The Art of Innovation
Meet book cover designer Sarahmay WILKINSON’02 and other alums who are redesigning the rules of success.
Spring 2026
The magazine for the Branksome Hall community
A Branksome Moment
Leap with Love
On September 18, 2025, the Senior & Middle School celebrated its 97th Installation Ceremony, welcoming new student leaders for the year. The 2026 Prefects donned their red uniforms for the first time and shared their 2026 motto, “Leap with Love.”
Photo: Caley Taylor
On the cover
Sarahmay WILKINSON’02, photographed by Anh Nguyen at her home studio in Bellport, New York.
View The READ online at theread.ca
14
The Visual Storyteller
Sarahmay WILKINSON’02 designs award-winning book covers that capture the meaning of works by some of the world’s major authors.
18 Mentioning the Unmentionable —and Treating It
As a urogynecologist in Hawaii, Dr. Miriam BENTLEY-TAYLOR Seitz’99 transforms women’s lives.
22 The Journey to Excellence
Travel icon Martha ROBINSON Butterfield’59 and daughter Nathalie BUTTERFIELD’90 have learned a lot about entrepreneurship while running women-friendly businesses.
28
Where TV Shows Are Born
Subah IMAMI’15 is part of the process in Hollywood, analyzing pitches that could become the next Friends.
Going Boldly
An issue full of new explorations
Innovation is on our minds. With the opening of the Karen L. Jurjevich Innovation Centre and Studio Theatre this fall, the Branksome community is already leading the way. Within the school, students and teachers are co-creating the future with AI, and Middle Schoolers are broadcasting their news live every Friday!
Across the globe, Branksome alums are also boldly going where no one has gone before. In this issue, you’ll learn about their unique travel experiences, a new medical specialty in urology and gynecology, navigating the entertainment industry’s streaming wars, the art of book cover design and how transforming our city’s green spaces can help build a healthier future.
Maya Angelou once said, “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”
With Branksome alums, students and colleagues bringing their innovations to the world, the galaxy’s the limit. Give us a shout at alum@branksome.on.ca and let us know your thoughts!
—Sarah Baumann
From Our Community:
“I applaud you and your team for the latest issue of The READ. The redesign adds great use of white space and a good flow to both writing and images. The variety of photos and illustrations is refreshing.”
“The photos beautifully capture the spirit of joy, well-being and camaraderie that exemplifies Branksome, while the cover story photos are outstanding.”
From the windows of my home on Mt. Pleasant, I have a front-row seat to Branksome’s evolution. Watching our new iCAST building take shape has been a source of daily excitement, but it also serves as a poignant reminder: as our campus rises, our vision must rise to meet it.
This physical transformation mirrors another transformation now underway, as we embark on a new strategic planning process—an initiative designed to ensure Branksome remains not just a leading school of today, but a powerhouse of the future. While we are immensely proud of our history and current standing, we know that enduring success requires evolution. As we embark on this journey, our “North Star” remains unchanged: every choice we make is underpinned by what is in the best interest of our students.
In shaping this new plan, we are scanning the horizon—investigating global trends and, most importantly, listening to our community—as we set out to define the priorities that will guide Branksome’s next chapter.
And we can’t do this without you. Each of you in our alum and parent community plays a vital role in this vision. You serve as both mirrors and windows for our students.
As mirrors, you help our girls and young
Our Window on the Future
We are looking for your help in writing Branksome’s next chapter
By Grace McCallum, Principal
women see their own potential reflected back at them—validating their strengths, interests and the character that Branksome cultivates.
As windows, you offer a view into a world of experiences, possibilities and pathways they may not have yet imagined.
You are the most powerful windows we can provide. Through your accomplishments and the way you shape your communities, you show our students what is possible.
As we move forward, we are looking to deepen this connection through internships, mentorships and sponsorships. We often speak about breaking “glass ceilings,” but we must also address the “sticky floor”—the struggle to get those first vital experiences that launch a career.
By providing mentorship, sharing your journeys and opening doors, you empower our students not only to rise but to pull others up alongside them.
From my window I see a campus transforming; in our Branksome community, I see the reason why.
You are the proof of our past success and part of the architecture of our future. I look forward to connecting with many of you as this process unfolds, and to building these pathways with you, ensuring that every Branksome graduate steps out of our halls and into a world of limitless opportunity. R
“By providing mentorship, sharing your journeys and opening doors, you empower our students not only to rise but to pull others up alongside them.”
Photo: Caley Taylor
Branksome Buzz
News from around Branksome Hall
MOVEMENT AND GROWTH
This stunning ceramic installation in the Junior School stairwell was created by Grade 6 artists in 2025. Supported by the Grade 6 Legacy Fund for Health and Well-Being, they collaborated with ceramic artist Meg Leslie of Atherley Arts and Ms. Payne to explore themes of movement and growth.
Inspired by the relocation of chimney swifts on campus, each student researched a Toronto bird species to represent their own journey through Branksome and beyond. Using the sgraffito technique on purple-glazed tiles—their grade colour—students etched intricate designs into the clay. The final work, assembled by Meg in her studio, features several “Easter eggs,” including references to the Junior School Playground, Ribbit and Lily.
Branksome
Culture A World of Traditions
On April 4, 2025, the Senior & Middle School community came together for Branksome Hall’s first-ever Culture Day, a vibrant celebration of global traditions, food and storytelling. The Athletics and Wellness Centre was transformed into a bustling, bazaar-style showcase, realizing a student-led dream planned over six months.
Under the supervision of Math teacher Christie DesRoches, the event was an unforgettable display of diversity and pride. Armed with special “passports,” attendees travelled from booth to booth, collecting stamps while sampling traditional foods and learning about customs and histories. Many proudly wore cultural clothing to reflect their heritage.
The event powerfully highlighted Branksome’s commitment to global Events
Plaid for iCAST
citizenship. Grade 11 student Hana shared her rich Arab culture, displaying images of iconic landmarks and serving delicious treats like hummus. Meanwhile, Grade 12 student Raven spoke about the resilience of Indigenous communities, sharing Ojibwe culture through artifacts like her grandmother’s artwork and traditional moccasins, emphasizing the deep connection to the land and nature. Employees also participated: English teacher Karen Whitaker and Curriculum Innovation Co-ordinator Yoon Kang celebrated South Korean heritage, modelling acceptance and pride in their mixed-race identities.
The success of the day has cemented its place as a new Branksome tradition, one that is certain to grow and welcome even more cultures in the years to come.
From fabulous finery to high-stakes bidding, the Mad Plaid Ball last November had it all. With nearly 400 alums, parents and community members in attendance, Branksome’s spirit shone bright. To everyone who raised a paddle, bought a raffle ticket or just brought their stylish A game, you made this unforgettable celebration one for the history books. Branksome is thrilled to have raised $794,625, which will bring real-world expert teaching to iCAST through Branksome’s Expert-in-Residence Program.
Appointments
Our New Board Chair
The Branksome community welcomed Daniel Moore as the new Chair of the Board of Governors on January 1, 2026. The father of three Branksome students, Daniel brings more than 30 years of experience in financial services across capital markets, corporate banking and risk management. He is co-CEO and co-founder of River Run Ventures, an early-stage venture capital partnership focused on Fintech and AI. “We are fortunate to have a leader with Daniel’s deep experience and strategic insight take on this important role,” notes Principal Grace McCallum, “and we are incredibly grateful to outgoing Chair Mona Malone for her exceptional leadership and oversight of the Board since September 2022.”
Behind the Mic
A week with the Middle School’s Frogcast
By Sarah Baumann
Ribbit, Ribbit, rise and shine, Branksome Hall! Every Friday morning, a wave of information washes over the Middle School with the latest live broadcast of the Frogcast, led by Grade 8 student Anjali Cameron, Frogcast Club head, Producer and Tech Lead, and Devlin MacPherson, Senior & Middle School Innovation Lab Technician. Started in February 2025 as a pilot by Middle School student leaders for broadcast in Homeroom, Frogcast is now a fully-fledged Branksome Club with 16 student members from Grades 7 and 8. What does it take to create this “onestop splash” for all things Middle School? Join us for this behind-the-scenes look at a week with the Frogcast team.
Monday 12:00 p.m.
Work period
Anjali, Mr. MacPherson and Frogcast Club members gather to work on that week’s episode and brainstorm for the following week. Every episode follows the same structure: two to three student anchors share announcements (this week it’s Sarah, Annabelle and Maddie), including an Athletics update, followed by a pre-recorded segment with student field reporters, and closing with birthdays and the joke of the day.
Thursday 3:10 p.m.
Final touches
The action ramps up on Thursday during Community Time. The episode’s lead team (it alternates between Grade 7 and Grade 8 teams) finalizes their scripts, connects with
community members and completes filming for the special segment.
Friday 8:00 a.m.
Run-through and broadcast
Early Friday morning, the episode’s core team gathers in the Innovation Hub (iHUB) for a final run-through and the live broadcast. With Mr. MacPherson providing guidance, and Anjali running tech elements such as green screen backgrounds and the soundboard, anchors Sarah, Annabelle and Maddie take their positions for the five-to-seven-minute broadcast: announcements about the Middle School “Beach Bash” dance that evening, Winter team tryouts, a “finish the lyrics” segment with teachers, and, of course, the joke of the day: “What’s the difference between a dachshund and a marine biologist? One wags a tail and the other tags a whale!”
“My favourite part of the Frogcast is being able to help it grow, as the producer. We have had so many creative people join to express themselves through the broadcast this year,” says Anjali.
Mr. MacPherson loves that it inspires the community: “Seeing the crowd that forms in the lounge every Friday morning to watch together makes me really happy—I think it contributes a lot to the Middle School experience.”
The Club will get another boost next year when the Frogcast moves to the Media Studio in the basement of the new iCAST building. The future is bright for this vibrant group of students to continue their hands-on learning, strengthening their voices and communication skills one leap at a time. R
Ms. McDowell helps Maddie M. and Maddie P. with the worksheet for the lesson.
Explore This Space
The Junior School Library
Set among the treetops of the building’s second floor, the Junior School Library offers JK–Grade 6 students a 14,000-item children’s print collection, an ever-expanding digital presence and the warm support of Fatma Faraj, Teacher-Librarian, and Julia McDowell, Library Technician. Here, Ms. Currie’s Grade 2 class enjoys their regular Monday library visit.
Ahsees browses through the spinner shelves, which Ms. Faraj introduced to encourage exploration of more books.
Ms. Faraj reads Skating Wild on an Inland Sea by Jean E. Pendziwol and Todd Stewart, which discusses the landforms and winter landscape around Lake Superior.
Photo: Harold Feng
Custom artwork by author Ruth Ohi, who visited with JKs in the library in May 2025.
The Library’s extensive collection of graphic novels spans three shelves!
‘Education can change hearts and minds’
Dr. Yasmin Razack, Head, Community, Inclusion & Belonging, talks about her new post
By Sarah Baumann
Branksome Hall welcomes Dr. Yasmin Razack, a champion for belonging, inclusion, global citizenship and building equitable systems through collective action. Her extensive experience—from developing K–12 programs with the Harmony Movement to coaching women in leadership—has been guided by a belief in the transformative power of education. Her mandate at Branksome is to work collaboratively to build inclusive learning, working and living environments. She previously served as Dean of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at Humber Polytechnic and University of Guelph-Humber, Chief Diversity Officer at Canadian Blood Services and the Director of Global Citizenship and Inclusion at Centennial College.
Can you share a bit about your background and what ignited your passion for this work?
I always start with my family. Growing up in a small town like Kitchener, with my parents having immigrated from Trinidad and Tobago and my brother being Deaf, I was acutely aware of what inclusion and exclusion were from a very young age. I experienced bullying in middle school and a real lack of a sense of belonging. The school’s response was to move me to enrichment classes, which unintentionally gave me a first-hand view of how education can genuinely change hearts and minds for the better. Later, as an international admissions advisor at York University, I saw international students struggling for a sense of belonging, which spurred me to help develop programs and create organizational equitable practices to address this need.
Having spent your first few months at Branksome, what has impressed you most about the school community?
I fell in love with Branksome during the recruitment process. I was floored by the innovative leadership here; they aren’t scared to try new things. Branksome laid such a solid foundation for this work by asking tough questions and by collecting raw, rich data for its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) plan. I’ve also been impressed by the progressive integration of this work at all levels—all departments are on board, and the students are so eager to learn.
What are your key priorities, and how will your team approach this work?
Our approach and priorities are guided by the DEI Action Plan and the listening tour I’ve been on since arriving. The key focus is on continuing to build capacity among all employees and students to effectively apply the work of community, inclusion and belonging in practice within their respective roles. For students, we’ve launched Branksome’s first Inclusive Leadership Academy in addition to developing a studentcentred belonging framework to ensure co-curriculars are not operating in silos. We will also continue inviting our community of parents and alums to collaborate on this work and share how our students need their support.
What’s one fun fact or hobby you’d like the community to know about you?
I’m Caribbean, so I absolutely love great food and to dance and gather in community. Beyond that, I love deep conversation and connection; I am constantly reading and listening. Most of all, I love connecting with women. It’s important to me to bring women together and help bolster their confidence, and also for us to learn from each other.
“I fell in love with Branksome during the recruitment process. I was floored by the innovative leadership here; they aren’t scared to try new things.”
Dr. Yasmin Razack (top row, far right) with her Advisor Group.
Community Branksome Barks
Who are the most popular (and best-dressed) members of the Branksome community? Our campus canines, of course! You’ll often find Principal McCallum’s charismatic Maggie and Ms. MacLean’s pup, Nanaimo, sporting their Branksome spirit wear and spreading cheer. The dog-love even inspired our graduating class, who brought in Sunshine Therapy Dogs for a highly successful Grade 12 GY Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) project. Tools
Co-Creating the Future with AI Insights
Branksome Hall’s commitment to an innovation mindset is unfolding with the thoughtful integration of artificial intelligence across the school community. This isn’t about replacing critical thinking; it’s about amplifying it.
Students are using AI not as a shortcut but as a strategic partner, employing the Furze AI Assessment Scale. They utilize the technology for AI Planning, which involves brainstorming ideas, outlining and structuring their initial work, but they must use their own thinking to develop the final product. Many also engage in AI Collaboration, using the tools to improve the clarity of their written work or receive feedback in the editing and refining stages. The most advanced are engaging in AI Exploration, using the technology as a co-creator to generate novel insights and innovative approaches to problem-solving.
The school’s new Generative AI Acceptable Use Guidelines ensure that all community members—students, faculty and staff—use the tools ethically and safely. Faculty, for instance, are using AI to brainstorm ideas and as an editing tool for reports, modelling responsible use for students. Students must provide AI disclosure statements and cite prompts or chats when used.
The entire framework is built on the IB Learner Profile attributes, emphasizing critical evaluation of AI-generated information, considering its bias or inaccuracy. By learning how to use these powerful tools ethically, Branksome students are being prepared not just for university, but to lead in an AI-driven world. The whole community is navigating this new frontier together, reinforcing the school’s dedication to a future-focused education.
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visits the Junior School at the start of the year
3 Madeleine SMITH’19 enjoys a visit from Sunshine Therapy Dogs
Nanaimo
Branksome’s “First Dog,” Maggie
Sarahmay WILKINSON’02 designs awardwinning book covers that capture the meaning of works by some of the world’s major authors
By Luisa Trisi
Photography by Anh Nguyen
As a book cover designer, Sarahmay WILKINSON’02 belongs to a niche category in the design world.
For those who have stumbled upon her artistry in bookstores, airport gift shops or retail sites online, one thing is clear: capturing the essence of an author’s work with eye-catching, memorable graphics is a rare skill that she has mastered.
Based in Bellport, New York, a seaside village on Long Island, Sarahmay joins our video call from the home she shares with her partner—a marine scientist—and their toddler. With a good dose of self-deprecating humour, she describes the challenge of absorbing complex ideas, stories and themes expressed in words and translating their essence into a visual representation using typography, imagery, texture and colour. “Good design is often about storytelling in a concise and impactful way,” she says.
It’s clear that Sarahmay is at the top of her game. Her award-winning work is regularly shortlisted in annual best-of rankings by The New York Times and was featured at the prestigious Bologna Book Fair. Her compelling covers have graced books by such famed authors as Edna O’Brien, Joy Harjo, ’Pemi Aguda and Roddy Doyle, to name a few.
“I have to give my family credit for their support and encouragement of my creativity,” she says. The youngest of four children, Sarahmay was born in Dublin and grew up in Bray, County Wicklow, in a home teeming with artistic talent. “My siblings all went to colleges for the arts, whether it was for architecture, music, fashion or design. My father is a professional singer and performer, and my mother used to work as a TV producer.”
By the time six-year-old Sarahmay and her family moved to Toronto, a pattern had already emerged. “From an early age, art was my thing. My eldest brother, Aaron, still has a painting I made at six.”
At age 10, she entered Branksome, where her talent was recognized by “very kind and supportive” Junior School Art teachers Jacinthe Roy and Judith Phelan. Her Senior School Art teacher, Heather Pratt, let her take over the small room next to the art class. “I would go up there any spare moment I had and work on my art,” she says. “She was absolutely my number one advocate.”
Determined to pursue a career in art and design, the budding creative began preparing her advanced placement portfolios on her own and a year earlier than required, wandering the halls of Branksome carrying two knapsacks: one on her back filled with textbooks for her regular classes, and another in front containing materials for her art school applications.
When
“Work begets work, inspiration comes of doing, so don’t stop moving.
feel stuck,
I just do the
I
next thing: choose the next typeface, the next colour palette, the next image. As I keep working, things unlock themselves.”
Book covers designed by Sarahmay shared with permission from W.W. Norton & Company
“The culture at Branksome normalized ambition for young women—the idea that you could be both creative and driven, artistic and analytical,” she says. By the end of Grade 11, Sarahmay had created a series of custom portfolios for applications to 13 postsecondary programs in Canada, the United States and the U.K.
At 17, she went downtown to meet with representatives from the major Canadian and U.S. art schools at the Ontario College of Art and Design (now OCAD University). She was first in line to have her portfolio reviewed by the admissions team for New York’s renowned Parsons School of Design, who were impressed with what they saw.
Remarkably, she was accepted into every one of the schools, and opted to study design at Parsons. Alone in Manhattan at 18, she navigated a reality that was nothing like the “safe, kind and gentle Branksome community. On some subconscious level, it was absolutely terrifying but also transformative,” she says. “It’s a big place with a beautifully diverse population. My brain and heart were bust right open.”
An internship with the cult beauty brand Bumble and bumble led to a job there designing packaging and learning about shelf appeal, merchandising and branding. “It was so fun. Everyone was young and energetic,” she says. She left Bumble in 2009 for other art opportunities, and by 2016, while working at the French beauty brand Coty, she was offered
a position at Farrar, Straus and Giroux, one of New York’s premium literary publishers. Could there be two more contrasting industries than beauty and publishing? “Actually, designing covers for a book is no different than designing packaging for a lipstick or a shampoo,” she says. “When people purchase those products, they’re buying a lifestyle, an identity. It’s similar to a book cover: you’re sharing a snapshot of the possibility of something.”
In meeting the challenge of rebooting her career at age 33, Sarahmay had conducted a series of informational interviews and portfolio reviews with more than 20 book cover designers.
“I assumed a huge amount of financial and professional risk with that pivot,” she says. “I hustled so hard, that within three or four years, I was in pretty good standing within the New York book cover design community.”
In 2018, Sarahmay’s fabled reputation led to a job at New York’s W.W. Norton & Company, among the publishing world’s most established companies. Seven years and four promotions later, she landed her current role as its Associate Design Director.
Sarahmay oversees cover designs for approximately 50 Norton titles annually, and each one may generate anywhere from six to 70 cover drafts. Starting with a careful reading of the author’s manuscript,
her approach involves “scribbling really rough sketches” in the margins and distilling them down to five top ideas.
In addition to her full-time position at Norton, Sarahmay runs her own interdisciplinary design studio, where she works with a set of clients ranging from small business owners to international beauty brands.
Juggling a variety of projects helps stimulate inspiration and ideas, so it’s no surprise that momentum is a critical ingredient in Sarahmay’s creative process. It’s also key to shedding the perfectionist tendencies she developed “growing up in a household filled with tremendously creative, talented people and then also being at a school like Branksome, where high performance was a requirement,” she says.
Her personal maxim? “Work begets work, inspiration comes of doing, so don’t stop moving. When I feel stuck, I just do the next thing: choose the next typeface, the next colour palette, the next image. As I keep working, things unlock themselves.”
Sarahmay often turns to the world around her for inspiration, whether it’s the children’s books she reads to her son, the bookstores she visits to peruse work by her colleagues, or the marine charts her partner consults at work.
“Everything is visual, everything is beautiful,” she says. Spoken like a true storyteller. R
Mentioning the Unmentionable
As a urogynecologist in Hawaii, Dr. Miriam BENTLEY-TAYLOR Seitz’99 transforms women’s lives
By Christina Frangou
Photography by Nani Welch Keli‘iho‘omalu
and Treating It
Dr. Miriam BENTLEY-TAYLOR Seitz’99 is very good at talking about very hard things.
The way women accidentally pee? Not a problem. Embarrassing leakage after childbirth? Please bring it up. Pain with sex? She’ll absolutely go there.
These are no-go topics for many women, but not for Miriam, a urogynecologist at Hawai‘i Pacific Health in Honolulu. “Talking comes easily to me, and I find the more relaxed I am, the more comfortable patients are about discussing these difficult topics,” she says.
Miriam specializes in caring for women with conditions that affect their pelvic floor, the area of the body that contains the bladder, reproductive system and rectum. Some of her patients are young and busy caring for children and juggling careers. Others are elderly, and have never spoken openly to anyone about these medical issues before they arrive in her office.
“Some of my patients really suffer, and they accept urinary frequency or incontinence as a normal part of aging. And so, when we can fix something for them, it’s transformative,” she says.
Urogynecologists like Miriam are doctors trained in both gynecology and urology, and they provide medical and surgical care. A relatively new specialty, urogynecology was not even recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties before 2011. Prior to that, women often had to see both a urologist and gynecologist to get treatment for relatively common conditions of the pelvic floor. Pelvic organ prolapse, for instance, affects nearly half of adult women. It’s
caused when one or more of the organs in the pelvis—the vagina, uterus, bladder or rectum—drops from its normal position. But women were bounced around from physician to physician, or sometimes didn’t see one at all when they endured symptoms.
“Many women accept changes to their body after childbirth and suffer for years. They avoid exercise for fear of leakage, intimacy due to discomfort or social events because of their urinary frequency,” says Miriam.
When the new subspecialty was recognized, the care available to women improved. Women could see one specialist who would address their health issues. And that’s changed lives.
Miriam’s favourite part of her job is the relationship that she builds with her patients as she cares for them. “There are tears, there are hugs, they are really overjoyed. It’s usually something that they’ve been suffering with for a very long time,” she says. “It’s nice to know that we can help them and improve their quality of life.”
Her career path will probably come as no surprise to her Branksome classmates, several of whom are still her closest friends. In high school, Miriam—or Mims as she was known at Branksome— dreamt of becoming a doctor. She even missed her annual grad trip in Grade 13 because she joined her family on an expedition to Thailand. Her father was volunteering in a leprosarium, a hospital for people with leprosy. A cardiologist, he often worked in developing countries. Miriam caught the medical bug from him.
After graduating from Branksome Hall, she moved to London, Ontario, where she completed a bachelor of science in psychology,
picking up some of the communication skills that she now relies on in her conversations with patients. Next, she moved on to Grenada, in the Caribbean, where she did her medical degree at St. George’s University.
As an undergraduate and again a medical student, she travelled to Angola, where she worked with a Canadian general surgeon, Dr. Steven Foster. There, she saw women suffering with obstetric fistulas—a treatable but often untreated injury that is common in places where women don’t have reliable access to obstetrical care. Many go through prolonged and difficult labours, increasing the risk of tearing between the birth canal and the bladder or rectum. Then they suffer with continual leakage of stool or urine, and associated shame and ostracization.
“I became interested in wanting to fix fistulas. And I saw the inequalities in health care for women and knew that it could be done better,” says Miriam. “It was my inspiration to be a physician/surgeon and pursue women’s health care.”
She went on to complete her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, just outside Detroit, and then a fellowship in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery at the University of Chicago. In Chicago, she would ride her bike to the hospital in the bone-chilling hours of dawn during her training and think about her mornings rowing at Branksome. “Those early mornings made it seem totally normal years later to ride your bike in the freezing cold,” she says.
Miriam met her husband, Dan Seitz, an emergency medicine physician, in medical school. After they finished their training, he wanted to move back to Hawaii where he had family. That’s now where they make their home, with their three kids, ages 12, 10 and 7. The kids surf and go outrigger canoeing, and the family has two golden retrievers who love to swim in the ocean. As glamorous and fun as Hawaii is, Miriam says she still misses Toronto. “All my family is there, so we go back home two to three times a year.”
In addition to her clinical practice, she is an assistant professor and faculty in the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, where she teaches residents and medical students in and out of the operating room.
“There are tears, there are hugs, they are really overjoyed. It’s usually something that they’ve been suffering with for a very long time,” she says. “It’s nice to know that we can help them and improve their quality of life.”
Miriam credits Branksome with instilling in her the belief that she could do anything. “Being told day in, day out that the sky’s the limit is a really important message, especially to girls, because you can easily look around and not feel that way,” she says. At one point in her career, she was the only female urogynecologist in her hospital group. Miriam was a “lifer” at Branksome, attending from kindergarten through Grade 13, along with her sisters Anna BENTLEY-TAYLOR Marshall’90 and Elizabeth “Zibby” BENTLEY-TAYLOR Tutsch’00 and cousins Jennifer GRIFFITHS’88, Fiona GRIFFITHS’90 and Joanna GRIFFITHS’02, founder and president of Knix, the pioneering women’s apparel brand. It’s an experience she wouldn’t trade “for anything,” she says. “Branksome provided me with a community where relationships matter and where women are valued. It taught me that you can laugh a bit while still being highly effective. Those 15 years of Branksome shaped the physician I am today and the care that I provide.” R
Top: In Angola with sister Zibby Bottom: Miriam (centre) in Chicago with her co-fellows
The Journey to Excellence
Travel icon Martha ROBINSON Butterfield’59 and daughter Nathalie BUTTERFIELD’90 have learned a lot about entrepreneurship while running women-friendly businesses
By Rita Silvan
by Sofia Kirk
Photography
Leading a luxury travel company is not all sunny days and Chablis. Just ask Martha ROBINSON Butterfield’59. “I had just picked up a group in France for a biking holiday. There was a flash flood, and when our van drove under a bridge into a gully, I looked behind me and saw everyone’s suitcases floating in the water. I mean, I didn’t even know everyone’s names yet! Some very nice things got damaged, including a guest’s lovely white dress which she had packed next to her black leather belt,” she recalls. By some magic, it’s often the trips touched by the unexpected that turn out to be the most memorable, she says with a smile. Martha, her husband, George, and her brother, Sidney, co-founded Butterfield & Robinson, their legendary active travel company, which celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2026. (“God, I can’t believe I’m that old,” says Martha.) Originally it was aimed at students wanting to tour Europe; it took a few
years and a few wobbly detours—including a decidedly non-luxury foray into “Shipwreck Holidays” for budding Robinson Crusoes (kit: bathing suit, plastic sheet, bucket to catch rainwater and fish, book of matches, and conch for breakfast, lunch and dinner)— before the unique active travel concept caught on. Once it did, Butterfield & Robinson quickly became the ne plus ultra in high-end cycling and walking holidays.
At its inception, Butterfield & Robinson emphasized learning: Martha delivered cultural talks and led guided tours to give guests a comprehensive view of historical and modern Europe and spark their curiosity. Then, starting in 1980, during a recession no less, Martha spearheaded the research, marketing and guiding of a series of Mediterranean cruises that were popular and profitable. And, while raising two young children, Martha launched Button Designs, a company that specialized in Plexiglass
furniture and accessories, whose clients included actor Yul Brynner and the king of Norway. Meanwhile, husband George launched Toronto restaurant hotspot Boiler Room and other business ventures.
Clearly, entrepreneurship runs in the family. So it’s no surprise that their daughter, Nathalie BUTTERFIELD’90, first became a lawyer, like her father, and then an entrepreneur like both her parents. She had done some seasonal guiding work for Butterfield & Robinson but chose to launch her own business. In 2005, she co-founded Fluf, which is 100 per cent woman-owned and operated and specializes in ethically and sustainably made lunch bags, backpacks and totes. Fluf started as a pillow manufacturer (hence the name) before transitioning to bags and accessories. Fluf’s minimalist pastel pillows adorn the sofas and chairs in her parents’ light-filled home in Rosedale. “My parents made starting a business look so doable and
Opposite page:
Archival photos of George and Martha Butterfield and friends in Europe
This page:
Top: Martha (third from left) and George (fourth from left) aboard the Leonardo da Vinci ocean liner in 1966
Middle: George and Martha in India, circa 1980
Bottom Left: Nathalie Butterfield, co-founder, Fluf Bags
so much fun,” Nathalie says. She remains a member of the Butterfield & Robinson board of directors and gives regular input on the company.
For both mother and daughter, education played a defining role in their lives. “I went from nursery school to Grade 12 at Branksome, and then left for Neuchâtel Junior College in Switzerland for my final year of high school,” says Martha. She immersed herself in Europe, studying fine art at the Institut d’art et d’archéologie at the Université de Paris (writing her entrance exam in French), and worked in London at an investment firm.
While running the travel business, Martha was also completing her master’s in fine art at the University of Toronto and working part time in the education department at the Art Gallery of Ontario, plus raising Nathalie and her brother, David. Martha is also a documentary producer and has sat on the boards of the Ontario College of Art and Design, Coach House Press, PEN Canada, Ecojustice and Branksome Hall.
Nathalie credits Branksome with giving her the appetite for adventure and uncertainty that is a hallmark of being a business owner. “Branksome creates an
environment that encourages girls to think outside the box,” she says. “It’s never just rote learning. It’s open-endedness and always asking, ‘What if?’ As an entrepreneur, especially in the beginning, it can be hard not knowing where your next dollar is coming from. How you’re educated influences your ability to be more comfortable in taking risks.”
Relationships form the core of Martha’s and Nathalie’s fond memories of their school. “I always loved Branksome,” says Martha. “In Grade 9, all of these lovely women came in, and some of them are still my very best friends. Starting from then, that was it, I had my band of friends and it was just fabulous.”
Nathalie recalls her first day in Grade 4 at Branksome: “I noticed a girl with an adorable, pin-straight bowl cut sitting all by herself eating lunch. I had one friend at Branksome already, a girl I’d met at summer camp. I said something like, ‘Hey, that girl is sitting all alone. We should go sit with her.’ My friend wasn’t very interested, but I went over and had lunch with her—that day, and pretty much every day after that for the next eight years. Lindsay OUGHTRED’91 is still one of my closest friends, a forever friend. I have remained very tight with the group of girls I met between Grades 4 and 9, which feels like the greatest gift of all.” Nathalie’s daughters, Beatrice BUTTERFIELD COWAN’24 and Nina BUTTERFIELD COWAN’22, have continued the tradition of building lifelong relationships from their time at Branksome.
Both Martha and Nathalie tout the many benefits of being in an all-girls school environment: “The fact that it was an all-girls school and that we were all given leadership roles, and we didn’t have to compete with boys in any way, has stood me in good stead,” says
“The fact that it was an all-girls school and that we were all given leadership roles, and we didn’t have to compete with boys in any way, has stood me in good stead.”
Martha ROBINSON Butterfield’59
Martha. During her tenure on the Branksome Board while Nathalie was a student there, Martha campaigned and succeeded in the installation of a condom vending machine at the school. “I had to fight really hard for that,” she recalls. “I thought girls needed to protect themselves and be equipped with whatever they needed to take control over their own sexual health.” She also produced the “Peace Dove” event, where all the students wore white and made the shape of a peace dove against the grass in the Lower Field. “The photo became the Christmas card that year,” says Martha.
Branksome’s emphasis on friendships, academics and teaching girls they can do anything had a profoundly positive effect on the students. “You really felt it,” says Nathalie. A liberating aspect of being in an all-girls environment was the freedom to be oneself, away from the critical gaze of boys. “We didn’t really care how we looked,” recalls Nathalie. “We weren’t placing a whole lot of emphasis on our physical appearance, which was super liberating, especially in a learning environment. Having to wear a uniform also really helped. Yes, we did individuate a bit, but it still took one big question out of your morning every day.”
“I think women are more relaxed with other women than when there are guys around,” adds Martha. “There’s just a bit more space to open up and express yourself in a female-only environment.”
Recognizing that women sometimes need their own time and space to recharge, Butterfield & Robinson has now expanded its roster to include women-only biking and hiking itineraries based on client demand—an initiative Nathalie supported. “They were calling in and asking for private trips just for women. I think women often crave a deeper connection, and that’s something women friends are good at
“One of the real benefits for women is the opportunity to travel a little differently. Maybe relax a bit more, unplug and recharge.” In running her business, Nathalie says she has come to appreciate the power of slowing down.
giving each other,” says Nathalie. Butterfield & Robinson’s womenonly trips are designed and led by women and support women in local communities. For example, on the trip to Cambodia and Vietnam, the fleet of tuk-tuk drivers is all women, reversing the default to an all-male fleet of drivers. “We give roles to women in these communities that they might not otherwise have,” adds Nathalie.
In a multi-tasking world, it is more important than ever to take a break, she says. “One of the real benefits for women is the opportunity to travel a little differently. Maybe relax a bit more, unplug and recharge.” In running her business, Nathalie says she has come to appreciate the power of slowing down. “The super powerful thing I’ve learned is it’s okay to pause. We live in a world today where everyone expects a response yesterday. I’ve become much better at saying, ‘I need to sleep on this.’ It’s amazing what insights you can accomplish overnight! It’s important to trust in our ability to pause to find the answer. Because when you do slow down, you always do find the answer.”
To celebrate the 60th anniversary, Butterfield & Robinson has crafted a 60-day around-the-world journey encompassing six trips over four continents. Guests can choose part or all of a once-in-alifetime itinerary. Over the past six decades, the company has had an enviable number of devoted fans and repeat clients. What’s the secret of Butterfield & Robinson’s enduring appeal? “Just excellence,” says Martha. “We believe in excellence. Our guides are excellent. Our itineraries are excellent. We strive to make everything the best it can be.” Sounds like something she learned at Branksome. R
Where TV Shows Are Born
Subah IMAMI’15 is part of the process in Hollywood, analyzing pitches that could become the next Friends
By Dianne Rinehart
Photography by Julianne Donelle
When Subah IMAMI’15 was growing up, she loved the arts. But with what she calls a “stereotypical Asian” upbringing, she knew she had to pursue a career in one of four areas to please her parents: “Do I want to be a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer or go into business?” she says, laughing.
The Bangladeshi-born student chose business, applying to only one school: New York University’s Stern School of Business. She vividly remembers finding out on December 15 of her last year at Branksome Hall that she was accepted. “Oh my god! I got into NYU,” she remembers thinking, just before throwing up. “I just remember the sheer relief I felt, like my life wasn’t over.”
At the time, she says, she couldn’t imagine a life without the friends she made at Branksome. “I started there in Grade 7. We were together from the ages of 13 to 18. I felt: Who am I if I’m not in this environment? Who am I if I’m not wearing a green blazer?”
Happily, her guidance counsellor, Ms. Stumborg, calmed her down and even rescheduled an exam. “Girl, you’re going to college, so we’ll just delay the exam for another time,” she remembers Ms. Stumborg telling her. “Your health is important.”
And not only did she get into NYU, but she did her business studies, including a minor in studio art for her soul, on a full scholarship. That led her to a career that gives her the best of both worlds in sunny Los Angeles, where she works as a senior associate, content strategy and analysis, with Warner Bros. Discovery.
Her job entails analyzing pitches for TV programs to see whether they make sense for the company to greenlight. There is a lot of strategizing on what pitches will go ahead, she explains. And it’s not just about whether they will make the company money. For example, a show might not be profitable but still be greenlit because it will keep talent in house. Or it may fill the demand of a niche market within the vast subscriber market.
But there is one thing that drives it all, she says. “We know that people want new content, fresh content and content that’s in the zeitgeist that everyone’s talking about.”
It’s a job that taps into not only her interests but her life, in a way the banking industry—which she’d originally been heading into—never could. Indeed, it was while she was doing a summer internship from NYU at Goldman Sachs that she recognized two things about herself. First, she realized that long banking hours were not for her. “I just wasn’t a good cultural fit,” says Subah, who places a high value on a work-life balance that gives her time for things that bring her joy.
“At home, the goal of school was to have a good grade-point average. But my teachers said the goal is for you to really understand what you want to do and who you want to be.”
In pursuit of that, and what she calls the “whimsy” of life, she takes art and pottery classes and volunteers for cat shelters and, importantly, for NYU’s 15,000 alumni members who live in Los Angeles. That work won her a New Volunteer of the Year award from NYU’s alumni organization.
The second insight was that she wanted to be “on the inside” making strategic decisions, not on the outside as she was at Goldman, evaluating decisions that were already made.
As it happened, her next internship was at NBCUniversal Media, and she knew then that she had found a career path that would meld her business acumen and skills with her desire to work in a creative field.
Moreover, she was at NBC while it was creating its Peacock streaming service. “First of all, my homework was watching TV, right?” says Subah. “I was like, this is fun, this is exciting. I felt like I could naturally talk about the subject matter without feeling like I was out of my depth, or I needed to study up, because at the end of the day, I was a target audience for the product,” she says. “I am a user of every streaming platform, and I am a part of the culture.”
In New York City, “I was a woman in her young 20s living in a high cost-of-living area,” she says. TV shows like Sex and the City were targeted to her demographic. “I’m who you are looking for with a bunch of diversity tags on me,” she laughs.
So, when an opportunity at The Walt Disney Company came up in Los Angeles, she went for it. It was April when Subah flew to balmy California from a wet and chilly New York City to interview for a job as an analyst in corporate strategy and business development. “The skies are clear, there are palm trees! Oh my god, this could be life for me!” she remembers thinking.
Landing at Disney, she recalls, “I was star-struck.” But she still wanted more influence on the strategic decision-making of what programs got greenlit, and when she saw the Warner Bros. job almost four years into her employment at Disney, she felt it was an even better fit.
And it was, but life in the fast and demanding world of entertainment isn’t all fun and games. “It hasn’t been the easiest ride through multiple roles and restructurings,” Subah says of the seismic changes in the entertainment industry, where conglomerates vie to buy up one another. Indeed, even as she spoke, three industry giants were bidding to buy parts or all of Warner Bros. Discovery, with the battle later evidently won after much drama by Paramount Skydance Corp. Not that that worried her: “Regardless of what company we are, they are going to need their content strategy team.”
Subah says she isn’t allowed to say what TV shows she may have worked on and recommended. But she gets a kick when she’s with her friends watching shows that she had recommended for greenlighting, without them knowing.
Subah’s quick move up the ladder in the cutthroat industry of entertainment and media conglomerates is even more remarkable considering the only English she could speak when she arrived in Toronto from Dhaka, Bangladesh, was what she had learned growing up watching reruns of the TV series Friends. If that doesn’t sound like a foreshadowing of her current career, consider that Friends was made by Warner Bros., she jokes now.
When she started life in Toronto, she was in Grade 6, in the public school system, struggling, “and then, thankfully, Branksome took a chance on me.” She credits Ms. Mouftah, the teacher who interviewed
her, for making her case. “I just felt very safe,” she says of the school’s diverse, inclusive environment, where she felt “seen” for the first time since arriving in Canada
And the support didn’t end there. Subah remembers being mentored and supported by several teachers at the school. “At home, the goal of school was to have a good grade-point average. But my teachers said the goal is for you to really understand what you want to do and who you want to be”—and, she says, they helped her get there. “I just felt like I had a lot of trust from my teachers, which was important,” says Subah, adding with a smile: “I don’t know if you can tell, but I’m a bit quirky.”
While Branksome helped her trust herself and gave her strength and independence, she leans heavily, too, on her culture, something she appreciates even more because of what her parents went through. “They saw the horrors of war,” she says, referring to the 1971 Bangladesh war of independence. They fought for their rights, and now she says she’s just as determined to stand up for her rights. “I will always serve that purpose; I will never back down from that.”
She’s thankful to her mom and dad now, too, for encouraging her to head into business, not the arts. “They created a life for me where I can actually focus on thriving instead of surviving,” she says of her parents, who grew up in varying degrees of poverty in Bangladesh. “I am so blessed that my dad—one of 18 children in his family—was able to get the success he did in his career, so I could go to a school like Branksome.
“The lessons I learned there have carried me through my life and career.” R
Top: Subah looking out over the Los Angeles skyline from the Griffith Observatory
Bottom: Subah at Sooki Studio & Supply in Frogtown, where she was an early member
Alum Life
The Class of 2025 toss their caps into the air at the end of Graduation in May 2025.
Photo by Caley Taylor
Coming Home
Several alums have found especially rewarding careers—at Branksome
By Melanie CHANDLER Jackson’74
Photography by Harold Feng
True to Branksome Hall’s motto, grads going forth into careers keep well the road with the skills they learned at school and after graduation. And for some alums, that career road leads back to Branksome itself. There are now at least eight alums happily working at the school, out of a total staff and faculty complement of 230.
Most are highly trained professionals who apply their talents in a warm and highly familiar environment. Health & Physical Education Teacher and Clans Co-ordinator Denise LISCIO Smith’94 finds “being at Branksome in a professional role just as fun and fulfilling as when I was a student.” In her job, she says, she teams with colleagues “to create a joyful and inclusive environment where students discover a lifelong love for healthy, active living.”
If it seems a bit like back-to-school, it can be for some. Communications Officer Kiana ROMEO’17 savours both the fun and challenge of keeping Branksome’s community connected. “From Family Formal to Spirit Week to Reunion, I share the events via social media, newsletters and emails,” she says. With all its ongoing initiatives, Branksome communications is demanding— but Kiana came Branksome-prepared. “The
visual art classes I took here, especially, taught and encouraged me to put my everything into my work.”
Junior School Admissions Associate Kristin CUTHBERT’02 strives to make prospective families feel seen and supported as they explore the school for their daughters. Kristin’s time as a Branksome student was defined by classroom discussions where she learned the value of collaboration and active listening. She was particularly inspired by retired English teacher Ms. Walcott, “who created a classroom where every voice mattered”—a lesson Kristin now carries into her daily work.
For Tracy DALGLISH’81, the road that led back was a winding one. She started out as a corporate real estate banker. However, since her classes at Branksome, Tracy had never lost her love of history. She crossed a personal Rubicon by quitting banking for a master’s degree in education at Columbia University. “I had always wanted to teach history at a high school level,” she says. Tracy now teaches it to Grades 11 and 12 at Branksome.
Junior School Receptionist Alexa LAENGERT’18, also an aspiring teacher, credits Branksome’s IB program for preparing her to meet “the academic rigour of university with a toolbox of critical
thinking, writing skills and confidence. The various jobs and volunteer opportunities I now have are helping me turn my passion for working with young students into reality.”
Three former employees have fond memories. Hayley AVRUSKIN’87 says the “caring teachers and opportunities for involvement such as school trips, special events and drama productions” helped prepare her for the role of School Counsellor. “Being able to see students as capable young adults with interesting and unique personalities is something I have carried with me in my career.”
Until last December, Madeleine SMITH’19 was involved in supporting the Advancement group across all areas of fundraising and development, including major gifts, annual giving, events, marketing, communications and donor relations. As a former theatre student, she is especially excited to see the impact of the Make Way Campaign come to life in iCAST’s new theatre, a space that will inspire the next generation of performers and creators.
And as Uniform Shop Assistant, Catherine NEEDHAM’85 loved helping students to prepare for activities such as Spirit Week. Catherine recalls how teacher Karrie Weinstock, now Head of the Centre for Strategic Leadership, “hit a chord with me through her animated teaching style. I continue to appreciate this 45 years later!”
Interim Deputy Principal Kimberly BROOKER Carter’96 also cites Weinstock’s inspiring influence. She relates how Weinstock “not only interviewed me for admission to the school when I was in Grade 6, but continues to mentor and support our entire school community.”
History teacher Ms. Dalglish would no doubt appreciate the ancient saying about all roads leading to Rome. For alums, the road from Branksome can lead to so many opportunities—including back to 10 Elm Avenue. R
Kimberly BROOKER Carter’96, Madeleine SMITH’19, Alexa LAENGERT’18, Denise LISCIO Smith’94, Hayley AVRUSKIN’87, Kristin CUTHBERT’02, Tracy DALGLISH’81 and Kiana ROMEO’17
February 22, 2025
BHAA: Rainbow Songs
A day of music, laughter and connection.
April 30, 2025
Alum Speed Networking
Co-hosted with Dana POSTROZNY Mitchell’99, over fifty alums came back to campus to make meaningful connections to help build a strong network.
February 22, 2025
Young Alum Lunch
We welcomed back alums from the Classes of 2022 to 2025 for an afternoon of reconnecting.
September 25, 2025 Alum
Reception & BHAA AGM
September 20, 2025
BHAA: Rally Royale
Our first-ever alum tennis tournament was a morning of racquets, music, prizes and fun.
Fall 2025 Community Celebrations
Alums were warmly welcomed to celebrate Diwali, Christmas and Hanukkah.
This special reception with Principal Grace McCallum was followed by the BHAA Annual General Meeting, where the Alum Executive for 2025–26 was introduced. April 3, 2025
with Dr. Kaajal Abrol
Thank you to Zoë PALIARE’03 for sharing her story and leading the evening.
Alexa LAENGERT’18 and Jadzia ELRINGTON’23
A Reunion to Remember
Photography by Caley Taylor
“Assembly was great, and I was happy to celebrate the alum awards and hear Mrs. McCallum speak.”
“It was wonderful to see classmates from 60 years ago, thriving and well. Thanks for creating such a beautiful venue and opportunity.”
Save the Date: Reunion 2026
Celebrating all classes ending in 6s and 1s! Decades Lunch is May 29 and the Reunion Dinner is May 30.
Campus burst with laughter and joy as we welcomed more than 400 alums back for Reunion Weekend. Highlights included a first chance to meet Principal McCallum and Alum Awards presented to Tricia “CK” PURKS Hoffler’80 and Jennifer ROWAN Peacock’03 (see pages 38–41).
On Friday, alums who graduated more than 40 years ago enjoyed tours and an intimate Decades Lunch. On Saturday, alums took part in tours, experienced the very first Reunion Assembly, enjoyed a lovely cocktail reception and gathered for dinner at the Athletics and Wellness Centre.
We celebrated alums whose graduation years end in 5 and 0, including those from the Class of 1975 and Class of 2000 for their 50th and 25th anniversaries. A special shout-out to the Class of 2005 for our largest turnout of the night! Thank you to everyone who joined us.
“The highlight was seeing old friends and teachers! It was great reconnecting.”
“I
loved meeting with my ex-classmates and erasing the years, finding common ground.”
Counsel to Justice
By Sarah Laing
Tricia “CK” PURKS Hoffler’80
2025 Allison Roach Alumna Award
Photo courtesy of Tricia “CK” PURKS Hoffler’80
“My philosophy is to give your best at all times,” she says. “You don’t have to compare yourself to your colleague, to your friend, to anyone. Just do your best.”
Tricia “CK” PURKS Hoffler’80 never stops moving.
To give you an idea of this top lawyer’s pace, in the last two weeks before this chat she’s been to South Africa and Ghana for work, flown to Los Angeles to try a case, and landed back in her home in Atlanta just this morning for a board meeting.
“I was also in Chicago at some point,” she says.
It takes a lot to stop CK in her tracks—which is exactly what happened when she learned that she was this year’s recipient of The Allison Roach Alumna Award.
“It’s humbling. It forced me to just stop for a minute,” says CK, “and reflect on my life, on my journey.”
In the decades since she became Branksome’s first Black Head Girl, CK went to undergrad at Smith College and law school at Georgetown University. She’s risen to the top of the fiercely competitive legal profession in the United States, winning her clients over US$850 million in total settlements and running her own Atlanta-based firm, all while raising two sons. For many years, she was also counsel to the late U.S. civil rights icon Rev. Jesse Jackson and his organizations.
“My philosophy is to give your best at all times,” she says. “You don’t have to compare yourself to your colleague, to your friend, to anyone. Just do your best.”
She’s also a big believer in the power of having fun, even doing the kind of serious, important work she does. “Humour has always been a part of my fabric,” CK says. “I don’t take myself so seriously.”
Case in point: Earlier in the day, she’d been in court for a case that required her to use her phone to pull up a document. The first to admit she’s not the most tech-savvy—“I always have hard copies, because I don’t trust technology”—she was actually able to perform this feat and joked: “Fred Flintstone has come into the 21st century.”
It says something about how much Branksome Hall means to her that she lists winning the Allison Roach Alumna Award as one of her most meaningful distinctions.
“Winning this award is a memory that will be indelibly printed in the forefront of my mind, that I did something right,” she says. “It means so much coming from the Branksome community.”
Seeing her name on the brick walkway of plaques for honorees when she was back on campus in 2025 “meant so much,” adds CK, who is a Branksome Board member.
Part of this is also because of her deep connection to Miss Roach, who was the principal when she was a boarder there.
“I just remember her coming out of her office, smiling and greeting you. She had this combination of a stern but loving look on her face,” remembers CK. “She was so witty. She would say something that would take me a minute to say, ‘Oh, she’s joking,’ because I revered her so much. I was in such awe.”
Miss Roach and many of her other teachers and staff, including administrative assistant Shirley Duperley, who attended the award ceremony during Reunion, had a tremendous impact on her.
“I wanted to strive for excellence, and they gave me guidance and helped me develop a roadmap,” she says. “It ultimately became my roadmap for life. I was blessed to have people who really believed in me.”
It’s why she wants to inspire young women from the next generation of leaders like her. Her biggest piece of advice? Work hard.
“You’ve got to be the most prepared person in whatever profession you choose,” CK says. “If you want to be successful, you need to be prepared to sacrifice when needed—and understand that no one is ever going to give you anything.” R
Innovating Youth Mental Health
By Sarah Laing
As for so many others, the founder journey for Jennifer ROWAN Peacock’03 started when she spotted a gap—not in the consumer market, but in the way we’re caring for the mental health of our young people.
Over a decade ago, Jen was part of the SickKids Hospital Innovators Team, a group of young philanthropists who strategically tackle the most pressing areas of need for children and youth. “Through that, I was exposed to the mental health crisis,” says Jen, who has a background in marketing and sales. “The demand was increasing at a rapid pace, and the supply was just nowhere near that. That’s when I thought, ‘This system is definitely broken.’”
Jen, who has three children of her own, threw herself into learning about the traditional way that we treat mental health concerns in kids and youth. She quickly realized that not only was care difficult to access, but it was often reactive rather than proactive, coming after a crisis point rather than helping to prevent one happening in the first place.
“I recognized that whatever mechanisms were in place obviously weren’t right. How could I create something that was unique, and could help this next generation?” Jen asked herself. “Why are they struggling so much? And how can we create programming to try to help people before it gets to a really dire state?”
In answer to that, in 2019 she founded Straight Up Health, which brings together a whole team of experts to provide holistic mental health care services for young people in an environment that’s supportive and sees them as multi-dimensional human beings, not patient numbers on a chart.
“My vision is to make mental health support human, proactive and accessible,” says Jen. “I want to help young people build confidence, resilience and emotional skills early on—equipping them to understand themselves, connect with others and thrive in life.”
While other clinics have traditionally been quite siloed, Straight Up works to create a 360-degree approach to treatment.
“I’m so proud of the collaboration across disciplines,” says Jen. A young person could meet with a clinical therapist, for example, but also work with a mental performance coach or learning strategist, and meet with a sleep therapist or a nutritionist too. “Different people with different skill sets come together to meet individuals where they’re at, and provide a really tailored approach.”
As a founder, Jen says no two days are ever the same. “Some days, I’m working directly with families, helping them find the right support to navigate complex systems,” she says. “Other days, I’m designing new programs or running school workshops. Right now, I’m facilitating a young leader program for Grades 11 and 12.”
Jennifer ROWAN Peacock’03
2025 Young Alum Achievement Award
Photo: ED_PARA
She also spends a lot of her time connecting with others who work in the mental health field, “trying to better understand how we can be more effective in building bridges between the care we’re providing and the reality of what’s out there.”
In recognition of her work, Jen was awarded the Branksome Hall Young Alum Achievement Award for 2025. It’s deeply meaningful to be recognized by her school community, she says.
“The values that Branksome instilled in me are still with me— leadership, resilience, empathy, curiosity—and they’re also a lot of the values that I use in the work I do today,” she says. “It feels like a real full-circle moment.” R
“I recognized that whatever mechanisms were in place obviously weren’t right. How could I create something that was unique, and could help this next generation?”
Class Notes
Follow us @branksomehallalums and @branksomehall on Instagram and read the latest news of interest to alums. Some updates have been edited from emails, letters and social media posts.
Tricia “CK” PURKS Hoffler and Devon DOMELLE Parsons (at
1957
Diana EDEN’s first memoir, Stars in Their Underwear, recounts her storied career as a Broadway dancer, actress and three-time Emmy-nominated costume designer working with some of the world’s biggest celebrities, including George Clooney, Reba McEntire, Diana Ross and Betty White.
In her second book, Getting Old and Other Indignities, she continues the story as she faces retirement from a glamorous career, the death of her husband and her reinvention as a still-working designer, university professor, traveller and author, sharing that it is possible to come back after loss and create a vibrant life in the later years.
At 85, Eden is a prime example of what is possible, as she continues to inspire students, travel three or four times a year and write. She occasionally acts in local films and is a lively speaker
who has many stories to tell from her colourful past and engaging present.
1966
Sonja MORAWETZ and her husband Steven Blevins moved to Muskoka in 1996, leaving behind their city careers as a nurse and property manager respectively. Once settled in cottage country, they opened and operated their business of buying and selling antiques, focusing on original folk art with an emphasis on Indigenous pieces. After close to 30 years, they are now downsizing their business and are planning a busy and fulfilling retirement.
1973
Some members of the Class of 1973 recently met up for a
picnic in the park (below).
Back row, from left to right: Martha COLE, Sandra BOLTÉ, Anne FAIRLIE
Front row, from left to right: Ainslie WILLOCK, Janet ALLEN Newlands, Virginia MORAWETZ Coatsworth, Mary GREER, Kim HEINTZMAN
Very front/Selfie photographer: Mary Jane FINLAYSON
Missing/Regrets: Susan CROZIER McFarlane
Sandra BOLTÉ was lucky enough to attend Game 4 of the World Series this year with her son Stephen Amell.
1980
Tricia “CK” PURKS Hoffler and Devon DOMELLE
Parsons’95 pictured (above) with beloved staff member Shirley Duperley, who
served as the Principal’s Assistant for many years at Branksome Hall, at this year’s Reunion Assembly.
1987
Sasha DARLING went to the Netherlands for the 80th anniversary of its liberation. “It’s my third Regimental trip. Took the salute for the first time as Honorary Colonel (I was promoted from HLCol). This is historic for a couple of reasons: (1) First woman in this role within the Regiment, and (2) I am the third in my family to hold this role—my Granddad, Dad, and now me.”
1993
On October 30, Arundel STRATHY Gibson co-hosted a breakfast event and panel discussion on the role of
women in Canada’s economy. A strong Branksome turnout included (pictured above, from left to right): Robin Porter (past parent), current Grade 11 students Quinn and Madeline, Linton CARTER’86, Jalyn KENNEDY Anderson’88, Sarah MURPHY’94 and Arundel.
2003
Rowena LEUNG completed a master’s degree in education (higher and adult education and community development) at OISE to explore how we, as individuals, in our respective places, be it communities, workplaces, the street and/or the virtual world, can come together to create social change. As a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator, she works with individuals and groups who do not experience food insecurity;
The Class of ’73 picnic reunion
right)
Sasha DARLING’s trip to the Netherlands
Arundel STRATHY Gibson co-hosted a breakfast event and panel discussion about women’s role in the Canadian economy
Sonja MORAWETZ and her husband, Steven Blevins
Valery BROSSEAAU at her master’s graduation
however, in the face of rising costs of food, she knows that there is a growing number of Canadian families who do not have the ability to put food on the table for their family and for themselves. She is thankful for Branksome’s nurturing, all-girls environment, which helped her develop a strong sense of self-confidence, enabling her to speak up and voice her opinion.
Courtney STARR welcomed her son, Jack Forrest Solinger, on November 9, 2023. He is the baby brother of Marlowe and Sloane.
2004
Jacquelyn HUMPHREY was awarded a House of Commons Canada Community Leadership Award by Spadina–Fort York Member of Parliament Kevin Vuong for her volunteer contributions to improving community safety in downtown Toronto.
Anja KARISIK is honoured to share that ArtWorks for Cancer just installed two of her donated paintings at Humber River Hospital’s cancer care clinic. The works immortalize trees that are part of the old-growth forest in Cathedral Grove on Vancouver Island. She hopes that these paintings will provide comfort and sanctuary for patients, their families and healthcare providers, and thanks the team at ArtWorks for Cancer for their passion and dedication.
Jaclyn SOPIK’s fifth child, Maxwell Christopher Ty Bynoe, was born on February 25, 2025. Baby Max was welcomed with open arms by big brothers Charlie, Quincy and Julien, and big sister Ivy.
2005
Valery BROSSEAU graduated with a master’s of social work degree from the University of Windsor. Her passion and specialization in mental health come from lived experience with mental illness, and she is grateful that the Branksome environment and her amazing close friends there acted as a buffer for her symptoms and enabled her to graduate with great grades and get into university.
Hannah LO welcomed daughter Natalie Fatemi on October 19, 2024.
2006
Yasin AKBARI and her husband welcomed their first child, Dashiell Amir Akbari Kalish, in August 2025. He is a nephew for Sara AKBARI’09 and Camilla AKBARI’14. Yasin is a partner at the international law firm Goodwin Procter and lives with her family in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Kenda SHAHEEN was recognized in the 2026 Chambers and Partners Canada Guide as an Up-and-Coming Associate. These distinctions recognize exceptional lawyers who are shaping the future of legal, both at their firms and in the broader legal community.
Kenda was recognized for her work with start-ups and emerging companies.
Kenda and husband, Adam, also welcomed Serena Rose, who was born on June 11, 2025.
Melanie ARGIROS Breder welcomed Lyla Ruby Breder
2008
Melanie ARGIROS Breder welcomed Lyla Ruby Breder on June 21, 2025. She is pictured with big sister Scarlett Freya Breder.
Esha JAIN and Jeremy Badach married in a beautiful Armenian church wedding on September 20, and had a big fat Indian wedding in Portugal on September 27. Her matron of honour was classmate Anastassia DOKOVA.
Lindsay STRANSMAN welcomed son Grant Leavitt on April 24, 2025.
Yasin AKBARI and her son Dashiell Amir Akbari Kalish
Anja KARISIK’s artwork on display at Humber River Hospital cancer care clinic
Jaclyn SOPIK’s children
Top: Lindsay STRANSMAN’s son Grant Leavitt
Left Top: Hannah LO’s daughter Natalie Fatemi
Left Bottom: Esha JAIN and Jeremy Badach
Courtney STARR with her children
Rowena LEUNG at her master’s graduation
Jacquelyn HUMPHREY
Heather EVANS Kosick, her husband, Tyler Kosick, and their daughter Ivy Jane-Rose Kosick
2009
Kelly HOLLAND married
Daniel Kelly on May 3, 2025, in Calgary. The ring bearer was their son, Liam Kelly, age one.
Brittany SMITH Gallant and Jeffrey Gallant welcomed twins Adeline and Ralph on April 17, 2025.
Isabelle SICILIANO married
Scott Lacombe on August 23, 2025. She is pictured (above) with fellow Branksome alums from the Class of 2009. Her maid of honour was Gabriella SICILIANO’06.
Kelly HOLLAND and Daniel Kelly
Brittany SMITH Gallant with Jeffrey Gallant and their twins, Adeline and Ralph
Nicole THORNBURROW
Bryant’s son Theodore Bryant
2010
Heather EVANS Kosick welcomed daughter Ivy Jane-Rose Kosick on August 25, 2025.
Olivia PIERRATOS welcomed daughter Adriana Trambitas on August 4, 2025.
Nicole THORNBURROW
Bryant and Will Bryant welcomed son Theodore Bryant in September 2025.
Liz WORNDL was a contestant on MasterChef Canada Season 8 last fall. She received the first white apron of the season and went on to compete in the finals.
Class Notes
From left to right: Sarah REDINGTON, Fiona PENNY, Brittany SMITH Gallant, the bride Isabelle SICILIANO, Carly PARSONS, Georgina EKLOF-GREY, Victoria SMITH and Alisse HANNAFORD
2011
Ava MUSTOS Knight
married Duncan Knight on September 28, 2024, at Château De Poudenas in southwest France. The couple, who live in London, England, were joined by their family and friends from all over the world. Ava’s bridal party included two Branksome alums: her sister, Margaux MUSTOS’15, and Isabelle HALL’11. Ava’s mother is retired Branksome Spanish teacher Senora Mustos.
Meredith MELLON’11
married Kevin Griffin on April 26, 2025, at Mill Reef
Left: Ava MUSTOS Knight and her husband,
Right: Ava MUSTOS Knight and her bridal party that included two Branksome alums: her sister, Margaux MUSTOS’15, and Isabelle HALL’11
Club on the West Indies island of Antigua, surrounded by their loved ones. Augusta MELLON Rhoades’05, Meredith’s sister, served as maid of honour. Other Branksome alums in attendance for the wedding include Mishelle WEINERMAN’11 and Katie McCABE Cheesbrough’03. 2013
Melissa ARGIROS
married Neel Kawale on November 15, 2025.
Meredith MELLON and Kevin Griffin
Liz WORNDL, a finalist on MasterChef Canada Season 8
Olivia PIERRATOS’ daughter Adriana Trambitas
Duncan Knight
2015
Megan WOROCH graduated with a doctor of naturopathy degree from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine. This rigorous four-year program includes over 3,000 hours of classroom training in biomedical and clinical sciences, as well as naturopathic therapeutics, combined with 1,200 hours of hands-on, supervised clinical experience.
2016
Alexandra MEGHJI has recently completed her PhD at University College London in classics. Her doctoral thesis examined the influences of archaic Greek poetry on contemporary women authors. This thesis contributed to her wider research on how ancient conceptions of women and gender resonate in the modern world, and the value of returning to antiquity in order to understand and subvert systems of oppression.
2021
Samantha MOFFATT-SANZ recently graduated from Concordia University with a bachelor of fine arts degree in art history and studio arts. The amazing Visual Arts & Film teachers in her time at Branksome, Ms. Erdman and Ms. Koscec, the wonderful Ms. Tsonis, her Perennial supervisor, and Mr. Labriola, her HL
English teacher, really put her future education choices into high gear. She will be forever grateful for their support and encouragement.
Bianca PRESENZA-LONG graduated with a bachelor of arts in political science and started at the University of Ottawa’s Common Law program in the fall. While each of her teachers at Branksome impacted her in different ways, it was Principal Jurjevich who left the most lasting impression.
“Her presence was powerful—whether in a suit or her gym clothes—and she spoke with purpose and positivity, and always motivated those around her. I will continue to draw on her influence as I go forward.”
2022
Ore MAXWELL was featured on CTV News for being accepted into all seven medical schools she applied to. She is pictured below with her sister (and current student) Titoluwa.
2025
Nina McDONALD and Nathalie RAWLINSON hosted Boarding students Kaitlyn, Alicia, Arham and Angie at McGill University for a tour and to share their experiences during the students’ campus visit last fall.
From left to right: Angie Zhang (Gr. 11), Nina McDONALD’25, Arham Zaheer (Gr. 12), Kaitlyn Burchill (Gr. 12), Alicia Wong (Gr. 11) and Nathalie RAWLINSON’25
Ore MAXWELL and her sister Titoluwa (Gr. 11)
Megan WOROCH at her graduation
Melissa ARGIROS and Neel Kawale
Alexandra MEGHJ at her PhD graduation
Samantha MOFFATT-SANZ at her graduation
Bianca PRESENZA-LONG at her university graduation
Passages
IN MEMORIAM
Notices and In Memoriams have been edited from emails and published obituaries.
1944
Elizabeth CAPENER Jenne, on February 9, 2025, at age 97. Elizabeth, sister to Margaret CAPENER’45, was a Sherborne War Guest who treasured her happy memories of her time at Branksome Hall during the war. She was a member of the Basketball Team.
1946
Gerda MURRAY Todd, on January 31, 2025, at age 98. Gerda was a Sub-Prefect, a committee member for the Opheleo Society and the President of the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. Her classmates predicted she would be a biochemist. She became a public health nurse.
Marion DUGDALE McClure, on July 6, 2025, at age 96. Marion, who was born in Peru, became one of the first female graduates of Harvard Medical School. A member of the Opheleo Society and the Swimming Team, she spent more than 55 years on the faculty of what is now the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, teaching hematology and treating thousands of patients.
1947
Margaret NESS Hassing, on March 10, 2025, at age 96. Margaret’s classmates, as noted in The Slogan, imagined her future as a dress designer with exotic tastes.
Patricia MacGREGOR Richardson, on June 21, 2025, at age 96. Patricia served as a Sub-Prefect in 1946.
Elizabeth GERMAN Scott, on October 17, 2025, at age 102. Known as a “twinkle-eyed” Beta Kappa Vice-President, Elizabeth was also a Day Prefect. She was predeceased by her sister Helen GERMAN Read’46.
1948
Joan LANGLOIS King, on April 13, 2025, at age 95. Joan served as Head Girl and was on the First Basketball Team, remembered for “her perfected pivot and bounce.” A Day girl, she enjoyed sports, especially tennis and basketball. She is survived by her granddaughter, Nicole KING’18.
Diane WADDINGTON McCracken, on May 4, 2025, at age 96. Diane, although quiet during her time at Branksome, was known for her love of cars.
Caroline JEAN Mather, on May 27, 2025, in Salisbury, England. Caroline was an English War Guest from Guernsey and the twin sister of Felicity JEAN Field’48. She trained as an orthopedic nurse and physiotherapist, eventually retiring as Superintendent of Physiotherapy at her local hospital.
Harley WALTERS Reid, on June 7, 2025, at age 95. Harley had fond memories of her time at Branksome Hall and was passionate about tennis, travel and adventure. She is survived by her great-great niece, Samantha STEWART’95.
1949
Evelyn KINLEY Brown, on May 27, 2025, at age 95. A
true Easterner and a friend to all, she earned her private pilot’s licence in 1967. A lifelong book lover, she read The Globe and Mail cover to cover every Saturday well into her later years.
Mary Louise EDMONDS
Clements, on October 13, 2025, at age 94. Mary Louise served as a Day Sub-Prefect and was a member of the Beta Kappa Society. She was the winner of the Integrity Prize and the Allison Roach Alumna Award in 2002. She is survived by her daughter, Anne CLEMENTS’80.
1950
Allison BROWN Mitcham, on July 11, 2025, at age 93.
Peggy SEAGRAM Hull, on July 13, 2025, at age 94. Peggy, known for adding life and laughter wherever she went, attended OCAD to pursue her keen sense of style and passion for interior design. She is survived by her sister Sandra SEAGRAM Annovazzi’57 and niece Stephanie SEAGRAM’88.
1951
Ruth PIDGEON Bryson, on February 2, 2025, at age 92. Ruth served as Editorin-Chief for The Slogan and was a Day Prefect. Known for her interest in British motor magazines, she lived on Wolfe Island with a collection of antique cars, one featuring a “Branksome Hall” logo.
Margot JOHNSTON More’51, on October 20, 2025, at age 92. Mother to Barbara OSLER’75, Trish OSLER’76, Deirdre OSLER Cardy’79 and
Diana OSLER’80; sister to Catherine JOHNSTON’57; aunt of Susan OSLER Matthews’69 and Gillian OSLER Fortier’77; and predeceased by aunt Kathleen EVERETT Pennock’41. A past Alumnae Association executive member and Area Liaison, Margot attended the Junior School at Branksome Hall before attending Bishop Strachan School. She will be remembered for her dedicated service to the school community.
Glenna FLETCHER Fierheller, on December 30, 2025, at age 92. Known as the “wavy blonde” of Form VA, Glenna was an active member of the Beta Kappa Society and a bridge enthusiast during her years at Branksome Hall. Often heard calling out “Elizabeth,” she listed mathematics as a favourite subject. Following graduation, she pursued a career in nursing at Toronto Western Hospital.
1953
Barbara MOODY Ferguson, on July 23, 2025, at age 91. Barbara served as her class Secretary-Treasurer and captained the victorious VB Volleyball team. She was a volunteer with the Plaid Tidings Committee. She is survived by her sister-inlaw Muriel FERGUSON Franceschini’50.
Wendy SIMPSON Hutchings’53, on December 7, 2025, at age 90. At Branksome, Wendy was a Day Prefect and served as the capable Secretary-Treasurer of the Beta Kappa Society. Wendy went on to study
physical and occupational therapy at the University of Toronto. An accomplished author, she wrote Early Days on Gull and Silver Lakes, which is now part of the Alumnae Centre Library.
1954
Susan MITCHELL Kilpatrick, on February 14, 2025, at age 90. Susan was a Day Prefect, President of Form VA, and a member of the Slogan editorial staff.
June CALVERT Court, on April 20, 2025, at age 89. A gold-level accredited skater, June was the SecretaryTreasurer of VB.
Janet MacDONALD Ajzenstat, on May 27, 2025, at age 89. Janet served as Editor-inChief of The Slogan and was a Day Prefect. She led the Debating Team that fought valiantly for women’s rights in a debate against the UTS debate team.
Lavina LICKLEY’54, on July 11, 2025, at age 89. Lavina served as a Day Prefect and the Advertising Editor for The Slogan. After graduation, Lavina achieved her BA and ARCT (piano) before entering medical school at the University of Toronto and earning a PhD in experimental medicine at McGill. Her career took her all over the world and she held many roles, including surgeon, leading clinical researcher on breast cancer, professor and chief of surgery at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto. She was the recipient of many awards, including the Allison Roach Alumna Award in 2004.
1955
Ann LLOYD Plummer, on May 30, 2025, at age 88. Ann was a Day Prefect, Clan Chieftain of Ross, and member of the Beta Kappa Society, and the First Basketball and Swimming teams.
1956
Marianne KALBFLEISCH Morgan, on April 19, 2025, at age 88. Marianne was the V Arts reporter and pursued a career in interior decorating.
Barbara HAMBLY Taggett, on May 13, 2025, at age 87. Barbara, a member of the Opheleo Society Committee, was known for her sparkling smile.
Taral TOMKINSON Dault, on October 12, 2025, at age 87. Taral contributed a piece to The Slogan, which included the line, “The Navy gets the gravy, the Army gets the beans, and Branksome gets the buns!”
1957
Mary ROGERS Rush, on March 9, 2025, at age 85.
Joan SANDERSON Bannerman, on April 28, 2025, at age 87. Joan won the All-Around Athlete Award multiple times and was a Senior Sports Champion. She later specialized in speech correction with the Scarborough Board of Education. She is survived by her identical twin sister, Joyce SANDERSON Dow’57.
1958
Ann BRUMELL’58 on April 2, 2025, at age 84. During her time at Branksome she was active in athletics, including in her role as Sports Captain and her off-campus tennis matches. Ann went on to become a beloved registrar at Massey College. In her final years she was grateful for her friends at the College View Co-op, including Barbara BOWDEN’55.
Barbara HOLBROOK Moulson, on July 12, 2025. Barbara was the Sports Captain of V Arts and played Volleyball and Basketball on class and Clan teams. She is survived by her sister Jennifer HOLBROOK Hardacre’61.
1961
Virginia ELLIS Coutts, on January 9, 2024, at age 80. Virginia was a Boarder who served as a Sub-Prefect and former Clan Chieftain of McLeod. She was Captain of the First Basketball Team and had a long, successful career in nursing in Toronto.
1962
Anne JOHNSTON StattonBrowne, on April 19, 2025, at age 82. Anne was a member of the UN Club, interested in hockey, skiing and Europe, and pursued nursing at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal. She is survived by her daughter, Catherine STATTON’93.
1964
Linda OGRYZLO Stoddart, on February 16, 2025, at age 80. Linda was a member of McLeod House, and her favourite activity was swimming.
Wendy ANGUS Scott’64, on December 29, 2025, at age 79. A member of the McAlpine Clan, Wendy was an active member of the Opheleo Committee and the UN Club. She also participated in class and Clan basketball and volleyball. After graduation, Wendy studied sociology and philosophy at the University of Toronto.
1966
Jane RAPP, on February 27, 2025, at age 76. Jane served as a Prefect and was President of the Opheleo Committee. During her tenure, the committee successfully raised funds for missions, including the Ramabai in India, hospitals in Bethlehem
and Nazareth, the United Appeal and the Grenfell Mission. She was a member of the MacLean Clan and sang the obligatto of The Three Kings in the Carol Service.
Kathie MOORE Clark, on October 15, 2025, at age 78. Kathie was a Boarder in MacNeill House and President of her class, 13P. She was active in basketball, volleyball, badminton and tennis. She is survived by her sister Judith MOORE Macintosh’63.
1967
Ann McKINNON Knight’67, on November 18, 2025, at age 75. Sister to Jane McKINNON’61 and Gail McKINNON MacNaughton’66; cousin to Pixie BIGELOW Currie’62; and aunt to Nicole McKINNON’95. During her time at Branksome, Ann was a Prefect, McLeod Clan Chieftain and a member of the Beta Kappa Society. She was also a Simpson’s representative and active in the Drama Club and basketball. Ann continued her education at Queen’s University.
1969
Nancy Carol SNIDERMAN Grafstein, on July 11, 2025, at age 85. She was active in Branksome’s UN Club, swimming and other sports, and was a member of the Scott Clan. Throughout her life she was an avid volunteer with charities, including the Canadian Opera Company and Sunnybrook Hospital. Eventually she organized the Canadian Cancer Society across Canada and arranged the first Run for the Cure and Walk for the Cure. This incredible lifetime of service was recognized in 2001 when Nancy Carol was awarded the Order of Canada.
1971
Rosemary CLARK Beattie, on August 10, 2025, at age 71. Rosemary was a member of the Choir and the Bridge Club. Her ambition was to be
a musician, with classmates predicting her destiny as a pianist at Branksome prayers, but she became a professor of English at the University of Toronto and Trent University. She is survived by her sister Alison CLARK Vannah’66.
1972
Betsy KOFMAN Bascom, on April 27, 2025, at age 70. Betsy was a Prefect, Clan Chieftain of McAlpine, and the Sports Editor of The Slogan. Highly active in Branksome life, she played on the First Basketball and Volleyball teams, and later served on the Alumnae Executive and the Board of Governors. She is survived by her sister Barbara KOFMAN’71 and her daughter Karen BASCOM’02.
Suzanne TAIT Liberatore, on June 5, 2025, at age 71. Suzanne, nicknamed “Sudy,” was a member of the MacLean Clan who enjoyed choir, dancing and sewing.
1979
Karen LEE Oliver, on March 29, 2025, at age 64. Karen passed away peacefully after a brave struggle with angiosarcoma, a rare form of cancer. A personal support worker in the Barrie area, she was known for the comfort and joy she brought to her clients.
Sarah PITMAN Sorenson’79, on November 4, 2025. A student at Branksome for a decade, Sarah was a member of the McLeod Clan and served as a Grade 13 Class Officer and Assistant Librarian. A regular contributor to The Branksomite and a member of the Opheleo Committee, she was famous for her constant smile and for “learning on the job” in the library.
1984
Kathryn KENDALL Ksiazek’84, on December 13, 2025, at
age 59. Predeceased by mother Audrey BURTON Kendall’58 and survived by aunt Lynn BURTON Bennett’65. A member of the McLeod Clan, “Kathy” was the Literary Editor of The Slogan and a recipient of the Parent Association Prize for Outstanding New Girl. An avid athlete, she was a member of the Swim and Tennis teams and competed in the 400-metre hurdles.
Former Staff
Pamela Morgan died in 2025, at age 96. Pamela was a former staff member who taught for one year.
Barbara Joan Mortensen on March 8, 2025, at age 91. Barbara had a long career teaching grade school, including at Branksome Hall and through the Toronto District School Board.
Dorothy Ferguson, on June 17, 2025, in Sydney, Nova Scotia, at age 103. Originally from Cape Breton, Dorothy worked as a staff member at Branksome Hall for several years.
Elizabeth Barry MiddletonJones, on June 26, 2025, in British Columbia, at age 53. She taught Grade 1 at Branksome Hall and, in her work as an elementary school teacher, brought energy and creativity to each classroom, always going above and beyond to ensure that every child felt supported and valued.
The View from the Brick Works
My work at Evergreen in the Don Valley is all about transforming public spaces to build a healthier future for the planet
By Joyce CHAU’00
Are you going to be Toucan again this summer?”
“I’m going to be Red-Tailed Hawk.”
“That’s cool…”
“Actually, I want to be Fossa.”
“Fossa? Do you think anyone knows what a Fossa is?”
“I’m going to be Fossa.”
This was the conversation I had with my six-year-old son who was going to Evergreen’s Adventure Camp for the second time. All campers pick a nature name for themselves. He was Toucan last summer and Fossa this past summer. (In case you are wondering, a fossa is a mammal from Madagascar that looks like a big cat or a small cougar with a very long tail.)
I share this because I work at Evergreen, headquartered at Evergreen Brick Works, just downstream from Branksome Hall in the Don River Valley. Founded in 1991, Evergreen is a national non-profit transforming public spaces in our cities to build a healthier future for people and our planet.
Evergreen Brick Works is a shining example of this. It is located on the historic site of the former Don Valley Brick Works and quarry— the site that made the bricks that built Toronto. In 2010, Evergreen transformed a collection of deteriorating heritage buildings into a global showcase for green design and an award-winning public space. Open year-round, Evergreen Brick Works welcomes more than 500,000 visitors annually to experience its public markets, participate in conferences and events, enjoy outdoor learning and nature play, and explore public art in the heart of Toronto’s ravine system.
As a national Program Director, I regularly meet with passionate community champions to help them build better public spaces. In the morning, I’ll be on a virtual call with a tenacious principal from a K–8 public school in Winnipeg who wants to revitalize the school grounds in support of climate resiliency and land-based education. We’ll strategize on how to engage elected officials and how to unlock funds to turn their idea into reality.
For lunch, I’ll hop down to Picnic Café to eat with a mayor and staff who want to draw inspiration from the Brick Works and learn how they might be able to transform their own post-industrial brownfield development site, located steps from their downtown, into a thriving community hub. During the site tour, they will half jokingly ask if we want to build an “Evergreen East.”
I’ll have some deskwork time in the afternoon while hearing the gleeful chatter of school children participating in our Visiting Schools
Program. In the office kitchen, I’ll grab a coffee and learn about how the recent “Tomato-palooza” event went, while snacking on sitegrown tomatoes that will forever ruin my ability to enjoy the storebought version.
Evergreen is the only place I have ever worked where I spend my evenings and weekends… essentially at work. I get my maple syrup exclusively from the Evergreen Garden Market. My father-in-law roasted marshmallows for the first time at the Brick Works. My nieces picked out their unique birthday presents at the Artisan Market. And of course, Fossa goes to the Adventure Camp, where there is zero screentime and he gets to experience risky play—play that is as safe as necessary, not as safe as possible.
In Junior School at Branksome Hall, I remember the many times I walked down the steep winding path through the Carolinian forest into the valley to play field hockey or run laps (so many laps!) in the sports field. I would never have imagined that 20 years after graduating from Branksome, I would return to the same river valley for work (and play). R
Joyce joined Evergreen in 2020 and leads its national programs to support communities in improving their cities. Prior to that, she was the executive director of an environmental charity for eight years.
Top:
Video still courtesy of Carter Kirilenko. Bottom: Courtesy of Evergreen
