The Nest Issue 9 - June 2026

WISDOM WISDOM WISDOM WISDOM WISDOM

Bannockburn Independent School

The Wisdom of Chess!

MMUN Reflections Insight from our Grads

Interview with Mr. Parkhi

Famous Montessorian

Exclusive

ALUMNI Interview

with Mila & Mason Freedman

THE NEST MAGAZINE, ISSUE 9

featuring Anne Frank

The Nest is a thrice-yearly publication

published by Bannockburn Independent School to highlight our school community.

A leading Montessori school, Bannockburn is recognized throughout Toronto for its outstanding academic standards, its steadfast commitment to Montessori education, and its deep respect for the potential of every child.

Bannockburn Independent School is fully accredited by Montessori Canada a member of the Conference of Independent Schools (CIS) an approved candidate school for the Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS) For questions or concerns about this magazine, please contact Erica Fyvie at e.fyvie@bannockburn.ca.

Issue 9 June 2026

Writer and Editor Erica Fyvie Designer Hetvi Gandhi We would like to thank all of the contributors for their time and enthusiasm on this project:

Cody Bear Gordon Chiu Jasper Chiu Wesley Chiu Samuel Dzialowski Anne Frank Mason Freedman Mila Freedman Uni Kim Charlotte McIntosh Melissa Moore Shashank Parkhi Adrian Reuber Teagan Richardson Jacqueline Richman Youchu Yu Elizabeth Zha

Bannockburn Independent School

The Nest

Bannockburn Independent School Magazine

3080 Bayview Avenue North York, ON. M2N 5L3 (416) 789-7855 www.bannockburn.ca

Table of Contents 01

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Letter From the Head of School

One Question:‌ Wisdom

Alumni Interview:‌ Mila & Mason

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What Makes Up Your Workspace: Music

MMUN Student Reflections

The Wisdom of Chess

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Grade 6 Trip to the Holocaust Museum

Famous Montessorian

June 2026

Wisdom In our December issue, the theme was wonder.

For March, it was work. If you add wonder and work together, wisdom is the hopeful result. In a world in which speed, certainty, and confidence are highly appreciated, the merits of wisdom may be harder to find.‌ People use the words wisdom and knowledge interchangeably, but they do not mean the same thing. Just to be clear, knowledge is important, too! It is the accumulation of facts and the ability to synthesize different kinds and sources of information. Wisdom, though, requires deep understanding, compassion, thoughtful choices, and the ability to reflect on one’s actions for meaningful change. Wisdom comes in the pause and the consideration of one’s answer.

The straightforward delivery of rote information is not Montessori’s main goal. Wisdom is actually built into the curriculum. The goal here is to create growing conditions for knowledge acquisition, and having a measured response to everything we learn.

We talk a lot about self-directed learning here for good reason. When children are entrusted with the responsibility of choice in their learning, they feel respected, responsible, and heard.

These are the roots of wisdom. Wisdom is the quality of building good judgement.‌ In this issue, you will read about the wisdom of chess, and the wise reflections of the MMUN

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experience. I hope you enjoy the delightful sibling interview with two of our alumni, Mila and Mason Freedman. There is also a profile of a famous Montessorian, Anne Frank, who has embodied wisdom for decades.

I am very proud of the work we do at Bannockburn and the excellent, caring judgment of this faculty and staff. As we approach the final days of another cherished school year, I would like to thank you, our school community, for having the meaningful judgment to include us in your child’s life. We all benefit from the wisdom of each other.

Sincerely,

Jacqueline Richman, Head of School

PR: Teagan

LEL: Wesley

UEL: Samuel

“Maybe how to play games on my iPad? They’re fun. My brothers taught me.”

“I like math a lot. I could probably explain long division. And multiplication, too.”

“I like video games and basketball. Sometimes friends ask me for advice about basketball, like about the rules and how to play. I learned at camp with a good coach.”

What is something you like working on so much that you can explain it to someone else?

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Alumni Interview with

Mila & Mason Freedman

Mila laughed as she remembered another Ms. Tesfai memory. “My mom bought me lace-up shoes in Primary and I didn’t know how to tie them up. Ms. Tesfai showed me and I got it, but I could only do single bows. I would run five steps and they would come undone. Then I would retie them and run five steps and they would come undone! She showed me and I became a real expert in tying bows.”

“Ms. Ashworth was great, too,” Mason added. “She really brought out the best in me and held my work to a higher standard. I remember in Grade 1 all of my journals said things like, ‘I went to my friend’s house and we played and played and played until we got tired and then we ate and ate and ate until we got full and then we played and played and played again until I went home.’ That was my journal entry! And then Ms. Ashworth said, “You have to write it again and explained to me how to do it.”

One of the joys of working at a school for a long time is seeing the children you once knew turn into amazing young adults. Such is the case in double time with the Freedman siblings, Mila and Mason.

Both graduates of our school—Mila in 2020 and Mason in 2021—they are funny, smart, warm, and wonderful ambassadors of Bannockburn (i.e., exactly the kind of alumni any school dreams of having). Our interview went into overtime because of all the happy memories they wanted to share about their time here.

“I loved a lot of my teachers,” Mason beamed. “Ms. Iravani, she instilled my passion for geography. I love learning about the world—I take History and World Politics—and in Grades 1-3 in LEL, she would sit with us on the carpet and ask us to name capital cities. I would put up my hand right away like a maniac because everyone loved it.”

“And Ms. Tesfai!” Mila added. “She was really great. I remember finishing my work in Primary and she always came up with more fun work for me to do.

Also I remember being bad at division and it took me a while and she helped me.”

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“And Ms. Hemblen!” they both said at the same time.

Our former Art teacher, Ms. Hemblen was known for creating a lot of joy in the classroom. “Everyone loved Ms. Hemblen,” Mason said. Mila agreed. “I was not good at Art at all but I was always enthusiastic in class because of her.”

Both Mila and Mason are just as enthusiastic about their schools and teachers now. Mila went to Branksome Hall after graduating from Bannockburn in Grade 6, and she is currently in Grade 12, a friend to many, a skating coach for the City of Toronto programs, and super excited about what comes next.

She is the Head of the History Club, competing as a school team at the National History Club Championship. Studying history requires synthesis of so many parts: research, discovery, communication, and critical thinking skills. Perhaps it was the combination of all of these things that interested her in history at a young age. “I remember learning about ancient civilizations at Bannockburn.” She is attending the University of Western Ontario, Huron College, in History this September.

Mason went to Upper Canada College after graduating from Bannockburn. A Grade 11 student, former tennis team player, Head of the Trivia Club, and an award-winning member of Model UN, Mason also appreciates the choice he made in attending UCC. “People have been great, there’s so much to do. What else can you ask for?”

One of Mason’s earliest Bannockburn memories caused Mila to chime in. ”In Primary,” he said, “I remember the catering that came in for lunch. I did not want my home lunch, I wanted the hot lunch! I figured if I stood in line, I could get the hot lunch. This worked for about a week. One day my teacher pointed out, ‘But Mason, you already have a lunch.’ And I was like, ‘But I want the hot lunch!’ She told me that you have to pay for the hot lunch and I started crying. I just thought it was free lunch at a table and thought, ‘This is great!’”

“He hasn’t changed,” Mila said dryly.

Mason continued. “Graddies Lunch was a great tradition. Once again, I love a free lunch! It keeps coming back to the food for me.”

When asked if they’re in touch with fellow Bannockburn alumni, they happily share a long list: Mukunda, Matthew B., Johnathan, Jessica, Kristen, Maddie, and Cara. “I saw Jessica recently at WAC (World Affairs Conference),” Mila began, “and we just hung out and chatted. A friend from Branksome came up to me and said, ‘You two hit it off so easily!’

And we laughed and said, ‘We’ve actually known each other for a while.’

They are grateful for the foundation they received here, which they believe contributed to the engaged students they are today.

“Bannockburn helped me manage my time.” Mason said. “Word of the day, journals, monthly math—it all helped me. There was another one…”

“Wordly wise!” Mila said.

“Wordly wise, yes,” Mason said. “We had work due at the end of the day, the week, the month. We all learned how to prioritize our stuff. The work we did was really fun and interesting for me, which was motivating. I remember in Grade 4 I would do my work right away because I was so motivated. In Grade 2 I did my favourite project of all time, Water Transportation in the Ancient World. Ms. Ashworth said my draft was so neat that I could use it as my final project. I was so honoured. That was the kind of thing that was a huge deal back then.”

Mila agreed that Bannockburn helped set her up for success. “In Grade 4, Ms. Paul and Ms. Khalfan were like, ‘Here’s your work. You have this amount of time.

Do it!’ And I think that was the most important thing, not that the work was impossible but it was up to you to be disciplined and find it in yourself to say, ‘Got to sit down, got to work!’”

After recalling so many happy moments at Bannockburn, they offered excellent advice to our current Grads.

Mason: “Going to a new school is not as scary as it seems.”

Mila: “Use middle school as a way to make friends and don’t stress about it.”

Thank you, Mila and Mason, for the children you were and the young adults you are. What a pleasure to spend time with both.

Mila (far left) with the Branksome History Club The Nest Magazine

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Melissa Moore, TD/PR Music Teacher

Hands S ig n

S ca r ves + B ean b ags

Pitch & Beat Maps

Whiteboanrsd Notatio

WHAT MAKES UP YOUR WORKSPACE? 05

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Hand signs “These hand formations are the Curwen hand signs for scales. They are used to accompany the solfège syllables that we sing with the notes of the major scale or major pentatonic scale. In every class we sing a scale to warm up our voices and we use the hand signs in front of our body to experience the vertical nature of the pitches ascending and descending the scale. For Lunar New Year, the music worked with the pentatonic five-note scale. The students also echo the sound/note I make and it’s a great way to begin to learn ear training.”

Scarves + beanbags “The scarves and bean bags are both excellent tools! The scarves encourage the students to move their bodies to the music, and help build locomotor movement, or moving through space while listening. We just did a class with ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ and they really enjoyed moving to that. The bean bags provide a new sensory, tactile experience. I use them with musical storytelling to build gross and fine motor skills, as well as in cross-body exercises for rhythm and coordination.”

Whiteboard notations “I use the whiteboard to write out and teach symbols for rhythm training. We use stick notation to prepare our learning for reading standard notation. We also use our bodies to model the stick notation and rhythm syllables like “ta” for a quarter note and “titi” for two eighth notes. I also use the whiteboard to show how a pitch moves up and down throughout a melody with icons and solfège syllables.”

Pitch + beat maps These are grids that represent melodic and rhythmic structures for songs that the kids already know how to sing. We prepare a melody or rhythm first by experiencing it in our bodies and voices, then I present the melody or rhythm to the students on the whiteboard, and then we practice it with our pitch or rhythm grids that model how actual music notation will work. For example, if an icon is higher or lower on the grid, that represents a higher pitch or a lower pitch. We also combine our pitches together with our solfège names do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do and we use our rhythm syllables, ta, ti-ti, ta-ah, and ta-2-3-4.

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Charlotte McIntosh, EL Music Teacher

Brassents m I n st r u

T a m b o u r in e

R eco

rder

l& e i p s n e k c o l G Xylophone

WHAT MAKES UP YOUR WORKSPACE? 07

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Recorders “These new recorders are great. They are adaptive for any new learner, but we’re using them in the Grade 1 class. The keys make it easier to cover the holes. It looks like a toy, but it’s actually a great tool for learning a first instrument. The students in Grades 2 and 3 need to be more advanced to play this other recorder version. Recorders are a great entry instrument because the woodwinds can play in an ensemble, which is a goal of our program, to play together.”

Brass instruments “Students are introduced to brass in UEL because they require more patience and maturity. The most important thing with brass is to develop sound over technique, and the patience and maturity are required because no one sounds good right away! With three valves in a trumpet and one slide in a trombone, playing them requires a greater understanding of pitch.”

Glockenspiel and Xylophone “The glockenspiel is the smaller version of the same instrument. It is the highest voice in the mallet percussion ensemble in Orff class. Each bigger size of xylophone is an octave lower. In Orff, you can experience music without having to learn complicated technique. It can also be a good improvisation and composition tool.”

Tambourine “I use it throughout my classes. It’s great for establishing a beat and to begin a routine chant. It’s also good for recapturing the class’ attention when need be.”

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MMUN Reflections Elizabeth To me, the Montessori Model United Nations was an opportunity to explore world issues and come up with a resolution while working collectively with others. Although I felt slightly nervous about giving my speech to a large audience at first, the kind and respectful delegates that were there to listen to my thoughts changed my mind; I felt respected and strangely more relaxed. I made many friends from all over the world, and I found it intriguing to learn about the differences in our daily lives. I also enjoyed the dinner with other graduates, teachers, and parents. Overall, it felt like a one-of-a-kind experience and one of the trips that changed my graduation year.

Youchu The opening ceremony was interesting because we got to see delegates and other important figures. The first day of committee sessions I was nervous as I had to say my speech first, but it was really fun and nothing bad happened. On the second day I was more confident because I already knew what was happening. I saw Samuel and Uni do their speeches and it went well for both of them, including Cody who did his speech on the first day. After lunch I made some friends with people from other countries and it was fun in general. This was a memorable experience and I will remember it for the rest of my life.

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Jasper

Cody

I woke up, put on my suit, set up our country boards, then walked to my committee room, and prepared for my speech. I was nervous at first, but I overcame my fear of speaking, and managed to deliver my first speech. I tried to participate for the rest of the day, but it was the same nervousness that held me back. It is safe to say that the next day was the best day of my life so far. I first woke up to the news of where I will attend school next year and I was able to celebrate with my classmates. Then I was less nervous in my second speech, and I carried my happy spirit to the informal discussion. I took on a leadership role, and my hard work got me elected for the closing bureau, which meant representing their committee in front of all the students participating in MMUN.

After my first MMUN conference in NYC, I could gladly say it was the best week of my life! I was so nervous because my topic, Human Genome Editing, was on the first day and my speech was second! After saying my speech, I felt proud because it took me a month to write it. I felt like people actually cared and I was excited for the next day. For Day 2, when we got to the room we did our attendance and then they went through the speeches with Samuel going first out of the Bannockburn students. Uni went shortly after and everyone did great. After the speeches, we went into making subtopic ideas and shortly after we made topic names for the groups. After we finished our paper we debated in teams because the Chair decided to break us into Group A and Group B. I was in Group B.

Along the way, I made many friends from around the world and even though I won’t see them again, they will always have a memory in my heart. I presented my closing speech the next morning in front of 2000 people. This time, I was cleansed of nervousness, and when I finished I had a mixture of happiness and sadness. I was happy because MMUN was such a fun experience, and how it was able to help me overcome my fear of public speaking—I would like to do more of it in the future—yet I was also sad to leave my newfound friends and this amazing place. MMUN changed my life in so many ways. Thank you.

After the debates were over, we had to leave but before then I asked people from around the world to sign my plaque. They were from places like Italy, Romania, Japan, China and many more. When I got to the closing ceremony and took my seat, the flag bearers started walking with the flags. The song made me cry because it was most likely I would never be here again. I was sad to leave. So, thank you MMUN for inspiring me to do stuff I didn't want to at first but I realized that there are thousands of delegates with the same feeling. Thank you so much MMUN and hopefully see you in the future!

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Samuel

Adrian

MMUN 2026 was the single best week in my life.

When we first got to the UN building, we went into the long line that went surprisingly fast. When we got through security we took an unnecessary amount of pictures and then finally entered the building. We went into the General Assembly and watched as people like the former president of the Dominican Republic talked about MMUN for two hours. The next day I woke up super nervous. Luckily the topic being discussed that day was Human Genome Editing, so I did not have to say my speech. On Friday I got the news I was accepted into every school, which made my day even better. We started at 8:45 am again and I did my speech. MMUN was definitely the best experience of my life. I made a bunch of friends from places like Nigeria, China, Texas, Italy, Costa Rica, Romania, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and more. It was so fun and I will definitely go back next year and maybe even volunteer to be part of the bureau when I'm 15.

My experience at MMUN was amazing. I was nervous about going. After speaking with Ms. Pattni, I felt more comfortable. At first, when I walked into the room, I was scared and did not want to share the speech that I prepared. After spending so much time in our debate room, I met new people and realized it wasn't that bad. I realized there was nothing to be nervous about. The debates were pretty exciting. We got split into groups and talked about ideas and solutions and at the end we put them all together into four subtopics. After that we had to come to a consensus and everyone had to agree on the solutions we debated. All the bureau members were very nice and also from different countries. The friends I made there were also pretty cool. All of them were from a different country than me, and some even played Fortnite, a video game I like to play. On our last day, at the closing ceremony, the school got an award for participating for more than 10 years.

Uni MMUN was a remarkable trip, and one to remember.

As a grad who went to the actual UN building, I was inspired. It was very large and interesting as well as awe-inspiring to actually sit in the UN building for the opening ceremonies. In the conference, it was exciting to meet people from across the world and work together to create a resolution for a better planet.

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bit of pageantry: a trip to the real United Nations General Assembly Hall. But I came to realize these moments are only the most visible part of the story.

Delegates are divided into committees, each of which begins with one-minute speeches outlining every country’s position. This is the part many students fear and many parents anticipate, yet it is only an introduction to the real work: reaching consensus on a draft resolution. A bureau of older students provides structure and support, but crucially leaves space for the younger delegates to do the work themselves. They must step forward, advocate for their countries, negotiate language, build consensus, and broker agreement across the floor.

Gordon Chiu - Parent “FLIGHT CANCELLED,” the text messages read on the eve of our trip to New York City for Montessori Model UN (MMUN). Parents and teachers scrambled to make alternate travel arrangements, searching for flights and booking buses. We elected to drive and leave immediately, ahead of the early morning ice storm and snow, because we could not afford to be late. MMUN wasn’t just another school trip. It was the culmination of three years of preparation, anticipation, and hard work, and missing it was unthinkable.

What struck me most, in the rush to get there, was how much preparation had gone into this trip. The work for MMUN begins in the very first weeks of UEL and is woven throughout the curriculum. After countries are selected, Grade 4s help research and understand them—the culture, the geography, the history—presenting and celebrating their nations during Odyssey. In Grade 5, students assist older students with research for position papers on topics as complex as gender equality, climate change, or migrant rights. By Grade 6, grads are writing full position papers of their own, crafting one-minute speeches, and preparing for the big conference in New York City.

From the outside, it is easy to think of MMUN as a single event: a few exciting days in New York, a speech at a podium, students dressed up in suits and carrying flags. The experience does begin with a

Watching Jasper in that environment, I saw qualities and skills that I had not fully recognized before. He listened carefully, compromised thoughtfully, and spoke with growing confidence. He stepped forward when needed and moved the conversation ahead with others. At the end of the conference, it was moving to see him entrusted by his peers to represent their work at the full plenary session.

What I witnessed was not a transformation compressed into three days, but the public expression of growth shaped by years of Montessori education. Positions on climate change or migrant rights may have been researched during the last term, but the curiosity, collaboration, and confidence have been built over years in a Montessori environment: mixed-age groups; student-led learning; and a safe, open space for students to work together. The conference simply made that growth visible.

Jasper sat quietly and wistfully in the car as we left New York City via the Lincoln Tunnel, the start of our long drive back to Toronto. It was clear he wished his time in New York wasn’t over. Was he reminiscing about the fun adventure with his classmates in the city? The excitement of writing and delivering another speech? Or did he already miss all his new friends, from schools all around the world?

“That was life-changing,” he said.

I agreed. It was the journey as much as the destination.

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An Interview with Shashank Parkhi

The Wisdom of Chess Losing is practicing for success

the hardest concept for children to Q What’s grasp?

That there’s a strategy involved. Once they learn how the pieces move, they just want to start moving the pieces and I remind them about what the end goal is.

It’s usually very reactive initially and not done with much forethought.

Q Does chess teach intention?

That’s what we’re getting to. “If you move that piece, why are you doing it? What are the threats to your side? Is something in danger if you do that? Are you going to lose one of your pieces if you do that? And, if you do make that move, are you attacking my side?” So it definitely teaches intention and purpose behind each move.

do you adapt your teaching for Q How different attention spans or skill levels?

When I did Primary chess, if someone wasn’t fully engaged I would have them watch and tell me what to do, or I would ask them to move my piece and that would build up their concentration. They would be my partner in the game.

do you introduce chess to kids who Q How have never played before?

The way I introduce chess is by telling stories about the pieces, about medieval and pre-medieval courts and kings and queens. In the Middle East and India where chess was introduced, we talk about how horses would move in a gallop—they would go straight and then off to the side a little bit. And bishops were originally camels, and camels walk in a loping way, diagonally. And rooks look like castles, but originally in Indian chess, they were elephants.

And elephants can only go in straight lines.

Through stories, we talk about what the goal is—and to capture the other person’s king is ultimately the goal of the game. I always make sure to use appropriate terminology, like “capture” instead of “killing” another piece.

The other part of the introduction is remembering the names of the pieces. Because it’s Montessori, I can do three-period lessons with the different pieces.

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And pairing people in mixed-age groups always helps. Even someone a little bit older, that person commands an incredible amount of respect in the eyes of the younger one. They will adapt to their focus levels much better than they would if they were just with me.

do you do when a child gets Q What frustrated or loses interest?

The greatest thing that we’re teaching is resilience. In chess, a majority of the games end in draws even at the higher levels. At this age level there’s going to be a wide variety of experience and the majority of the games will end with somebody losing. I let them know that it’s okay to lose.

The only thing that losing means is that you’re going to do something differently in the future. You’ll make sure that you won’t make that move again, and that you’ll pay attention to where your queen is and that your pieces are protected. Losing is practicing for success.

Q Who taught you how to play chess?

I learned to play chess when I was seven-years-old at the public library. We used to go to the summer program and one of the activities was chess. During the course of that summer I must have played 300 games before I even came close to winning one.

Some of the players were very competitive and just wanted to get the game over with quickly. Others would take the time and say, “Are you sure you want to move that?” And those players were more gracious about helping me to learn and develop. I learned that everything I did had consequences. It was an incredible learning experience and I’m glad that I didn’t give up just because I wasn’t winning.

Q Who’s your favourite chess partner?

life skills do children gain from Q What learning chess?

Attention, focus—it’s all good things. It’s also a lot of fun. Recently I introduced them to the idea of freestyle chess, which they went crazy over. You learn that every piece has a specific position, but in freestyle chess you can put the back row in any order you want. It’s incredible to see how much fun they have with that.

I really enjoy playing with my son. He beat me for the first time last year and now he consistently wins. It was great to see him crack the code. To watch how he thinks and moves once he understood the strategy involved and that he could adapt it—it’s great fun to play with him. He’s also very humble and doesn’t rub it in. He knows the most important rules of the game: you shake when you start, and when the game is over you shake hands again and say “good game.”

And then this year I introduced them to rapid chess with a timer. We do 10-minute games and some of them love it and others find it intimidating. But it brings in a new level of complexity to the game and encourages them to do better.

the most rewarding part of Q What’s teaching chess to children?

To be honest, the most rewarding thing is to be beaten by them. That’s their ultimate thing. I love the game and I love teaching. And with the Elementary kids, I get to spend time with my former students, which is very important to me to maintain that connection. It’s great for me to continue learning and to continue playing and to model that.

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Grade 6 Field Trip to the

Holocaust Museum

The Holocaust Museum, near Bathurst and Sheppard, is part of an impressive complex that also houses a vibrant Jewish community centre.

Because it is tucked away, it may not be as well known as other cultural institutions in Toronto, but it is well worth a visit, as our Bannockburn Grads learned on May 6th.

In accordance with the Ontario Grade 6 Social Studies curriculum component on Canada’s role in the global community and diverse communities within our country, the field trip was intended to develop a further dialogue about their in-class learning and its importance. Our tour guide offered some background information about the Holocaust, especially within a Canadian context.

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Between 1933-1945, Hitler and his Nazi party put laws into place that functioned outside legal and judicial systems. This was a state-sponsored persecution and annihilation of six million Jewish people living in Europe. Canada, historically, was not welcoming to Jews, even after this horrific war. The Toronto Holocaust Museum is a testament to the trauma and resilience of the Jewish people with a focus on individual stories. Roughly 35,000 survivors came to Canada after the war, and in 1985, many of them wanted to share their individual stories. As one survivor noted, “The world was silent, and that’s why I cannot stay silent.”

A visit to the museum begins with a short film called “A Tapestry of Moments” about Jewish life in different European countries before the Holocaust.

The film, projected on a curved wall that lends itself to an immersive viewing experience, captures the richness and diversity of these communities.

Historical photographs combined with singing and dancing clips feel like a touching collection of home movies of family life, school, religious celebrations, and holidays.

Following that is another short film called “Childhood Interrupted,” based on the life of survivor Yael Cohen, but also intended to share the universal horror experienced by all children ripped from their families and sent to concentration camps.

The film uses narration and animation layered atop actual footage to tell the story. The combination of these two short films is profound. It feels like a balancing act to educate young people about factual events while also being truthful and not so shocking that young viewers will be too scared to learn more.

As an important part of our history, teaching children about the Holocaust is vital. The Ontario curriculum expanded to include it in Grade 6 to address issues of critical thinking (like how to challenge discrimination), understanding citizenship (and what it means to strengthen the values of a united nation), and, essentially, how to prevent future atrocities.

On the social/emotional scale of learning, lessons of the Holocaust reinforce empathy and tolerance.

The Bannockburn Grads on this trip showed this in spades: asking thoughtful questions, offering sensitive responses, and respectfully engaging with all the materials in the exhibit.

After the short films, the tour guide gave the students iPads and showed how they could connect with the historical and contextual information. There is content on the concentration camp system, Canadian news articles reporting on the war, and specific information on the experience for soldiers, families at home, and the Canadian response. The survivor stories, told in their own words, are truly remarkable. These former prisoners, starved and abused to near death, came to Canada, had to learn English, get a job, and find a place to live as soon as possible because providing for themselves was a key component of gaining citizenship. Many of them spoke of their sadness that their early education was cut short because of the war, a fact that resonated for our students.

In the end, the guide shared a story of hope and resilience from Nate Leipciger, a 97-year-old survivor and Member of the Order of Canada. “The legacy is the legacy of humanity,” he said, and his choice was to live without hatred because that is what began the war in the first place.

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Famous Montessorian

Anne Frank

In the sixth grade, her final year at school, she was in Mr. Nan Gelders class. He recalled her unique and special presence in his classroom.

“She was always interested in the things she did. And though she liked to chatter, it was never so that I had to stop her or make a remark. She learned everything quite fast and she was really interested in the things she learned and did. She was sociable with the other children and always willing to help.

On April 9, 1934, Anne Frank went to kindergarten at the Sixth Montessori School in Amsterdam. The school was only a few blocks away from her house. Anne and her sister Margot attended until 1941.

Later, Anne would write in her diary remembering that last year at Montessori—the innocence, the mischief, the discovery, the hope. “When we were in normal life, everything was tremendous. I could tell [you] about our school life for hours, about our pranks, about the boys in my class.”

Headmistress Mrs. Kuperus said “Anne Frank had been at the school for six years. She was a nice pupil. She liked to compose short stories and do pleasant things in class. When the children put on little plays, Anne was one of the first to join in. She liked to play the principal character. Her imagination —it was very great. I liked her very much.”

She continued about the war that was building around them. “In those years we knew that bad things were happening in Germany. We knew that Anne’s family and many others had had to leave, but we never believed that it could happen to us. It was a happy time—innocent. And we teachers were as innocent as the children.”

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Bannockburn Independent School

Anne Frank (second from the left) with her classmates

Anne’s storytelling wisdom was evident from her early years in school. Her first grade teacher said she liked to make up “jolly stories,” and that she insisted over and over that one day, she would be a famous writer. Anne often spoke about her father and said that on special occasions like birthdays, he made up poems and so did she.

On June 12, 1942, Anne’s 13th birthday, her father stopped into a bookshop to buy her a gift before the family went into hiding. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl began on that day.

The school register, marking the details of Anne’s six years at Montessori, still exists, noting her days present and absent, as well as her profile details:

“It’s an odd idea for someone like me to keep a diary.

It seems to me that neither I, nor for that matter anyone else, will be interested in the musings of a 13-year-old schoolgirl. I hope I shall be able to confide in you completely and I hope you will be a great support and comfort to me.”

Name of student: Anne Frank Address: Merwedeplein 67 Born June 12, 1929

“I want to go on living even after my death and therefore I am grateful to God for giving me this gift of writing, of expressing all that is in me.”

The family was found in their hiding place in 1944 and Anne died in a concentration camp in 1945. Her father, Otto Frank, was the lone survivor of his family. Anne’s diary was miraculously found after the war in the annex where they hid. Published in 1947, it is a harrowing testament of war and the power of the human spirit. It has since been translated into more than 70 languages for readers around the world.

The Nest Magazine

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Cultivating Curiosity Nurturing Potential Empowering Independence

Bannockburn Mission Statement Bannockburn develops responsible, nurturing, peaceful young people with self-esteem and respect for others. Bannockburn graduates are selfmotivated, intellectually curious students who love learning and who achieve academic success.

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