Read our 2023–24 Strategy Report, outlining Branksome's progress across our six strategic priorities.
Support
Tribute to Karen Jurjevich
Tribute to Karen Jurjevich
It’s our moment to celebrate a visionary educator and leader!
Now in her 26th year as Branksome's seventh principal, Karen Jurjevich will step away from her role in June 2024. This passionate, innovative and visionary leader has cemented the reputation of Branksome Hall as one of the world’s foremost independent girls’ schools.
Now in her 26th year as Branksome's seventh principal, Karen Jurjevich will step away from her role in June 2024. This passionate, innovative and visionary leader has cemented the reputation of Branksome Hall as one of the world’s foremost independent girls’ schools.
Karen has continually transformed how education is delivered at Branksome. She doesn’t just ensure we keep pace with change—she ensures we are always ahead of the curve. The result? Our alums are changemakers and trailblazers shaping the world and its future.
With three funding pillars and a goal of $30 million, the centrepiece of Karen’s legacy—and Karen’s final passion project—is the new Innovation Centre and Studio Theatre (iCAST). This 34,458-square-foot facility will bring the arts and STEM together under one roof at Branksome.
Now is our moment to Make Way for an incredible leader, honour Karen’s leadership and accomplishments and express our gratitude for everything she has done for Branksome.
Double Your Impact
Branksome Hall will match all funds raised in Karen’s honour and direct them towards iCAST.
When making your gift, you will have the opportunity to leave a personal message for Principal Jurjevich. Memories? Gratitude? We want to hear it all! We will share our community’s farewells and well wishes for Karen at our year-end ceremonies.
Contribute to Karen Jurjevich’s final large project at Branksome. Let’s help Karen realize her vision for the next chapter for Branksome, cementing the school’s standing as an innovation leader while paying her tribute with a beautiful space that will be a reminder of the school she loves and everything she has done here. We will create a permanent legacy at Branksome.
Accomplishments: A Legacy of Leadership
List of 4 items.
-
International Baccalaureate (IB)
2003: Karen Jurjevich ushers in the International Baccalaureate curriculum at Branksome Hall. The gold standard in education helps further differentiate Branksome as the only all-ages IB school for girls in Toronto. -
Branksome Hall Asia
2012: Branksome Hall opens a sister school on Jeju Island, South Korea. Grade 9s travel to BH Asia for a reciprocal three-week exchange program every year. With strategic foresight under Karen Jurjevich’s leadership, a portion of the tuition from BH Asia provides income to BH Canada for transformational projects outside tuition revenue. -
Athletics & Wellness Centre (AWC)
2015: Recognizing the importance of physical activity to emotional and physical well-being, Karen Jurjevich champions the building of the AWC. The award-winning 72,000 square-foot, two-storey facility is built on time and on budget with the help of $15 million raised from the community. -
Chandaria Research Centre (CRC)
2016: Established with a generous donation from the Chandaria family, the CRC researches and explores excellence in teaching and learning, well-being and international mindedness. Only a few schools in Canada and around the world house comparable facilities.
Testimonials
“I have known Karen since 2004 and have seen her transform Branksome Hall into one of the leading schools in Canada with her steady leadership. She has led very challenging initiatives, including the Athletics & Wellness Centre, establishing Branksome Hall Asia and leading the school through the COVID-19 crisis. These are all tests of leadership, and she has caused many boards and principals of Canadian independent schools to sit up and take notice.”
— Raj Chandaria, Past Parent, Chairman and Managing Director, Aegis Logistics Ltd.
“I have watched with admiration as Karen has raised the school’s stature … Branksome continues to set the pace for innovation in girls’ education. She leads, as the most effective leaders do, by example, modelling the importance of embracing growth, change and lifelong learning for her students and colleagues, and making an indelibly positive impact on her communities.”
— Kathleen Taylor, Past Parent, Chancellor, York University
iCAST: Make Way For the Future
Help close the gender divide in the workplaces of tomorrow and instill the sought-after innovator’s mindset in our students. iCAST is a 34,458 square-foot facility where arts and STEM will flourish and collide in unexpected ways. iCAST is a first-of-its-kind space for a JK-Grade 12 institution in Canada. The skills it will nurture will help differentiate Branksome students to both universities and employers.
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.
