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Branksome Hall News

Remarkable Reunion Weekend

Walking through the ornate wooden doors of the porte-cochère at 10 Elm Avenue immediately transports alum back to their fondest Branksome days – regardless if they graduated 10 or 75 years ago.
During Reunion Weekend, hundreds of alum experienced that sensation as they attended our annual Decades Luncheon and Reunion Dinner.

“Whenever we gather together as a community on occasions like this, I’m always reminded of the strength of our shared bonds to Branksome and to one another,” said Tenley GIBSON’94, past president of the Branksome Hall Alumnae Association during the Decades Luncheon in the PAC. “I’m always struck by the fact that no matter how different our lives may be, there is something unique uniting us all: our lifelong connection to this most special school.”

Reunions are often a time for reminiscing, laughing and most of all, reconnecting. “It’s fantastic to see that your friendships and memories from Branksome still hold such deep importance to you,” said Karrie Weinstock, Deputy Principal, to alum as they flipped through their Slogans.

“Our alumnae community plays such a special role in the life of our school,” continued Mrs. Weinstock. “You help remind us of our shared history and the importance of our school’s cherished traditions – many of which continue to be enjoyed by Branksome students today.”

Alum enjoyed guided tours of the school during both events, visiting old classrooms and exploring new buildings. Alum from the classes of 1969 and 1994 were also honoured for their 50th and 25th Reunion, respectively.

During Reunion Dinner in the AWC, two alum in particular were celebrated for their remarkable achievements after being nominated for awards by their fellow classmates. Christina GILPIN’95 won the Allison Roach Alumna Award and Sohani AMARASEKERA’06 won the Young Alumna Achievement Award.

Christina is the first-ever female Chief of the Cree Nation of Wemindji in Northern Quebec. Since taking the position in 2017, Christina has made education and economic development her priorities.

Sohani is a Surgical Resident of Ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre. Sohani also founded the first vision clinic in Sri Lanka to provide free, comprehensive vision screenings for a particular diabetic eye disease—providing service to 600 patients per month.


Branksome Hall works diligently to live up to our mission of developing leaders who ‘shape a better world,’” said Mrs. Weinstock. “On evenings like tonight, we are able to measure our success by simply looking around this room. Each of you has proven successful in your chosen endeavours and we are so proud of you.”

We look forward to welcoming our vibrant community of more than 5,500 intelligent, confident and diverse alum based in 68 countries around the world, back to Branksome for years to come.
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LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We wish to acknowledge this land on which Branksome operates. For thousands of years, it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit River. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous peoples from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work and go to school on this land.

Setting the new standard for girls' education everywhere takes collective action. From all of us.
 
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