2024
News Archive
List of 25 news stories.
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COMPETITIVE DEBATE AND PUBLIC SPEAKING UPDATE
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As we approach the winter break, one would think that debate and public speaking would also begin winding down; however, debate and public speaking opportunities were abundant in late November through to last weekend.
At the junior level, Lucy, Leela, Ryleigh, Chenyu, Emily, and Rana were very busy developing arguments supporting and opposing the establishment of “right to fix” laws in Canada. In the tournament, hosted by Lower Canada College on December 4, 2021, the partnerships examined the harms and benefits of allowing third party and homeowner repair of devices, including if repair could reduce our human impact on the environment, inspire innovation, limit economic growth for large businesses, and facilitate economic growth for small repair companies.
After two rounds of prepared debate, the competitors debated the motions, “This house would ban eating contests,” and “This house supports breaking the law to protect the environment or diminish climate change.” With a wide range of topics possible at impromptu tournaments, you never know what to expect, and our debaters always embrace the challenge. Also impressive were the numbers of competitors who remained following their four main rounds to learn from and support the teams in the final, who debated, “This house would require anyone on parole or bail to be electronically monitored.”
At the senior level, we would like to congratulate Asmara and Janet for representing Manitoba at Senior British Parliamentary Debate National Championships. Their participation at the senior national level will hopefully be one of many more rounds they will qualify to attend in the future. Their six motions debated from November 19–21, 2021, were extremely challenging with the following preliminary motions:- Round 1 — This house would make all workers legally entitled to profit sharing, whereas the employees are entitled to a share of the profits made by a company.
- Round 2 — This house would require major polluters to open their borders to environmental refugees.
- Round 3 — This house believes that AI will do more harm than good.
- Round 4 — The government should fund universal free childcare centres in the same way that the government funds schools.
- Round 5 — This house would allow legislation through binding voter-initiated referenda.
- Round 6 — This house believes that governments should prioritize policies that reduce social inequality over economic growth.
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WELCOMING THE RETURN OF COMPETITIVE DEBATE
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Last weekend marked the opening of the debate season for eager members of our competitive debate team.
Dora, Grade 10, Jenny, Grade 11, and a classmate participated in the four-day Canadian Student Debate Federation National Seminar. The annual conference is tailored to support new debaters, and this year it focused on the theme of “Reconciliation: Making the Calls to Action a Reality.” This seminar was a timely event with the opening ceremony address delivered by Opposition Leader of Manitoba’s Legislative Assembly Wab Kinew on the inaugural National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. -
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR FALL 2021
To facilitate a careful, healthy, and safe start to the school year in which Manitoba Education and public health officials have implemented a pandemic response system level of CAUTION (YELLOW), we have prepared a detailed framework of frequently asked questions.
“What You Need to Know for Fall 2021” outlines our expectations of employees, students, and parents.
Available in the Resources section of My BH, please read the entire document thoroughly to ensure you are well-versed in Balmoral Hall School’s protocols and practices, those implemented in 2020/21 as well as new measures for 2021/22. These frequently asked questions will be revised as necessary. Contact communications@balmoralhall.ca should you have unanswered questions.
We would be happy to assist you. -
WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL SEPTEMBER 8–9, 2021
The BHPA is thrilled to welcome you back to the Balmoral Hall School campus for what promises to be an extraordinary year.
To help get everybody excited and raring to go, we have arranged to greet you on September 8 & 9 (public health measures permitting):- 📷 6 Degrees Photo Booth, where you can take pictures with your family;
- 🍟 Mini O’s Food Truck, where you can pick up some french fries; and
- ☕ DeLuca’s Specialty Coffee Bar, where you can grab a hot drink.
From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., parent volunteers will be in the front (Westminster Avenue) loop Wednesday and again Thursday, as well as in the Langside Street loop Thursday. Look for us in our snazzy new aprons! We encourage families to visit with us upon your exit from teacher interviews while you consume your food and beverages outside. Please note that we are also happy to serve Senior School students outside during class breaks on Thursday.
We look forward to a fun, safe return to Balmoral Hall School. See you in two weeks! -
NEARLY NEW UNIFORM STORE SALE
Read MoreThis is your chance to buy gently used school uniform items and spirit wear from our eager Nearly New Uniform Store volunteers! -
BH STORE TRANSITIONING TO SHOPIFY
Updated August 23, 2021Read MorePlease remember to add your child's full name to the “order notes” so that we know which classroom to deliver your order to when it’s ready.
Questions? Contact us at bhstore@balmoralhall.ca. We’ll be happy to assist you!
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As the countdown to Fall 2021 begins, we are delighted to share an important announcement regarding the Balmoral Hall School uniform store. Greater ease in online shopping has been considerable throughout the past 18 months. We have heard from families that the convenience of shopping online for their daughter’s uniform would be beneficial for several reasons.
Recognizing your demand for uncomplicated order management, we will be transitioning all uniform orders to Shopify, effective Monday, August 23. -
GRADE 10 STUDENT RECEIVES GRAND PRIZE IN YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS’ CONTEST
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Congratulations to Anya Misner, a Grade 10 student at Balmoral Hall School, whose work on a recent project earned her an award of distinction from business leaders in her hometown!
When asked about sharing the news of her achievement with the Balmoral Hall School community, Anya graciously wrote the following:
“As you know, the Grade 10 students worked on passion projects throughout the school year. I decided to make environmentally friendly products from beeswax. My Honeywell Beetique products consist of beeswax wraps, lips balms, deodorant, candles, and fire starters. After giving my passion project presentation to my family and teachers, I came across a local contest for young entrepreneurs being held by the Springfield Chamber of Commerce called the ‘YES Challenge.’” -
HOW WE’RE “SHARING THE PLANET”
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Our Grade 5 Exhibition was connected to the transdisciplinary theme of “Sharing the Planet.” Each group inquired into a variety of global issues, made connections to experts, and shared their learning in the hopes of “Unmasking a Better Future.” Although you were unable to see our Exhibition in person, we are still hoping to share our inquires with you virtually!
We are sharing the following with the Balmoral Hall School community.
A video of our learning journey throughout the six weeks of our Grade 5 Exhibition: https://youtu.be/PrZ-9iD7wC0
Links to the television episodes that students created:
Episode 1 – Child Poverty and Ocean PlasticsEpisode 4 – Black Lives Matter and Ocean Plastic Pollution
We hope we have inspired you to take action yourselves! A collective action that students are taking is raising money to start a fund to help Balmoral Hall School become more environmentally sustainable. Together, they created “A Brighter Future I Can See.” -
CLASS OF 2022 BURSARY FUNDRAISER A TRIUMPH
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The Class Bursary Fund is an amount of money presented every year by the graduating class to BH Foundation. The money raised goes towards bursaries that give students the opportunity to attend Balmoral Hall that they may not have had otherwise. Starting from Grade 6, it is up to the class to raise money for their class fund, though most of the fundraising is done in Grade 11/12. All donations are endowed, which means that money is never spent but rather invested forever. A portion of the interest generated each year is used as a bursary. This means that every year, forever, the class bursary fund will help a student in need. -
JUNIOR NOVICE DEBATE SOARS THROUGH THE FINISH LINE
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While the weather was warming up, so were the Grade 7 students who participated in Junior Novice Provincial Debate on June 3, 2021, which was the last tournament of the 2020–2021 debate and public speaking season. The students dedicated many hours developing arguments, researching evidence, and analyzing the impacts of mandatory social studies classes in high school. This topic was especially timely as the harms of residential schools were simultaneously being discussed following the discovery of the remains of Indigenous children at the Kamloops residential school site.
Students identified the common themes of learning from our mistakes, using triumphs as a guide to future decision-making, the maturity of the learners, access to elective courses, the evolving nature of the news, and teaching bias as the basis to build their salient arguments. -
EVERY CHILD MATTERS
We join the families and community of Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc First Nation in mourning their loss.
Students and employees to wear their orange t-shirts on June 2, 2021 and to observe daily reflections of 2 minutes and 15 seconds from Monday, May 31 to Thursday, June 3 to honour those children who never made it home. In their memory, 215 orange ribbons were tied along our Westminster Avenue fence. Also on Wednesday, June 2, Grade 12 student Olivia Olson and her mother, Mary-Lou Ducharme, spoke to us about their family’s history with and survival of residential schools, about healing, and about speaking the truth. On behalf of the Balmoral Hall School community, we thank them for leading a prayer, followed by a traditional smudge. Miigwech. -
PASSION PROJECTS ARE MEANT TO BE SHARED
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Please join me in congratulating this year’s Grade 10 students in completing their Passion Projects and presenting their work to teachers, family, friends, and invited guests May 19–20, 2021.
The Passion Project is a highly anticipated part of the Grade 10 year at Balmoral Hall School. Each year, students take time to consider their interests and future goals to create a year-long project of their choosing completed independently with the support of a faculty/staff advisor. Students use various resources to influence their project’s outcome and take responsibility for all aspects of the project’s completion. -
CAREER TALK WITH KATHELEEN EVA '11
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On April 26, 2021, the Grade 8 class had the pleasure of speaking with Balmoral Hall School graduate Katheleen Eva about her career path and the choices that led her to where she is today. Ms Eva graduated from Balmoral Hall in 2011 and enjoyed her time here, being involved in the arts and debate and developing a love for science in Grade 5. Because of this, she became interested in a neuroscience program at McMaster University, which she enrolled in after graduation. -
INCREDIBLE SUPPORT FOR GRADE 9 VENTURE DEVELOPMENT
After weeks of brainstorming and developing our own businesses, we were excited to announce the opening of our venture development website. We had a great variety of products – all made by students – ready to be ordered, picked up, or shipped. By supporting our small ventures, our school community had an opportunity to both give back to students and our venture development program! During these troubling times, we loved to brighten up your days with one of our student-made products. We were also happy to provide a full catalogue of all our products, backstories for each business, and many customizable masks, cases, and scrunchies. Thank you for your support!YOUR ANNUAL FUND AT WORK: HEAT PRESS & PRINTER
To assist with the development of our Grade 9 students’ ventures, a heat press and printer were funded with donations to Balmoral Hall School’s Annual Fund. -
CAREER TALK WITH DANIELLE RICE '90
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On March 11, 2021, the Grade 8s had the pleasure of having a BH alumna, Danielle Rice, present to us about her career. In 1990, Ms Rice graduated from Balmoral Hall. During her time at the school, she was the Braemar House Head in grades 8, 10, and 12. She was successful in debate and attended competitions across North America. -
GRADE 9 DESIGN PROJECT AN EXPLORATION OF SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE & URBAN PLANNING
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In mid-February, the Grade 9s were fortunate to spend a full week exploring the field of sustainable architecture and urban planning.We had the chance to learn from the experts at No.9, a Toronto-based arts organization that uses art and design to bring awareness to environmental concerns, as we familiarized ourselves with our community and how many different possibilities there could be to redesign and improve our neighbourhood. -
HOW BOARDING STUDENTS & FAMILIES CELEBRATED THE NEW YEAR
Read MoreBy Xi “Vivian” Zhu, Grade 10
For most of my life, I have celebrated Chinese New Year in China, but this year has been very different. This year is special because instead of celebrating Chinese New Year with my family, I celebrated with my friends and boarding staff. There are many things that we did to celebrate the festival. -
A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON POLITICS FROM VIRTUAL YOUTH PARLIAMENT
Read MoreNo matter your age, politics play a crucial role in your life. From the moment you wake up in the morning to the minute you go to bed, every action you take has political value and impacts our government, even when you don’t think it does. This is why education surrounding our government and also our potential roles in government are so important. The Youth Parliament of Manitoba is one of Canada’s longest continuously running youth parliaments and just celebrated its 99th anniversary this past winter session, which was held virtually from December 26–30, 2020. -
DELIVERING JOY & HOPE IN THE SPIRIT OF GIVING
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One of our most cherished seasonal traditions is Day of Giving, when BH girls spend hours volunteering throughout Winnipeg for hands-on experiences and combined efforts to make a difference. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are unable to host or participate in any community events to mark the special day this year; nevertheless, the Balmoral Hall School community continues to embrace the spirit of giving.
“To our community, Day of Giving is much more than a habitual gesture of goodwill,” says Head of School Joanne Kamins, “as the spirit of giving stays with us year-round.”
Given a variety of opportunities this holiday season that may not have arisen in any other year — we’re delivering joy and hope in newfound ways, making them uniquely meaningful. -
A NEW APPROACH TO EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING WEEK
Last week, Middle School students had a great time participating in a variety of activities as part of our experiential learning program, which we have adapted this fall in alignment with public health guidelines for schools.
Grade 6 students spent time practicing their French and learning about Franco-Manitoban culture and history with a virtual tour of St. Boniface Museum and a workshop with cartoonist Gerald Laroche. They also explored science outcomes during their trip to Oak Hammock Marsh, where they examined life cycles, adaptations, and food chains of various aquatic invertebrates. The end of the week was spent at Manitoba Museum. They participated in a gallery tour entitled “Canada: An Emerging Nation,” which highlighted historical events in Canada’s history such as the World Wars, the Great Depression and the Winnipeg General Strike. Finally, Grade 6 students watched a show at the Planetarium that addressed the big question: How did life on Earth begin? Students witnessed key episodes in the 13.7-billion-year history of the Universe that have made life on Earth possible, from the first stars to the formation of Earth’s atmosphere, leading up to the incredible diversity of life on Earth today.
Meanwhile, Grade 7 students participated in three different activities to start the week. They worked with Minecraft Education to create electronic biomes. Students also walked to the Legislative Building to complete an “Agents of Discovery” mission, which focused on the sculptures outside the building. Lastly, they spent time outside studying photographic techniques with a focus on artist Andy Goldsworthy. Thursday and Friday were spent at FortWhyte, participating in canoeing, hiking, wilderness survival, and observing the diversity of ecosystems.
Grade 8 students also participated in a variety of experiential learning activities. Small groups of students rotated to different stations where they completed heart dissections, worked with clay to create sculptures, and joined Indigenous educator Gloria Beckman to learn about creating art with birch bark and the importance of trees and the environment to the Indigenous community. Thursday and Friday were spent with the group Momenta, engaging in activities that focus on strengths and connections. Grade 8 spent their days cycling, trekking, creating art, and playing team-building games, all of which were enjoyed by both the students and staff!
Thank you to Middle School faculty for planning and organizing these activities to allow us to continue with our very popular experiential learning program this year! -
EXHIBITION 2020: GRADE 5 ROCKS THE DIGITAL PLATFORM
Every year, during Grade 5 students’ International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) Exhibition, we as their teachers are used to having new students, a new area of study with the theme “Sharing the Planet,” and new ways of presenting to our school community. This year, we had remote learning to accommodate. It was both a challenge and an opportunity, asking for more student initiative and independence while allowing more choice. We are so very proud of how they rose to this challenge and embraced this opportunity.In a “choose your own adventure” format, students selected a local and/or global issue, explored different perspectives and potential problems, and then formulated positive, actionable suggestions that our school community could act upon immediately.Students delivered multimedia presentations in the Ignite style using the Padlet app, conducted surveys and interviews, and created digital children’s books, posters, and flyers with QR codes for websites and petitions to spread the word on the important issues they had studied. They rocked the digital platform! Thank you to all the faculty and parents who supported them through this powerful and unique Grade 5 Exhibition. -
BALMORAL HALL SCHOOL SUPPORTS BLACK LIVES MATTER AND FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS
Dear Balmoral Hall School Community,Recent conversations between Balmoral Hall School faculty, staff, students, parents, and alumnae have inspired all of us to think deeply about what it means to be an antiracist ally. From acknowledging privilege to challenging bias, we have witnessed actions that speak louder than words alone. In the midst of a global pandemic, protestors have taken to the streets by the thousands to demand change of a greater magnitude than ever before. There are petitions to be signed and causes to be funded, and every one of us is being called on to do the work needed to make a difference. Though apart we may be, antiracist allies have come together everywhere through advocacy initiatives and charitable donations. We are listening. We stand in support of our Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) colleagues, students, parents, and alumnae.As Head of School, I have been reflecting on Balmoral Hall School’s values more often as of late.- We believe all-girls education must be balanced.
- We believe globally minded citizens act with compassion and integrity.
- We believe lifelong learning is built upon curiosity, creativity, resiliency, and innovation.
Education is my life’s work. Empowering students to develop their voices as agents of change is a purpose that we all share at Balmoral Hall School. When alumnae raise their voices to call for action, we know we have fulfilled our purpose.To understand Balmoral Hall School’s support of Black Lives Matter and fundamental human rights, I encourage you to review Balmoral Hall School’s Respect for Human Diversity Policy. (Please contact communications@balmoralhall.ca to request a copy.) We have collected a list of resources to share with you so that together we can support antiracist learning. If there are more resources you recommend, please share them with communications@balmoralhall.ca. We are grateful for your continued partnership with Balmoral Hall School as together we inspire girls’ imagination and their courage to excel, to reach, to lead, and to care.
Meliora Petens,
Joanne Kamins
Head of School
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DESPITE ON-SCREEN DELIVERY, SPIRIT OF DEBATE CONTINUES
From May 29–31, we competed in the 2020 Junior National Debate Championships via Zoom. Katia had already competed virtually in Junior Public Speaking Nationals; even with this prior competition, it was still a completely new experience to prepare in separate spaces for both the impromptu and prepared rounds of a national debate tournament. One of the main benefits of these new circumstances is that we can meet people from across Canada and the world with ease.Our prepared motion for the tournament was: This House, as Canada, would substantially increase its military and civilian presence in the Arctic. We had little knowledge on the topic, so Mrs. Balcaen contacted Lieutenant Colonel and Commanding Officer of 17 Mission Support Squadron Amanda Aldous ’02 to give us some much-needed context on how foreign policy within the Arctic works and the current Arctic defence strategy. Some of the other resolutions we encountered were: This House would grant parents and legal guardians a vote for each of their children/wards under the age 18; This House believes that government funding for the arts should only be given to minority artists; This House, as Canada, would implement a system of journalism licences; and This House would require approval from legally binding local referenda for all major land development decisions that use any amount of government funding.To try and prepare separately, even if we were in the same Zoom breakout room, was difficult, especially, when attempting to deal with various technical difficulties. However, the fact that so many innovative people were able to create an event with the same level of intense debate regardless of location is something that must be commended. We, of course, would have preferred to be in Halifax for this competition, but the spirit of the tournament was not lost through the screen!Coach’s note: This tournament is based on the number of rounds that are lost or won, hence it is considered a win/loss tournament. Lily and Katia won four of their preliminary six rounds of debate. As a team, they placed 18th overall in Canada and as the top team from Manitoba! Congratulations to Katia and Lily! –Mrs. Balcaen -
REMOTE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES INCLUDE ONLINE SYMPOSIUM FROM U OF T
With some of the challenges that have come along with remote learning, there have also been some opportunities.
Three students were able to take part in an online Young Women in Engineering Symposium hosted by University of Toronto’s Faculty of Engineering. Lauren K., Juliana, and Kaylee attended the three-hour virtual event on the evening of May 26, 2020.
They shared the following reflections.“This event was designed for young women to encourage them to study engineering at university. There were more than 400 women on this call from various parts of the world, including India, Europe, and Turkey, all receiving advice and tips from current students and alumnae of the engineering program at University of Toronto. Many of them shared their experiences of why they chose engineering, what they loved about it, and where it has taken them in life. Many of them shared that they really enjoyed hands-on projects that they were challenged with as part of their courses. They worked with partners of the university to help solve a problem that affects an industry. These partners are from around the world in all types of industries. Additionally, they outlined the course system and explained the different entry points and how they will each get you to your final goal. After all the presentations were complete, they answered any questions the viewers had. It was really inspiring to see how passionate all of these women are about engineering, as well as hearing about their journeys to get there, through university and in the working field.” –Lauren K.“I learned so much about engineering as a whole and the university itself. It seems like a very inclusive and inviting environment. I also learned how no one really knew what they wanted to do during their first year, but they really loved math and physics. They ended up just kind of running into engineering and really liked it and that’s why they choose it. I also never know how many fields of engineering there are. Every panellist who spoke was from a different field!” –Juliana“It was one of the best university information meetings I’ve ever seen. The speakers, who were all female, informed the attendees of their many accomplishments in various fields, primarily engineering. They were highly inspiring and acted as engaging orators, taking the time to personally answer attendee questions. The speakers all talked about their backgrounds and experiences at U of T. During the question period, the speakers answered questions such as, ‘Why engineering?’ and ‘What’s the Iron Ring?’ (The Iron Ring is the Canadian mark of an engineer.) I learned about many things such as the Professional Experience Years co-op program (PEYs), U of T’s growing female STEM population, and how different people integrated themselves into their university community. There are more than 800 clubs, including a Dungeons & Dragons club! From an engineering perspective, I learned that systems change is people change (i.e. to change a system, one must first change the people in and working behind that system). The experience of hearing the stories of so many strong and smart women was very enlightening and empowering.” –Kaylee -
AP EXAMS TAKEN AT HOME
As an international student, I was lucky to be able to go back to China and be with my family during the pandemic.
However, many challenges arose due to the 13-hour time difference between Winnipeg and China. At first, it was quite difficult to find the right study pace, having virtual classes late at night or even just by watching the recordings of classes. Fortunately, I formed small study groups with several other BH girls who had come back to China to help and support each other.
It was a very fun and meaningful experience, as we met (via WeChat) regularly to not only learn from the textbooks and class recordings but also to learn from each other and online resources.
This year’s Advanced Placement (AP) exams were moved online due to the coronavirus, so writing exams became another great challenge. Other than having to prepare myself for the exam, such as checking for the e-tickets and AP I.D., it was especially difficult for me to overcome the time difference since the exams started at 2 a.m. in China. Though it was hard to work after midnight, I decided to take a nap prior to my exams in order to stay energetic.
The group of us who stayed in China all took the responsibility of reminding each other of the time and continued to support each other.
Although preparing for and taking AP exams at home this year has been an extremely different experience than in past years, being in a new learning environment has pushed us to enhance independent learning skills, take advantage of online resources, and team up to support each other.
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2024
Balmoral Hall School
630 Westminster Ave. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3C 3S1
Tel: (204) 784-1600 | Fax: (204) 774-5534 | info@balmoralhall.ca
Charitable Registration No. 12994 3932 RR0001
Tel: (204) 784-1600 | Fax: (204) 774-5534 | info@balmoralhall.ca
Charitable Registration No. 12994 3932 RR0001
Our mission at Balmoral Hall School is to inspire girls’ imagination and the courage to excel, to reach, to lead, to care.
We are a nondenominational independent day and boarding school, educating students from Junior Nursery to Grade 12.
Information on this website can be requested through an accessible format or communication support by contacting us at communications@balmoralhall.ca or (204) 784-1603.
