to do the “5 in 4” accelerated program in high school, so she could graduate earlier. That landed them in many of the same classes in their last two years, starting with math.
“We really had magnetism,” says Christie. “And we both had this love of fashion.” Each had noticed the little things the other did to set apart their uniform. “You can still spot style, even with a uniform,” says Andrea. “I spotted Christie and thought, that girl is cool.” They got very distracted, says Christie. “I was having such a good time passing notes and prom dress sketches to Andrea that I had to get a math tutor.”
After Branksome, each independently chose McGill for university, bringing them
even closer together. They shared a Montreal apartment one year and lived nearby for the rest. Andrea graduated in North American studies, Christie in English with a minor in women’s studies.
Back in Toronto, Christie picked up a publicist’s job, while Andrea went into advertising. Neither felt very engaged. But Christie was becoming more sure of what she wanted to do. “My interest was pulling me to fashion. At McGill, I was always crafty. I knit a line of ski hats and sold them to a sportswear company.”
She entered Parsons, the fashion and design college in New York City, and emerged to get a job at Gap’s design headquarters in Manhattan, working on the product development team. “It taught me about line planning, about what sells and doesn’t sell, about how to wear both a creative hat and a commercial hat,” she says. “It was amazing training for me.”
ANDREA, MEANWHILE, WAS PERSUADED TO enter the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and get her MBA. That led to a lucrative job in investment banking, but her heart still wasn’t in it. “I knew what I loved—fashion. It just never occurred to me I could make a career out of it. But then I started trying.” It was tough convincing style outfits to consider a banker, but with the help of a detailed fashion journal she’d kept for years, she finally got Holt Renfrew to take her on as a buyer.
Constantly in touch or visiting between Toronto and New York, the two women often talked about starting a business together. “But it was a fantasy conversation,” says Andrea. Until Christie, now married, called one day in 2003 and said her husband Christian had accepted a job in Toronto. “I told Andrea, if we’re ever going to do it, we’re going to do it now,” says Christie.
Andrea, as it happens, had just had her first child with husband Blair. She decided to secretly devote her maternity leave to the project. “It took me a while to commit,” she says, “but all of a sudden I realized, this is really what I want to do.”
Even with an MBA on board, they didn’t draw up a business plan. “If we had, I’m not sure we would have done it,” says Christie. “But we were very strategic about what we wanted to do.”
THEY DECIDED TO DESIGN—AND PERFECT— jackets, a sleepy category for women but one they loved. “Back at McGill, we used to vintage shop all the time and we would always gravitate towards jackets,” says Christie. Moreover, this was the time when designer denim—$200 jeans—was becoming the rage
and women were looking for ways to dress it up. Some wore the blazers from their office suits, for lack of a better source. “We saw there was a niche,” says Christie. “And it was how we wanted to dress—more eclectically, not head-to-toe matching.”
And where could you find a well-made jacket? On a man. “We’re really inspired by traditional menswear tailoring, and by traditional menswear fabrics,” says Christie. “And we love the menswear aesthetic—it’s compelling for a woman to have that little bit of masculinity.”
They chose the name Smythe only because they liked the traditional sound of it. “It had an old English tailoring connotation,” says Christie, “and Andrea didn’t have an ego about it.” But while they divide up the administrative work, they stress that the clothes are totally a joint effort. “We design every single element of every single garment together,” Christie says. “There is no division of labour there. Because that’s what we love the most.”
Next, they needed sales. When Andrea left Holt Renfrew, her boss asked to have first look at the new company’s designs. The store took their first 75 units—and the Smythe pair reached out to their Branksome friends for help. They emailed everyone they knew, and a Branksome grad highlighted the new brand in a popular online newsletter. Result: “We had
so much support from our Branksome peeps that we nearly sold out at Holts in the first weekend,” says Andrea.
They were on their way. Holt Renfrew ordered more clothes, and Smythe expanded into the U.S. via major department stores and independent boutiques. Today, they’re also available in Europe, the Middle East and China, as well as online.
THEY’VE LAUNCHED NEW CATEGORIES— including coats, pants, skirts, blouses and knits—but their prime focus has remained on jackets. That served them well in 2011 when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge— a.k.a. Prince William and Kate—planned to visit Canada. Through the valiant efforts of Smythe’s publicist, the Duchess saw their work, ordered a shipment and wore a navy Smythe blazer onto the plane to Canada, as cameras clicked. Within hours, the Smythe website had crashed and sales were soaring.
The stylish Duchess wore the jacket again in Canada and has since sported it several times in Britain, even playing volleyball in it for a charity during her first solo engagement after Prince George was born. “It was a turning point for us in terms of international awareness,” says Andrea.
As they celebrate their 10th anniversary in business, the Smythe pair want to continue giving back. In 2012, they designed a special blazer, “The Warbler,” to raise funds for anti-bullying initiatives. They also support the School of Fashion at Ryerson University, and donate fabric to the Windfall charity and to the Design Exchange for its summer fashion camps.
Each sees Branksome as a critical part of their success. “Branksome prepared us for how to work and how to share,” says Andrea. “Christie and I are very generous with information for new designers and others in the design community. We’re not jealous, and that’s a Branksome value. Let’s help each other succeed.”
It goes without saying that Branksome is also a great place to find a friend for life. I — Berton Woodward
Branksome prepared us for how to work and how to share,” says Andrea. “Christie and I are very generous with information for new designers and others in the design community. We’re not jealous, and that’s a Branksome value. Let’s help each other succeed.”
1945
Budge ARCHIBALD Wilson, author of Before Green Gables as well as numerous other award-winning books, was made a Member of the Order of Nova Scotia in 2011 and was given an honorary degree (DHL–Doctor of Humane Letters) from Mount Saint Vincent University in 2012.
1946
“You tell.”
“No, you—you’re so much better at remembering those details than I am.”
“Ha! She’s being modest—she’s sharp as a tack.”
Louise defers to Martha and Martha defers to Louise. The sisters are plainspeaking modest types with a can-do attitude. Faithful Branksome alumnae for years, each has taken a leadership role from time to time, in support of the school they both love.
But this interview is about the Coffey sisters, champion rowers, as in Canadian and international level champions in the Masters I divisions. They’re tiny dynamos, proud that rowing has changed their lives for the better, on and off the water. And in a sport where the official age classes extend to “80 and over,” they’re still young.
Louise COFFEY Hastings’55 was a rowing mom. Her daughter, Lindsay HASTINGS’99, rowed for five years. Louise was smitten by the beauty and power of the sport and by Lindsay’s enthusiasm. Getting up at 4:30 a.m. in early April was no fun, but nothing matched the exhilaration of watching the girls pull away down the course. Louise saw in rowing the ultimate in interdependence, harmony and precision.
1955
Mary Lou COSSER Dickinson’s third novel Would I Lie to You? (Inanna Publications, October
2014) explores the reality of family secrets that are concealed by the veneer of polite society and can affect individuals and families for lifetimes, even generations.
http://www.marylou dickinson.blogspot.ca/
Lindsay suggested her mom give it a whirl. Louise laughs as she recalls trying to balance a scull, but she persisted. She now rows in the singles and doubles categories and sweeps in boats that have coxies. She’s no slouch—she’s a Gold medalist in Canada and the U.S. in the masters division.
Louise then urged Martha to row. Martha COFFEY’62 had been a marathoner until her knees rebelled. “I told her rowing would be the perfect lowimpact sport,” says Louise. “And I loved
it,” Martha adds. “Besides, what could be better than being outside on a calm stretch of water at dawn? It really has no equal.”
And Martha has caught up to Louise in terms of hardware: Gold in 2013 at the Canadian Masters in a single and a quad, and co-winner of the Argo Masters Award for 2013.
The sisters laugh at their escapades: crazy weather, near misses, exciting head races. And they’ve given back. Both women are sought-after race umpires. Both women have led their rowing organizations, Louise as Vice-President of the St. Catharines Rowing Club Board and Martha as Chair of the Board of the Argonaut Rowing Club. Both won the Row Ontario Female Umpire of the Year Award: Martha in 2011 and Louise in 2010. They are champions in an ageless sport. But you have to pry that information out of them. They don’t talk about themselves. They act. They get the job done. They pull their weight.
Donna BULL George recalls a time in 1959 when the Art Gallery of Ontario rallied Branksome Hall and other Toronto schools to collect money for a public subscription. It entitled each school to ownership of a square inch of the Tintoretto painting Christ Washing The Disciples’ Feet. On September 23, Donna finally saw the beautiful painting, which was hanging in the Rotunda of the Fudger Gallery at the AGO.
Branksome boarding friends Felicitas KORT and Isetta MENEGAZZI live in New York City, where they attended a September performance of the National Ballet of Canada’s Alice in Wonderland. After the performance, they attended a reception with the artistic team and dancers of the National Ballet.
Lois WAYMAN Brown completed her contract to write the fifth edition of Radiography for Veterinary Technicians for Elsevier, an academic publishing company, which publishes medical and scientific literature. Both hard copy and
ebook includes chapters explaining the intricacies of radiography, ultrasound, nuclear medicine and MRI, as well as many illustrations on positioning animals for their examinations using non-manual restraint. This was accomplished primarily with the cooperation of the staff and their animals at Seneca College (King Campus). Contributors included Toronto Equine Hospital and Westbridge Veterinary Hospital.
Lois was nominated to the Canadian Association of Physicists and, after the book was published, she received the designation P. Phys. (Professor of Physics). She attributes her early knowledge of math
and physics to Miss Boyes (Grade 9/10 algebra and geometry) at Branksome, who had a gift of untangling the mysteries of mathematics that Lois has always admired. Now 70, Lois feels she has only just begun!
Last May, Tricia PENTENY Mancuso and her husband, Drew, flew from their home in Victoria, BC, to visit family and friends in England. She spent one enjoyable afternoon with Wendy WILLIAMSON Halford, who was the Sherborne School exchange student in 1964–65. Returning home, a stop in Toronto/Niagara enabled a
Julie KELLY Trimmer’63, left, and her daughter, Kim Dodge, visited and toured Branksome on September 8. Julie lives in Little Current, ON, and had not been back to the school since her student days.
visit with Mary-Jo HUGHES Powell. Seven years had passed since she had seen Wendy and Mary-Jo, however, she does visit with Katherine DODGE Gibbons a few times a year, as they live near each other.
Last summer, Kristina SZANDTNER Burke’65, who lives in Ridgewood, New Jersey, enjoyed a visit with
Now an annual tradition, alumnae who attended the luncheon at the Miller last May were Jane OMAND Barber, Sandra DUCK Hume, Brenda McMURRICH Allen’61, Sherry GRIFFITHS, Linda GOLDRING McGaw, Lynda HOLM Franklin, Judy WILSON Budzinsky, Suzy YARKER Yocom, Ellen CARRICK Duga’61, Annabel BEGG Stokes’61, Diana WALSH Bell, Pixie BIGELOW Currie and Judy WILSON Ayearst.
From left, Ellen CARRICK Duga’61, Annabel BEGG Stokes’61 and Brenda McMURRICH Allen’61.
Enjoying a 50th reunion afternoon get-together at the home of Carol COWAN last May are, from the bottom of the stairs and moving up, Margot VANDERPLOEG Smith, host Carol COWAN, Joanne BRYERS Lochhead, Jennifer DYKES Then, Sally GODFREY Forrest, Susan McMULLEN McMaster, Shelley VARLEY Tidy, Laurie LAMBE Wallace, Wendy ANGUS Scott, Barbara DEACON Cooper, Susan PARKS, Cheryl MacINTYRE Headon, Paddy THOMAS Simpson, Mary PATTERSON Preston, Liz CARR Keddie, Carole TILLEY Stuart and Tricia PENDRITH Healy.
Principal Karen Jurjevich and a tour of Branksome’s new Athletics and Wellness Centre.
1966
In October, Sally ADAMS Medland’66 hosted a luncheon for her classmate, Lynne WADGE Hamilton, who was visiting from Vancouver. Lynne and Sally were roommates during their Grade 13 boarding days. Also in attendance were Brenda CAMPBELL Drinkwalter, Christine EARL, Christine BRASS Spence and Allison WADGE’69.
1968
Congratulations to Susan DUNCANSON Pigott for her recent appointment as
Chair of Ontario’s Mental Health and Addictions Leadership Advisory Council. The Council represents diverse sectors that work on mental health and addictions issues.
Award-winning author James FitzGerald (UCC 1968) is currently writing a memoir, Dreaming Sally, that captures the life and times of Sally WODEHOUSE’68, who died tragically in Europe two months after her graduation from Branksome. Due to be published by Random House Canada in 2017, the book is billed as “a true story of first love, sudden death and synchronicity set in the summer of 1968.”
Several of Sally’s classmates, including Nancy FALCONER, Anne GODFREY and Shelley LAMBE, have been helping James with his research. He would welcome any memories of Sally from alumnae, and can be reached at jfitzg@pathcom.com.
Ann BATTEN Kivett has lived in Taunton, U.K. for 11 years, where her husband, Stephen, is a priest for two nearby parishes. Their three children have all flown the nest: Jennifer to London with her husband, Olly, and daughter Amity, 3; Fiona to London with her boyfriend; and James to Ilminster with his wife, Ella, and son Eli,
almost 2. Ann’s parents still live in Bath. Ann remembers her happy year at Branksome and keeps in touch with Rosie BASSETT Robertson. She hopes to visit Toronto one day, when en route to visit Stephen’s family in Indiana.
While holidaying in Bermuda last August with daughter Megan SNELL Page’00, Cindy BUNDY Snell’69, left, enjoyed a visit
1959
1964 celebrates their 50th Reunion
with classmate and Bermudian Andrea RAY Casling’69, right.
Ginny BERTRAM Aird lives in Toronto with her husband Hugh. She is happily surrounded by all of her children, who live nearby, and her many grandbabies.
Janet BROWN is married and living in Toronto’s Cabbagetown. Her girls are out on their own.
Laura BYATT Hogg lives in Ottawa and works part time in the retail industry. She is married and has two children, 22 and 24.
Carolyn CLARK Rabbior lives in Aurora and is a communications and strategy consultant. She has been married for 33 years, and is delighted her three children, Kristin, Caileigh and Clark, are now off the payroll!
Sue CROSS has plans to move from Calgary to Toronto. She has been
married for 29 years and has two boys, 22 and 25.
Susan DUNN is living and working in Portland, Oregon. She and partner Maggie live in a stunning historical home and always welcome visitors. They have recently become proud grandmothers.
Deborah EATON Tennant was in Korea visiting her second born grandchild, so could not attend reunion. She keeps us up to date on Facebook. Deborah enjoys
1969 celebrates their 45th reunion
A small but mighty group are, from left: Liz McCUTCHEON Svilans’70, Gini MIDDUP Doan, Moira PARKS Graham, Carol McCAGUE Eadie and Kathy DROPE Taylor.
summers in Haliburton and is on the same lake as Anne ROBSON Wilson.
Debbie EYTON Edmonds is recently married to a fabulous fellow. Her four children are off building careers and living on their own. Deb works in fundraising with the University Health Network.
Lucy FALCONER McDonald flew in from St. John’s, NL, where they experienced a brutal winter.
Seated from left: Lili POS, Anne FAIRLIE, Sara EDMONDS Hall, Kelly WEBB, Christie THOMAS, Joanne COOK. Back row from left: Anne MEREDITH Hepburn, Janet ALLEN Newlands, Cathy GOLDRING Bowden, Virginia MORAWETZ Coatsworth, Janice WADGE, Kim HEINTZMAN, Susan BALL Knox, Ann HUTCHESON Harris, Brenley CRAWFORD, Sandra BOLTÉ and Mary GREER.
Barbara GREENWOOD is married and is living in a 200-year-old house in rural Vermont. She is a lawyer and spends as much time as she can at her family cottage in Fernbank, near Brockville.
Susan HILL Holladay is living in the Toronto area and has been happily married for 35 years. She and her husband are “mad” curlers.
Brenda LANG is married and living in Toronto. She enjoys bridge and is an avid golfer.
Judy MANNING lives in Toronto and has a career in real estate. She is the
Branksome’s
primary caregiver for her mom and, giving back as she always has, her days are jam packed.
Sheila MacFEETERS lives in Toronto with her partner Michael. They have a home on the water in Orillia with a beautiful lake view, and nearby is Gay GUTHRIE. Gay was pretty astonished when some of us knocked on her door to say hi last year.
Alison MACINTOSH lives in Acton and has been re-married for 14 years. She has three grown daughters, and is a proud grandmother of a boy with another baby girl on the way.
Alison MacKENZIE travelled from London, U.K. and attended the cocktail reception at Branksome before going to spend time with Sheila MacFEETERS, with whom she has many memories of Georgian Bay.
Kim McCARTHY lives and works in Collingwood with her partner. She has two daughters, 25 and 30, and the eldest is recently married.
Robyn McDONALD Katsuras is married and lives in Toronto. She is retired from real estate and spends summers at the cottage in Haliburton, where visitors
are always welcome. Her son, Colton, is 16.
Janet MEREDITH is married, lives in Denver, and has her own consulting firm. Her two boys are still in school.
Martha SCANDRETT lives in Toronto, as does Meg SUTHERLAND Best.
Wendy STEWART lives in California, where she is a lawyer in a busy firm. One daughter works at the firm and the other attends the University of Toronto, so Wendy is happy to visit Toronto when she can.
Marilee TISDALL MacFarlane and her husband, Richard, have been married 28 years. She supply teaches at BSS and does volunteer work with the Philip Aziz Centre, a home hospice care organization. Daughter Kendra, 25, is in her second year of a 24-month Master of Science program in Kinesiology at the University of Victoria.
Martha TISDALL Smith and her husband, Randy, have lived in Thornbury, ON for the past five years and love it. After teaching at Manor Road Co-operative Nursery School in Toronto for almost 30 years, Martha is busy supply teaching at two preschools in the area. She is also on the supply list as an education assistant and an early childhood educator with the Bluewater District School Board. She has two grown daughters.
And from those who could not attend the reunion— Nan HORSEY, Heidi WESTFALL and Brenley CARPENTER are all well. Nan is a real estate agent in the west end of Toronto and was awaiting the birth of her first grandchild. Heidi lives in Bracebridge and has retired from a nursing career. Brenley splits her time between her homes in King and Wellington, Florida. Her husband, Mac Cone, is still on the international jumping circuit (and teaches as well) after winning Silver at the Olympics in the team event. They have daughters and grandchildren. Chantal RAMSAY sent her best wishes to everyone. She lives in Mexico City, working for the Canadian government. Sarah EDINBOROUGH Iley is married, has two grown-up daughters, and lives in Calgary. She is the Manager of Culture for the City of Calgary. Laura ANGLIN McBeath lives with her husband, Campbell, in Bermuda. Their two boys
have finished university and are working, and their daughter is in high school.
Suzanne COOK is an adjunct professor in the linguistics department at the University of Victoria. The focus of her research is documenting the cultural heritage of the Lacandones, a small Mayan community located in the lowland rainforest of Chiapas, Mexico. Her first book on Lacandon ethnobotany is in press with Springer, and she is currently writing a second book on Lacandon oral literature, to be published by Nebraska Press.
Becca McCORMACK
Scarratt was unable to attend reunion, as she was busy organizing a 325-person lobster supper to raise $15,000 for the Rotary Club in Rimouski. She is the only female member and was asked to be on the executive. Apart from volunteer work, she belongs to a choir, plays tennis, cross country skis, golfs and runs her own physiotherapy clinic. Her son, Grant, is 14, and in a sports study program, where he combines his love of sports with schoolwork. Her husband, Michael, is a researcher in chemical oceanography.
After four years of late nights and an exhausting work/school schedule, Carol PIERCE earned her master’s degree from the Faculty of Environmental Design at the University of Calgary. Her thesis, Eating Local:
For many years, I was in the mining industry—first as a stockbroker and then as the owner/director of my own investor relations firm in London, England.
In 2002, my sister, Patti, was diagnosed with an aggressive breast cancer and I returned to Toronto to help her through her treatment. In those days, they had only just started experimenting with Herceptin to target the HER2/neu gene. By the time we got the go-ahead for it, it was too late and we lost Patti.
When one person in a family gets cancer, we all get cancer and it was by far the toughest year of our lives.
In 2003, the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation announced the Weekend to End Breast Cancer (now called the Weekend to End Women’s Cancers)—a 60-km walk. To remember Patti, my mother, who was 79 at the time, and I participated in the inaugural walk and I have participated ever since.
I stayed in Toronto and re-established myself in the mining industry with a new company, KateConnect Inc, focusing, once again, on investor relations. Eventually, I came upon the Women in Mining (WIM) Toronto Branch—a lively and informal group of more than 700 women who work across the spectrum of the mining industry. We meet once
a month, which leads to wonderful networking opportunities.
WIM can trace its origins to 1969, when females in the industry were a rarity. When The Northern Miner published an article featuring several women geologists, it sparked interest and resulted in a now robust mailing list and active group.
In 2007, I learned there were a number of cancer survivors in our WIM group. Eight women were interested in forming a Women in Mining team for the weekend walk, with a lofty goal of $200,000.
We reached our goal that year and have had a team ever since—now 13 participants strong. Our ambitious 2014 goal of $250,000 fell a bit short with $204,000 raised, but we’ve raised almost $700,000 since our team was formed. We walk to give hope to those who are battling cancer and to honour those who have lost the fight.
In the years since Patti’s death, Kate has learned about Traditional Thai Massage. She now operates Bahn Thai Spa Traditional Thai Massage and Wellness Centre in downtown Toronto, which is also a school teaching both recreational and professional level courses.
Defining a Local Foodshed to Meet Local Food Goals, was challenging, but she believes that foodshed analysis is an emergent and growing field. Carol intends to pursue career prospects in foodshed analysis.
Congratulations to Penelope WOOLFORD, who was elected to the position of chair of the Board of Governors of the Canadian Tax Foundation in November 2013.
Fiona SAMPSON’81, the Executive Director of The Equality Effect in Toronto, led an army of pro bono lawyers (and incredible fundraising efforts) in a successful lawsuit against the Kenyan police force in May 2013 for neglecting reports of rampant sexual abuse involving girls aged 3 to 17. The case, which received testimony from 160 Kenyan girls, eventually reached the High Court of Kenya, and concluded with a court order to ensure police carry out investigations in cases of rape against children. The Equality Effect is now training Kenyan Police, at their request, in the “160 Girls” decision, and is implementing a unique complimentary Public Legal Education initiative, all designed to ensure that perpetrators are held accountable for their sexual violence. Sampson’s organization, The Equality Effect, has other ongoing human rights projects in Kenya, Malawi, and Ghana.
Entrepreneur Laurie
started
estimates from movers, take away and donate items, get furniture/household items appraised, and run errands. smoothmoveforseniors.com
Move for
She will help baby boomers and their family members de-clutter rooms, pack up/
The Secret of the Village Fool, by Rebecca UPJOHN Snyder, won the 2014 Silver Birch Express Award and was
nominated for the 2014 Golden Oak Award. She writes, “I am so heartened that Grade 3 and 4 students in Ontario would choose a book that introduces the difficult subject of the Holocaust.”
rebeccaupjohn.com
Congratulations to Andrea DORFMAN, whose new feature film, Heartbeat, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last September. Shot in Andrea’s hometown of Halifax, the film centres on a newly single woman searching for meaning in her life as she tries to overcome paralyzing stage fright.
A past camper and staff member, Kim GRAYDON Chisholm has returned to Glen Bernard Camp (GBC) as Associate Director, where the love of learning and nature still runs rampant and leadership skills are displayed daily. Kim’s two daughters
The Class of 1974 at their 40th reunion
Seated from left: Susan DUNN, Wendy STEWART, Alison McKENZIE, Robyn McDONALD Katsuras and Lucy FALCONER McDonald. Standing from left: Cynthia ARMOUR, Susan HILL Holladay, Susan CROSS, Martha TISDALL Smith and Marilee TISDALL MacFarlane.
The Class of 1979 at their 35th reunion
The Class of 1984 at their 30th reunion
The Class of 1989 at their 25th reunion
Seated from left: Tyler GAMEY Gunton, Charmaine LEE, Leigh ELLIOTT McGowan, Ariana KOVRIG Botha, Daphne ANASTASSIADOS and Allison GIBSON Boyd.Standing from left: Sarah GRANT, Michelle FOJT Frigo, Katie EARLE Tyler, Holly FENNELL, Amy SATTERTHWAITE, Robin STEWART, Tessa AKANDE, Catherine CHAPMAN Dinim, Andy CANTOR Miller and Rachel FLEMING.
are also campers at GBC, where all girls are proponents of environmental stewardship—some of whom take their Grade 11 three-week residential Environmental Science course (SVN3M). “It is exciting to combine my love of camp with my work life,” says Kim. “Spending time outdoors in the company of amazing young women is extremely fulfilling.”
Anne TODGHAM’93 recently spent several months at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, where she led a team of graduate students in their research on the effects of climate change on animals. Now an Assistant Professor at the University of California Davis in the Department of Animal Science, Anne achieved her Ph.D. in Animal Physiology from the University of British Columbia. Her passion, and that of her students, lies in understanding how the changes in the marine environment due to climate change may affect the
development of life at its earliest stages. She is interested in understanding the stress tolerance of animals and how they are able to deal with changes in many stressors that are happening simultaneously, such as increases in temperature, and decreases in oxygen and pH. By understanding the ability of animals to deal with these types of environmental changes, her research allows the scientific community to predict which animals or communities of animals will be vulnerable to climate change and may need additional protection in the future.
(left) Anne TODGHAM’93, centre, while on an Antarctic research expedition last year, with two of her female graduate students, Erin Flynn and Brittany Bjelde.
(right) In late 2014, Anne and her team were conducting further research at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. The orange hut keeps the team nice and warm while the group fishes for experimental animals. The red piston bully is the mainstay vehicle used to get around on the sea ice.
Amanda COHEN is chef and owner of Dirt Candy, a highly acclaimed and Michelin-recommended vegetarian restaurant in New York City’s East Village, where “meat eaters and vegetarians can order side-by-side and leave feeling like they’ve experienced something special.”
Amanda is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet’s Chef Training Program in New York and has worked in many of NYC’s vegetarian restaurants. Six years ago, she opened her own restaurant and hasn’t looked back. Be sure to make a reservation though—it’s popular! dirtcandynyc.com
Lisa HALLISEY Orr
I have always been a “manners” girl, but when my family and I lived in Barbados, I truly understood the power of a society raised with etiquette and protocol. It was an island of civility and kindness with low crime rates and incredible quality of life. When
Guests at a baby shower, hosted by Catherine HUNT Szabo’94, last July are Meling VON MOLTKE-PAO’95, Catherine, Avner’s mom Liz ROSENFELD’95, baby Avner, Moti Keter and Katie EARLE Tyler’94.
we returned to Canada, I knew this was my calling, so I certified in Corporate Etiquette, International Protocol and Youth Etiquette. I now teach and talk about etiquette and protocol in schools, businesses and to individuals across Canada.
Charmaine stands beside an optical microscope used for the examination of large exhibits.
Any good scientist is curious. She faces problems with an open yet disciplined mind. First step: gather empirical facts. What does she know? What is unknown? The evidence is analyzed and ordered. A conclusion is drawn.
Charmaine LEE’94, Ph.D., is a good scientist. She’s a chemist; lay people might say that she’s a CSI. Here is her story.
“It was always math and science, from the elementary grades on. Nothing else came close,” she remembers. In high school, Charmaine loved the physical sciences and math— and choosing a favourite was hard. But that problem solved itself when her parents attended an interview with teacher Anna Gray. “Your daughter is a chemist,” declared Ms Gray. Charmaine knew immediately that her teacher was right.
The path forward then became clear. During her first year at the University of Western Ontario (now Western University), she studied an array of physical and social sciences. By the end of second year, chemistry became her major focus.
At grad school, as so often happens to learners who, in typical Branksome style, reach out to forge
relationships, Charmaine met a professor who became her mentor and invited her to join his research team. Working with real chemists in the electrochemical and corrosion science fields introduced her to the science industry and offered her real-world exposure. She saw the significance of the application of science learning.
Those learnings carried her into the workforce. A member of Charmaine’s grad group saw a posting for a forensic specialist in Edmonton—with the RCMP. Charmaine chuckles at the process of joining the force. “I barely made the application deadline.”
The process was elaborate, but Charmaine is delighted to be in Edmonton. Her title is Forensic Specialist. She examines trace evidence such as paint, polymers and fire debris from crime scenes. “I provide physical and chemical information to the courts,” she says. Decisions about human culpability are based on her findings.
Edmonton is a young city. “It’s a business town,” she says, “Lots of trades people and not many academics.” Charmaine loves this dynamic city. She curls and volunteers for the local Fringe Festival, proud of her association with Canada’s first fringe, and one of the world’s largest.
But she carries Branksome with her. “I was a boarder. I learned to live with others, to adapt. I learned fearlessness.” And when she meets Branksome alumnae, she reflects, “We share that bond.”
What is her message to today’s Branksomites?
To stay curious, to consider science a field full of possibilities. A life in science is rewarding and useful. In Charmaine’s case, the choice for science was the right one. Based on the evidence.
Daily bloggers Cailli (left) and Sam BECKERMAN have taken the fashion industry by storm. Last August, The Globe and Mail featured a lengthy story on the twins’ “kooky sense of style” and successful partnerships with big name fashion brands. Congratulations! BeckermanBlog.com
Giselle DE GRANDIS nominated her classmate Victoria Leenders-CHENG for the recent CBC TV show Canada’s Smartest Person. See story on p. 34.
Friends at Charlotte HALL Newbury’s wedding in October 2013 included, from left, Sara PRIOLO Manna’01, Valerie
Heather WRIGHT’03 remembers her first speech for the Junior School Public Speaking contest as if it was yesterday. A nine-yearold, Grade 4 spor ts nut and tomboy, she’d researched her topic to the last detail—the Major League Baseball strike of 1994. Her facts were solid, but she’d never spoken to a group before and the lead competitors were in Grade 6!
Heather did very well and, more important, she loved the experience. “It was a rush!” she says. That rush propelled her forward
FORDYCE’02, the bride, Mary-Louise TASELOS’02, Emily HANCOCK Weinmann’02 and, at front, bridesmaid Laura BRENNINKMEYER Nielsen’02.
Irene Rosenfeld, Chairman and CEO of Mondelez International, was Branksome Hall’s Rachel Phillips Belash Guest Speaker during a morning assembly last February.
Carol ROSENFELD’01 accompanied her mom
through her years at Branksome and later Trinity College School. It ignited an interest in politics and history that led to a degree from McGill University. Post B.A., after two years behind a desk where “every day was the same,” Heather took a hard look at her interests and love of action and decided on broadcast journalism.
Her father Tom’s words echo in her ears even now: “If you do something you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.” She headed to Chicago’s Northwestern University, where internships in Washington were embedded in the journalism master’s program. The prospect of being in DC during the hubbub of mid-term elections excited her.
Heather has always been comfortable with sports, a legacy of her father’s long involvement in the industry as a top executive. But the time in Washington turned her passions toward hard news and the crucial role of good reporting. After Northwestern, Heather declined an offer in Green Bay, Wisconsin and headed back to Ontario and CTV Barrie. “I wanted to come home,” she says. “My personal network is here.”
In Barrie, Heather honed her craft. A small-town beat meant becoming a strong generalist and dealing with whatever news broke. It meant short deadlines, travelling in rough winter weather and disciplined writing.
Now Heather is back in her hometown at CTV Toronto. Married to Andrew Deluce last summer (see p. 54), she has reunited with her Branksome network. “My Branksome friends are always nearby. And honest. They all watch the news, they’re all smart and current, and they hold me accountable.”
They also push her to have fun and try new things. Classmate Grace LEUNG recently introduced this traditional athlete (golf, tennis, running) to the ballet bar.
“It’s funny,” reflects Heather, “how all the little influences add up.” In her case, the discipline and support of family, the rich opportunities offered by a great school and the lifelong support of friends have combined to create a savvy and energetic member of Canada’s news media.
on this special occasion and also took questions from the audience. Carol is a recent graduate of Yale University School of Management.
Ashley SUTHERLAND Beatty moved to Vancouver Island, where she and her husband and are both teaching at oceanfront Brentwood College School in Mill Bay. Just back after mat leave, Ashley teaches one Grade 11 French class and is an assistant houseparent in one of the girls’ dorms.
Congratulations to Joanna GRIFFITHS, Founder and CEO of Knix Wear (a women’s underwear
company), who sealed a $300,000 deal with Jim Treliving on CBC’s Dragon’s Den last October.
Sarah LOREE is in her second year as a veterinary student at University College Dublin, Ireland.
Sarah SAHAGIAN is one of Branksome’s debating coaches and, in October, travelled with the team to Hong Kong for the
Guests at the wedding of Heather WRIGHT’03 in June 2013 are, standing from left: Diana GRAHAM’03, Natalie TELFER’98, Carolyn DEMPSTER’93, Grace LEUNG’03, Jen ROWAN Peacock’02, Andrew Edelberg, Jackie NIXON’03, Deirdre MORRIS, Katy BREBNER Mulroney’03, Amy SISAM’03, Ginny CLARK Hicks’96, Zoe PALIARE’03. Seated from left: Dana DELUCE’96, Lindsey DELUCE’99, Melanie LANGILL’03, the bride, Ginny BERTRAM Aird’74, Jodi WRIGHT Ritchie’01, Emily WRIGHT’09, Ashley GRAND’05.
At the Four Seasons Hotel in Santa Barbara for the wedding of Ginny VEALE Bell’04 are, from left, Alison HONEY Woods’98, Jordana LONGO’04, Sarah LEVY’04, the bride, Wendy MORGAN Deeks’66, Maid of Honour Stephanie MACINTOSH’04, Jenn MORDEN’04 and Kim MACINTOSH’06. Missing from the photo is Annie MUNRO VEALE’97.
International Independent Schools Public Speaking Championship.
Ginny VEALE Bell and husband Ryan live in Los Angeles, where Ginny is pursuing her acting career and Ryan is a filmmaker with DreamWorks. Last spring, Ginny starred in The Purple Lights of Joppa Illinois, a new work by Pulitzer Prize finalist Adam Rapp that looks at loss, regret and the tenacity of hope.
Actor Stacey FARBER’s latest role is playing Dr. Sydney Katz, an OB/GYN,
on Saving Hope, a one-hour television show which airs on CTV.
Chelsea WONG received a B.Sc. in Anatomy and Cell Biology in 2010 from McGill University, and is currently a medical student at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
Michelle CHOI is working on a master’s degree at Kyung Hee University in Seoul, South Korea. She hopes to visit Branksome Hall Asia on Jeju Island.
Taken at the reception at her parents’ home in the Hockley Valley last October is bride Meaghan URSELL Northey’02 with friends, from left, Ashley INGRAM Hughes’03, Alison VAILLANCOURT’03, Karen KONIECZNY’02 and Elsa HOOGENHOUT Vogts’02.
Pushing off for a one-hour row at last September’s Alum Rowing Event at Argos are Branksome rowing coach (and cox-for-the-day) Scott Fleming and Amanda MILBORNE Ireland’02. See page 37.
Several months after their wedding in Toronto, Jessica KARTUZ Espinasse and her Australian husband, Jon-Pierre, relocated to Sydney, Australia. Guests at the wedding last summer were Allie CHAITON, Alex GILLAM, Marion ADAMS, Soley
BINGLEY, Lindsay GOBIN and Jenna HALBERT.
Jisu OH lives in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and is an online manager for South Korea at Suitsupply, a Dutch fashion brand for men. Her work includes localizing web content, data analysis for optimizing the website and online marketing campaigns.
I am a worm farmer. I raise little, wiggly earthworms as livestock—for their poop!
Worm poop is a super-charged natural soil fertilizer and it is in high demand by organic growers.
Along with pooping-power, my Red Wiggler worms have a voracious appetite. Vermicomposting, as it is known, is a waste management biotechnology that diverts organic material from landfill, using a worm’s natural digestive process to transform waste into a valuable agricultural product.
My business, Wastenot Worm Farms, capitalizes on this solution by sourcing our worm food through Green Bins Growing, an office food-waste recycling service for Toronto-area businesses keen to improve their environmental performance and decrease waste.
Worm farming was not my initial career plan. Having channelled my Branksome days as a leader of the environmental GAIA Club and dressed as Captain Planet, I completed a Master of Applied Environmental Science degree at Ryerson University and was thrilled to land a position at a large recycling firm. I was ready to work as a force for good!
However, I quickly learned why the waste management industry is known as “dirty business.” Source-separated food waste was sent straight to the dump, not a compost facility, because in Ontario landfilling is less expensive.
Unimpressed with this lack of sustainability, I set out to establish an economical, closed-loop method of recycling food waste. Green Bins Growing, one of the first of its kind, helps businesses such as Velcro Canada achieve “zero waste” targets. Clients also benefit from a community engagement opportunity when a portion of worm poop fertilizer produced from their waste is donated to a local community garden, or given to employees to use at home.
Raising these tiny livestock in the heart of Ontario farm country seems an unlikely venue for a Branksome girl, so I was surprised when, having responded to a “free horse manure for pick-up” ad in the local paper, I met Martha YOUNGER Millar’82, owner of the riding stable BDF Equestrian.
Branksome alumnae seem to find a way to turn a passion into a profession. Even when the passion involves poop.
Last March, Sarah REDINGTON and Alisse HANNAFORD travelled to northern Thailand to visit Brittany SMITH, who had been there teaching for several months. With Brittany’s school term over, the three friends travelled south for two weeks. They
met tigers in Chiang Mai, ate scorpions (!) in Bangkok, and ended up on the island Koh Phangan for some beach relaxation and the famous Full Moon Party! Sarah then returned to her advertising job in London, U.K., while Alisse and Brittany continued
travelling around Southeast Asia for a few weeks. Brittany is studying for her masters in Edinburgh and Alisse is at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.
student at the University of North Carolina, she competed last fall in the 6 km cross-country (although she prefers track) Virginia Tech Alumni Invite and placed second with a time of 21:11:00. She also volunteers with campus outreach, giving back and helping those less fortunate.
For the second year in a row, St. Lawrence University student Claire O’NEIL took the Liberty League Women’s Golf Champion title in spite of terrible weather! This past fall semester, on exchange from SLU, Claire studied Global Economics in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Lizzie WHELAN, a Pan Am Games hopeful, is one of the five fastest runners in Canada in the 1500m and one of the youngest. A
Last October, Anisah MAHOMED’13 met her former debating coach,
Tracy DALGLISH’81, at the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong. Anisah is in her inaugural year of the World Bachelor in Business, and is currently studying at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. She was happy to spend time with Branksome’s debating team, who were in Asia for the International Independent Schools’ Public Speaking Championship.
Afternoon tea in London, U.K., last August, with Micaela CROMPTON’11, a student at the University of St. Andrews
1989
2001
2003
Heather WRIGHT to Andrew Deluce on June 22, 2013, in Port Hope, ON.
2004
Ginny VEALE to Ryan Bell on Febr uary 23, 2013, in Santa Barbara, CA.
2005
Please be sure to let the Alumnae Office know when your baby arrives, and you’ll receive this tried and true super bib in the mail. alumnae@branksome.on.ca
Leigh
1997
1999
Alex
2002
Jocelyn COURT to Austin Keitner, on June 7, 2014, in Toronto.
Jane NADHERNY to Andrew William MacIntosh Gill, on September 21, 2013, in Toronto.
2006
Shelley KANITZ to Justin Letofsky on October 13, 2013, in Toronto.
2008
Alisha GULAMANI to Dr. Ayaz Kurji on June 7, 2014, in Toronto.
1989
Sarah MERRY, a daughter, Poppy (Penelope) Carnegie Merry, on November 15, 2014, in Collingwood, ON.
1992
Susie MacDONNELL Calder, a daughter, Fiona Margaret Nancy, on June 24, 2014, in Toronto. A granddaughter for Phil MacDonnell (sandbox alum); a great-niece for Sally ADAMS Medland’66; a niece for Sam MacDONNELL Sharp’89 and Sally MacDONNELL Paradine’90.
1993
Talei KUNKEL, a son, Matthew James, on August 22, 2014, in Toronto. A nephew for Melinda KUNKEL’90.
Sasha VELIKOV Sandler, a daughter, Casey Jones, on February 5, 2014, in Toronto. A niece for Kathy VELIKOV’90.
1995
Susie CLAPPISON Blair, a son, Jamie Crawford Hughes, on March 12, 2014, in Toronto. A grandson for Lynn HUGHES Clappison’65; a nephew for Sarah CLAPPISON Claydon’92.
2000
Elsa
Jessica KARTUZ to Jon-Pierre Espinasse on June 14, 2014, in Toronto.
1988
Ania RUSSOCKI Lindenbergs, a son, Laars, on November 10, 2014, in Toronto.
Jennifer LISCIO, a daughter, Rio Adeline, on February 6, 2014, in Toronto. A niece for Lynn LISCIO’92 and Denise LISCIO Smith’94.
Jennifer JARVIS, a daughter, Samantha, on December 2, 2014, in Toronto. A niece for Kathy WOOD Sykes’65.
Elizabeth ROSENFELD, a son, Avner, on October 31, 2013, in Toronto.
MacRAE to Kirk O’Neil McCar thy, on July 19, 2013, in Cuba.
Veronica LIU to William Glass on August 8, 2014, in Toronto.
CAMPBELL to Tim Yao on June 11, 2011, in Toronto.
Erin FLOM to Robert Hall on March 3, 2012, in Toronto.
Chloe BECKERMAN to Justin Hardt on May 18, 2013, in Malibu, CA.
Charlotte HALL to Andrew Newbury on October 19, 2013, in Toronto.
HOOGENHOUT to Bernhard Vogts on October 20, 2013 in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Meaghan URSELL to James Northey on October 4, 2014, in Mono, ON.
“BRANKSOME BABY BIBS DO COME IN HANDY,” SAYS BABY OSCAR.
Streisan CHAPMAN Bevan, a daughter, Georgia Grant, on October 11, 2013, in London, U.K.
Dana DELUCE, a son, Oliver David, on July 10, 2014, in Las Vegas, NV. A nephew for Aynsley DELUCE’94, Lindsey DELUCE Ball’99 and Heather WRIGHT’03.
Angie PORTNER, twin boys, Beck Christopher and Wyatt Banks, on October 2, 2013, in Toronto.
1997
Regan DOMELLE Franklin, a daughter, Peyton Ashley Hope, on October 23, 2012, and a daughter, Riley Jordan, on October 16, 2014, in Hamilton, ON. Nieces for Devon DOMELLE Parsons’95 and Tristan DOMELLE Steiner’00.
Amy PEPPER, a daughter, Jane Diana, on November 28, 2013, in Toronto. A granddaughter for Karen KEIR’70 and a niece for Emily PEPPER’10.
Louise PRICE Doyle, a daughter, Isabella Virginia, on February 16, 2013, in London, U.K. A niece for Ros PRICE Minson’94.
Michelle MILLER Guillot, twin boys, Julien Thomas and Olivier Jan, on July 10, 2014, in Toronto.
Callaway SCOTT, a daughter, Penelope Clayton, on April 9, 2014, in Toronto. A granddaughter for Clayton STUART Scott’70; a niece for Susannah SCOTT’02.
2000
Grace DEACON, a daughter, Cecily Rose, on February 27, 2014, in Toronto. A granddaughter for Elizabeth RUSE Deacon’68; a niece for Emily DEACON’96 and Norah DEACON Matthews’98; a great-niece for Margaret RUSE’62 and Mary RUSE Musgrave’66.
Caitlin MOON Noy, a son, Keagan, on September 9, 2012, and a daughter, Taryn, on May 22, 2014, in Toronto.
Diana MARTIN Clipsham, a son, Logan Napier James, on April 27, 2012; a daughter, Ella Molly Clara, on July 6, 2014. Grandchildren for Nancy SAVAGE Martin’63.
Norah DEACON Matthews, a son, Samuel Edward, on November 14, 2013, in Toronto. A grandson for Elizabeth RUSE Deacon’68; a nephew for Emily DEACON’96 and Grace DEACON’01; a great-nephew for Margaret RUSE’62 and Mary RUSE Musgrave’66.
Tanya LOW, a daughter, Cosette Alina, on August 14, 2014, in Toronto. A granddaughter for Ginny BERTRAM Aird’74 and a niece for Elizabeth AIRD Gibson’96.
Alex CAMPBELL, a son, Linus Jack Campbell, on October 8, 2013, in Toronto.
Karen CORDES Woods, a daughter, Kathryn Ada, on October 7, 2013, in Toronto.
Lindsey DELUCE Ball, a son, Walker Andrew James, on September 12, 2014, in Toronto. A nephew for Aynsley DELUCE’94, Dana DELUCE’96 and Heather WRIGHT’03.
Ruth DORFMAN, a daughter, Jorja Lil, on October 29, 2014, in Toronto.
Jamie Day FLECK, a daughter, Marion Joy, on July 22, 2014, in Toronto. A niece for Erin FLECK’03 and Seymore FLECK’06.
Darci MacPHEE Barrett, a son, Marlowe Donald Somerset, on August 15, 2012, and a son, Bailley Lou Archibald, on August 18, 2014.
Amelia CARTER, a daughter, Stella Wanda, on July 19, 2014, in London, UK. A niece for Meghan CARTER’92.
Tristan DOMELLE Steiner, a daughter, Hayden Giselle, on April 14, 2014, in Toronto. A niece for Devon DOMELLE Parsons’95 and Regan DOMELLE Franklin’97.
Robin McCABE Cassaday, a daughter, Lauren Elizabeth, on October 19, 2014, in Toronto. A great granddaughter for Elizabeth MATCHETT McClelland’45; a granddaughter for Carol McCLELLAND McCabe’68; a niece for Lesley McCABE Dyer’98 and Katie McCABE Cheesbrough’03; a great-niece for Suzanne McCLELLAND Drinkwater’67.
Ashley MULVIHILL
McDonald, a daughter, Riley Madeline, on February 2, 2014, in Toronto. A niece for Jennifer MULVIHILL’97.
Shirley YIP Chu, a son, Kurtis, on February 21, 2014, in Toronto. A nephew for Angela YIP’02.
Stephanie KAIN, a daughter, Emlyn Mairi Catherine, on July 5, 2013, in Ottawa.
Julia BOTHWELL Hull, a son, Logan George Ian, on July 22, 2014, in New York City. A nephew for Christina BOTHWELL’07.
In some notices, excerpts have been taken from published obituaries.
1927
behalf of conservation. She was extremely modest and fiercely loyal. Her inner strength and curiosity for life kept her going for 100 years.
1933
Gwynneth (Ginty) SINCLAIR Powell, age 99, on June 3, 2014, in Toronto. Mother of Cynthia POWELL Edghill’66 and Susan POWELL’69.
1934
Louise DREYER McKnight, age 99, on February 20, 2014, in Markham, ON.
Sheila LEE McGillvray’27, age 106, on August 30, 2014, in Toronto. Mother of Lee McGILLVRAY Till’53.
Her greatest passions were her family and many friends, bridge at the Badminton and Racquet Club, and golf at the Toronto Hunt Club. She will be remembered for her positive attitude, her great determination and her remarkable sense of humour right to the end.
1928
Marie POLLOCK Bowen, age 104, on December 11, 2013, in Bracebridge, ON.
1931
Amy McLEAN Stewart, age 100, on June 15, 2014, in Caledon, ON. Aunt of Carol McLEAN Gray’72; grandmother of Kaija STEWART Pitt’89, Saira STEWART’92 and Indira STEWART’98.
Amy will be remembered for her love of gardening, the natural world around her, and her efforts on
Louise was the second youngest of a family of seven and, as a young girl, lived in a number of small Ontario towns as her father, Rev. W. G. Dreyer, changed parishes. Louise enjoyed a lifetime love of family, golf and bridge.
1936
Peggy HANNA Griffiths, age 97, on August 26, 2014, in Toronto. Mother of Sherry GRIFFITHS’62.
Peggy was born in England during the First World War to Canadian parents and came to Canada as a child. She was the granddaughter of David B. Hanna, the first president of
in memoriam
August 19, 1914–June 3, 2014
President of the Alumnae Association, 1958–60
Branksome Hall Guidance Counsellor, 1960–74
Alumnae Centennial Award Recipient, 2003
Ginty was Head Girl in 1932–33, became a teacher by profession, and continued as a lifelong supporter of Branksome Hall until her death.
Her commitment to lifelong learning was demonstrated through her membership in the Canadian University Women’s Club World Affairs, where she was known for her insightful presentations. She never lost her love of Branksome Hall and mentored many young women during her days as a guidance counsellor.
The scope of change during her lifetime was vast. She adopted many new innovations, as they expanded her horizons and made her ability to communicate easier, taking to email like a duck to water!
She will be remembered for her sweetness and warmth, her curiosity and passion for learning, her love of the land and the environment, her interest in family history and for the moments shared with her grandchildren.
—Edited excerpt from a tribute given by Susan POWELL’69
the newly formed Canadian National Railway. After her marriage in 1937, she settled into family life and lived in several Ontario towns before moving to Toronto. She will be forever remembered by her family and friends for her generosity and charm, her love of sport, and her delicious chocolate squares.
Jean MACDONALD Bennett, age 96, on January 15, 2014, in Mississauga, ON. Mother of Alexandra (Sandy) BENNETT’68.
1937
Anna SMART Ragsdale, on June 7, 2014, in Toronto.
Cecily TAYLOR Osler-Martin, on April 15, 2014, in Toronto. Grandmother of Gillian HANNON’09.
Throughout her life, Cecily was an active tennis player, skier and gardener, and a consummate hostess with wonderful presence and style. She spent summers in Metis Beach, Quebec, which was the gathering place for family and friends.
1938
Angela BURKE Kerrigan, on September 30, 2014, in Knowlton, QC.
Joan FRANKS Macdonald, on November 14, 2014, in London, ON.
Joan will be fondly remembered by her five children, 12 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren
for her wonderful stories, bridge skills, cooking, knitting and sewing.
1940
Joy FERGUSON Housser, on October 21, 2014. Mother of Anne HOUSSER McAllister’66.
Ellenore LACKIE Donnelly, on April 1, 2014, in Peterborough, ON.
Ellenore served with St. John Ambulance in England during the Second World War, famously navigating her way through the blacked-out streets during the Blitz. Ellenore loved to travel the world with her husband Sam, but she was happiest at the family cottage in Haliburton, where many of her descendants still have cottages.
June 27, 1917–January 27, 2014
President of the Alumnae Association, 1968–70
When Jean was young, she fell in love with the world of ballet. She took lessons and went to see all the ballet performances to which her parents would take her. Perhaps this love was responsible for her lithe and slender figure and her boundless energy, which became her trademark in later years.
After graduating from Branksome, Jean worked at the Public Reference Library (now located at Bloor and Yonge), and loved her work in the picture collection area, where artists would come to view the prints under her watchful eye.
During the Second World War, Jean took up her duty as an air raid warden in her Toronto neighbourhood. Even though the war was an ocean away, there were still calls for blackouts everywhere. Jean would dutifully make her rounds in her assigned area to make sure windows were blacked out and lights were off.
In 1946, Jean married Roy Bennett and became a full-time homemaker and, later, mother to Sandy. When Sandy graduated from Branksome in 1968, Jean jumped right in and became President of the Alumnae Association, where her many skills were all put to the test—without the help of computers! After Roy’s death in 1977, Jean immersed herself in volunteer work at her church for many years.
In 2007, Jean celebrated her 90th birthday and, to her dying day, she talked about her lovely party. God bless you, Jean. Well done, thou good and faithful servant.
—Edited excerpt from a eulogy given by Anne Manning
June 23, 1924–January 24, 2014
My mother loved her years at Branksome, graduating at the age of 16.
Two years later, during the Second World War, she dropped out of the University of Toronto to serve in the Canadian Navy, as part of the Women’s Royal Naval Service, the Wrens. Working in operational intelligence in Ottawa, she monitored radio transmissions from German submarines to help plot their movements in the North Atlantic, and transmit warning signals to Canadian and Allied convoys.
My mother was very modest and rarely talked about her war contribution. I only learned the details recently from Athol HUGHES’39, her lifelong friend whom she knew at Branksome, in the Wrens and at university (see page 24).
After the war, my mother graduated with an M.A. in child psychology from the University of Toronto, married my father and had five children.
According to family lore, my mother was a detail person, while my father was focused on the big picture.
Audrey LYONS McQuaig, on January 25, 2014, in Toronto. Mother of Linda McQUAIG’70.
1941
Mary Katherine KINNEAR Ritchie, on June 25, 2014, in Guelph, ON.
Margaret (Peggy) PHAIR
Drinkwater, on March 16, 2014, in Toronto.
Grandmother of Jennifer DRINKWATER Jones’95 and Kelly DRINKWATER’00.
When at Branksome, Peggy was an enthusiastic athlete and recipient of the award for most sportsman-like participant. During the Second World War, she served with the Canadian Red Cross and was seconded to the British Red Cross as an ambulance driver, ferrying wounded soldiers and POWs from makeshift airfields across a blacked-out wartime England. She supported her husband Bill throughout his career and on his numerous trips, all the while nurturing her growing family. Peggy continued her love of sports, particularly golf
and curling, and enjoyed many summers spent with family and friends on Georgian Bay.
Dorothy ROBERTSON
Trimble, on November 16, 2014, in Aurora, ON.
1942
Frances BUTTERFIELD
Price, on April 26, 2014, in Bermuda.
Anne (Daisy) CLARK Pierce, on July 29, 2014, in Toronto.
1943
Constance JONES Verge, on Febr uary 15, 2014, in St. Catharines, ON. Aunt of Caroline JONES Zank’71.
Now that she’s gone, I’ve come to appreciate the importance of paying attention to detail. After all, my father would have figured out that there were German submarines in the North Atlantic, but my mother would have figured out exactly where they were.
—Linda McQUAIG’701944
Dorothy GAEBELEIN
Hampton, on August 27, 2012, in Aurora, Colorado. Sister of Gretchen GAEBELEIN Hull’46.
Mary POWELL Culver, on April 24, 2014, in Montreal, QC.
in memoriam
March 1, 1927–September 29, 2014
Chair, Branksome Hall Board of Governors (1979–81)
Recipient of the 2001 Allison Roach Alumna Award
Good fortune for Joyce began with her parents, Egmont and Ruth (who she confessed were the heroes of her life), and a childhood filled with love, laughter and endless adventure. For Joyce, the great adventure began in Grade 7 at Branksome Hall. Her memories of those school years always brought a sparkle to her eye and a bounty of friends whose devotion to one another lasted a lifetime.
Joyce then attended Smith College, in Northampton Massachusetts, and graduated as class president. During her university years, she met a dashing young doctor named Oscar Kofman, and the two married in 1950. The newlyweds set sail for London, where Oscar studied to become one of Canada’s first neurologists.
Once back in Canada, their family grew with the arrival of Barbara, then Betsy, Jim and Jeff. Joyce became an active volunteer on numerous boards and committees, working long hours and late nights for, in all, 19 different organizations for more than 40 years.
Despite their many adventures, there was no place Joyce loved more than the family cottage on Georgian Bay. She and Oscar thrilled as grandchildren began to appear. All of us who grew up in Joyce’s orbit knew that we lived in the gaze of her unqualified love. She was the self-appointed president of each of our fan clubs. When we strayed far or stumbled, she would let us know she was worried, but we always knew she was there for us.
— Edited excerpt from a tribute given by Jeff Kofman
Kay DEACON Boyce always just raved about Joycie, or Frankie, as we called her. They met when they were both nine, and in the same class in what was then French House. They wore middies and played on the swings. Kay remembers Joyce was always herself—so true. Kay phoned Joyce every year on her birthday, and would always visit with her when she was in Toronto.
I remember Joyce eating an artichoke while sitting on her desk—my first sighting of an artichoke and of Joyce. I remember her leadership, her loyalty, and how good she was in math. We cottaged together, we were in book club together, and our children played together. Joyce was always her own marvelous loving self. I miss her.
—Dodie ROBINETTE MacNeill’45
1945
Joan BRADBURN Mansfield, on August 28, 2014, in Toronto.
Joyce FRANKEL Kofman, on September 29, 2014, in Toronto. Mother of Barb KOFMAN’71 and Betsy KOFMAN Bascom’72; grandmother of Samantha ASH’01and Karen BASCOM’02.
Ann SPENCE Taylor, on June 16, 2014, in Toronto. Sister of Sally SPENCE King’47.
1946
Cay CATTO Bate, on January 17, 2014, in Toronto. Sister of Jean CATTO Hughes’48. Cay was a master quilter, avid swimmer, and active member of St. Clement’s Anglican Church.
Mary DEASE Stinson, on October 7, 2014, in Brockville, ON.
1947
Mary CROUCH Denton, on August 8, 2014, in Belleville, ON.
1948
Lorene PIERCEY Carvin, on Febr uary 14, 2014, in Warren, Ohio. Sister of Gloria PIERCEY Biznek’50.
1949
Maxwell STEWART Dowsett, on November 24, 2014, in Aurora, ON. Mother of Ann DOWSETT Johnston’71 and Cate DOWSETT Dewey’73; sister of Sally STEWART Douglas’47.
1950
Barbara WESTMAN
Ballentine, on November 15, 2013, in Toronto. Sister of Sheila WESTMAN Dutton’56.
1952
Fay MATTHEWS Garcia, on Januar y 10, 2014, in St. Catharines, ON.
Fay enjoyed a long and successful career in journalism and, for many years, worked for the Granada Group of Companies which took her around the world to film top stories. She became Canada’s first female TV producer at Global, where she made every effort to give opportunities to women in a business dominated by men. She and husband Carlos later settled in Port Dalhousie, where they continued to enjoy a life filled with music, friends, cottage life and exotic travel.
1953
Jennifer DENISON, on May 13, 2014, in Toronto.
1955
Jocelyn HARE Drew, on Febr uary 4, 2014, in Toronto.
Judy JENKINS Fletcher, on November 3, 2014, in Toronto. Sister of Wendy JENKINS Tonelli’64.
1957
Judy DURANCE, on January 24, 2014, in Kingston, ON. Sister of Gail DURANCE’55.
Elizabeth (Lisa) INKSATER
Read, on October 10, 2013, in Sevenoaks, U.K.
1959
Donna LEE Hayhurst
Nicholas, on April 15, 2014, in Rye, NY.
1960
Juliet SHELDON Madrus, on March 24, 2014, in Toronto.
Juliet had a fulfilling career as a research technician in the University Health Network. A skilled knitter and sewer, Juliet was a volunteer at the Textile Museum of Canada during her retirement years.
1963
Sharyn POOLE, on June 26, 2013, in Kakamega, Kenya.
A resident of Rosseau, Ontario, Sharyn fell ill while working with Community Education Services (CES) Canada, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing access to education for orphans and other HIV/AIDS-affected children living in Canada. Throughout her life she was deeply committed to her church and a call to serve.
in memoriam
Nancy Northgrave
Teacher, Mentor and Residence ‘Mom’ (1974–1997)
It is with great fondness that her students, colleagues and friends remember Nancy, who died on August 17, 2014. Nancy’s association with Branksome goes back a long way, to her early days as a Kindergarten student. In 1974, she joined the faculty and, for many years, as Head of Family Studies, inspired students to learn practical skills such as cooking and sewing. In 1989, she became Head of Residence and continued in this role with pleasure and meticulous care.
Nancy was a very private, thoughtful person—always cheerful and kind to all who knew her. She loved Branksome and she loved her work with students.
We will always remember her.
—Allison ROACH’51Life in residence may be described as an extended family, where we care, share, rejoice in each other’s accomplishments and support each other in times of grief or sadness. Life in residence is a group of friends making memory after memory. We are a unique global community, where girls from many different countries share with us their customs and traditions.
—Edited excerpt from Nancy’s article in the 1993 SLOGAN
wonderful smile and infectious laugh. She is survived by her parents Ann and Lionel, her brother John, her husband Magnus and their sons, Maxwell and Carson.
Former Board Charles G. Brown, Branksome Hall Board of Governors from 1973–87, on November 10, 2014, in Toronto. Grandfather of Erin Estey, Class of 2015.
Former Employee Nancy Northgrave, Senior School Teacher from 1974–1989 and Director of Residence from 1989–97, on August 17, 2014, in Toronto.
1968
Nancy WEDD McGoey, on April 20, 2014, in Thornton, ON. Sister of Gretchen WEDD McKay’66; niece of Patsy EARL McLaughlin’45 and Marilyn EARL Durant’54.
1976
a gifted actor and model who worked in TV, film and on stage at Theatre Dortmund, Germany. In her thirties, Ilse graduated from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine and set up practice in Toronto. Eventually, her passion for animals led to the successful operation of Happy Tails Inn, a pet boarding kennel in Stouffville, ON.
1978
Cathy BENNETT Silverstein, on September 11, 2014, in St. Albans, VT. Sister of Janet BENNETT McKelvie’80.
1979
Vanessa BONE Urquhart, on October 9, 2013, in Halifax, NS.
1982
Ilse VON GLATZ, on May 2, 2014, in Richmond Hill, ON.
Ilse studied at Maxim’s de Paris and was a lifelong gourmet chef. She was
Sarah CHISHOLM Nisbeth, on July 12, 2014, in Toronto.
The class of 1982 has lost a dear friend. A Branksome girl for nine years, she made many friends, and we miss her
Capturing the underwater world by
Nadia ALY’03
ON THIS GLITTERING JULY DAY in 2013, I was in Mexican waters off the coast of Isla Mujeres. I awoke at 6:00 a.m., put my underwater housing together, ran out to the beach and jumped onto a chartered boat. We then set out to search the ocean for whale sharks.
During the months of May, June and July, hundreds of these fish aggregate and feed on tiny fish eggs. On this particular day, we also had hundreds of manta rays. I would spend over eight hours in the ocean, dancing with the mantas, while trying to keep up with the whale sharks. To top it off, an occasional school of mobula rays would zip through. Over several days like this, I captured these incredible experiences on camera and video for my website.
The previous year, I had left the corporate world, put my home into a storage locker, and combined my skills and experiences in social media with my passion for scuba diving. I wanted to travel the world and further develop ScubaDiverLife.com, a startup I had created. The site has attracted attention from scuba divers, the scuba diving industry and travel enthusiasts around the globe. Today, it sits strong with over one million Facebook fans, and one million visitors each month.
Not long ago, I was in the Bahamas. I spent the morning searching for spinner dolphins and trying to interact with them. At noon, my team of divers and I set out to our anchor point just off the shores of Bimini,
where we waited for the giant hammerheads to show up.
It has been an aspiration of mine to capture on camera the grace these sharks possess, and we did. Some hammerheads reach 20 feet in length and weigh over 1,000 pounds. Sitting on the ocean floor, I watched these creatures put on a dazzling show. We worked with caution to capture the perfect moment on camera while steering clear of the bull and nurse sharks that were circling our bait.
This is my life. It is what I do— exploring oceans around the world, capturing the magic of a spectacular world under the sea, and sharing my experiences on my website. Adventure for all to enjoy. I
Nadia has a Fine Arts degree from the Universit y of Victoria, and a Master of Digital Media from the Centre for Digital Media in Vancouver. After moving to the United States, she found work as a social media manager for such companies as Microsoft, Google and the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI). She lives in Los Altos, California.
SERIES
Alumnae are welcome to attend. Register at www.bhinfo.ca/ speakers
More Spice, Less Sugar: How Girls Become Grown-Ups
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
7:00 p.m.
Allison Roach Performing Arts Centre, 10 Elm Avenue
Spend an interactive evening with Dr. Lisa Damour, who will share her insights into raising resilient, high-achieving girls. Dr. Damour is a psychologist in private practice in Shaker Heights, Ohio, a clinical instructor at Case Western Reserve University, and the Director of Laurel School’s Center for Research on Girls.
Healthy Eating for Girls: An Evening with Trish Magwood
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
7:00 p.m.
Athletics and Wellness Centre
Dining Hall, 6 Elm Avenue
View the acclaimed documentary, Fed Up, and join the conversation about healthy eating with Trish MAGWOOD’89—food entrepreneur, author and chef. Trish will discuss the film, answer your questions about healthy eating for girls, and bring samples of some of her creative recipes.
The Athletics and Wellness Centre
Tuesday, January 27, 2015 5:00–7:00 p.m.
For alumnae and parents. Watch for details on the website.
MONTREAL PUB NIGHT
Thursday, January 29, 2015
6:00–8:00 p.m.
Hurley’s Irish Pub
1225 Crescent Street, Montreal
February 16, 2015
Toronto the Great?
Join in the discussion on several hot topics.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015 6:00–8:00 p.m.
The offices of Fasken Martineau LLP
333 Bay Street, Suite 2400, Toronto
This networking event will include alumni from Branksome Hall, Upper Canada College and the Bishop Strachan School.
Managing Your Personal Finances
Thursday, April 23, 2015 6:00–8:00 p.m.
The offices of Private Service Realty Ltd., Brokerage 77 Portland Street, Toronto
Our e-newsletter will provide you with information on all upcoming events.
Meet and mingle with alumni from Branksome Hall and Upper Canada College who attend university in Montreal.
NEW YORK CITY RECEPTION
Thursday, May 14, 2015
6:00–8:30 p.m.
New York Yacht Club
37 West 44th Street
Watch for details via mail and email.
REUNION 2015
Your friends. Your class. Your school.
NEW DATE!
(see inside front cover)
May 30 and 31
On May 30, we honour alumnae from the years ending in 0 and 5. On May 31, we welcome all alumnae, family and friends.
Nominations for the 2015 Allison Roach Alumna Award and the 2015 Young Alumna Achievement Award are being accepted until February 16, 2015. New this year is a simplified online nomination form. Please visit the website for details and submit your online nomination for an outstanding alumna. The awards will be presented on Sunday, May 31, 2015. A complimentary buffet luncheon follows. Family and friends are welcome to attend.
