Branksome Hall - Slogan Yearbook (Toronto, Ontario Canada)

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The Branksome Slogan Page 8 The History of Dear Girls: It has been suggested that in my letter to you this year I tell you something of the history of your School which is celebrating its Diamond Jubilee. Branksome Hall was founded in 1903 by Miss Margaret T. Scott of Dundas, Ontario, a distinguished educationalist, assisted by Miss Florence Merrick. Miss Scott rented a house at 102 Bloor Street East where the Manufac- turers ' Life Assurance building now stands and opened a residential and day school. The cosmopolitan nature of the School was evident from the begin- ning since among the small group of boarders two sisters from Dawson City and a girl from Australia were enrolled. Miss Scott ' s father had been born on the estate of the Duke of Buccleuch in the Scottish border country. When she was trying to decide what to call the School her friend. Dr. Alexander MacMillan, father of Sir Ernest Mac- Millan, suggested that it should be called Branksome Hall after the heredi- tary seat of the Duke of Buccleuch whose castle figures in Sir Walter Scott ' s Lay of the Last Minstrel. This is why every Branksome girl studies the Lay in Form II. From the beginning the School em- phasized the development of character and intellectual attainments. AAiss Scott was a devout Biblical student and was especially interested in the history and interpretation of the Old Testament. Residential students attended a Bible Class, conducted by their Principal, immediately after breakfast on Sunday morning. Then they crossed the street to Westminster Presbyterian Church Branksome Hall (now St. Andrew ' s United), where Dr. MacMillan was assistant minister, for morning service. After dinner the girls wrote a resume of the sermon which was handed in for Miss Scott ' s perusal, learned Bible verses which were recited to her, and at seven o ' clock attended evening service. The value of self- discipline was stressed in daily life and the term self-control because the by-word of irreverent students who, when older, paid tribute to the value of the training which they had received. Academically things went well and there was great rejoicing when the first group of girls passed the matriculation exam- inations. In 1 906 Miss Edith MacGregor Read joined the staff as a teacher of Math- ematics and Physical Education. Her organizing ability, vitality, her keen interest in girls and all the activities of School life, made it inevitable that her influence on the development of the School be far-reaching. In 1910, following the death of Miss Merrick, Miss Scott ' s doctor advised her to give up her work and it looked as if the School would have to close. Miss Read felt that so much of value was at stake that she persuaded the Bank of Nova Scotia to finance her. At this point the owners sold the building. Miss Read succeeded in renting 592 Sherbourne Street, v hich still forms the front of the Selby Hotel. Girls in attendance that year have told me that, while there were few luxuries, the School spirit was never higher than during that first year under Miss Read ' s leadership. In 1912 No. 10 Elm Avenue was purchased and became the nucleus of [Continued on page 10]

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Year Book, 1964 Page 7 MISS JENNIE E. MacNEILL, M.A., LL.D. Assistant Principal 1946-1958 Principal 1958-

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Year Book, 1964 Page 9