Interview with Balmoral Hall School Alum, Ella Thomson
Ella, an alumna of Balmoral Hall School (BH), shared her views on the school’s empowering environment, highlighting the diverse opportunities in academics, athletics, and extracurricular activities. She praised BH for creating and maintaining a supportive community, nurturing confidence, open-mindedness, and leadership skills, and preparing students for future academic and career successes.
Highlights from the interview
What I appreciated the most was the range of opportunities available for students. I had the chance to participate in extracurriculars like science fairs, debate, and public speaking. There's also an outstanding athletics program that many students participated in. Having these opportunities to pursue whatever interests you is fantastic.
Balmoral Hall educates well-rounded students by encouraging them to take on as many different opportunities as possible. There was a wide range of clubs and opportunities available at the school, ensuring that time was built into our schedules for these activities.
The sense of being a close-knit group and family would surprise incoming families. It really feels like a community where everyone supports each other, whether it's teachers supporting students or the students themselves. My mom is a kindergarten teacher at the school. When I'm home in Winnipeg visiting and going to see her at the school or just for a visit, I still see all the teachers in the hall that I knew as a student. You feel tied to the school for the rest of your life.
One of the main things that many students at Balmoral Hall had in common was being passionate about something. Other things that come to mind are confidence, being open-minded, and being a critical thinker, all important to the school. We were taught not to take things for granted, to question everything around us, and to strive to learn as much as possible about the world. Talking to any student at Balmoral Hall, they could tell you what they are passionate about, what they want to do, and why they are doing it, which I find really valuable.
Compassion and open-mindedness were definitely emphasized at the school, making us aware of the diverse backgrounds and experiences people have. The school also promoted the belief that girls can do anything and that each student can achieve whatever they choose to. I particularly enjoyed the all-girls environment, which is empowering, showing that girls can do anything, as demonstrated at Balmoral Hall.
Thanks to the academic rigor at Balmoral Hall, I developed all the skills necessary for university-level classes in a supportive environment with smaller class sizes and teachers who truly wanted us to succeed. Balmoral Hall prepares students for whatever their future may hold, thanks to the learning opportunities and the rigor of the classes, which benefit them in their future careers and university education.
Particularly because Balmoral Hall is an all-girls school, I never doubted my ability to pursue any field, including engineering, because I was able to do everything at Balmoral Hall. This experience grew my confidence in my own skills and learning abilities. Balmoral Hall is big on nurturing passion, open-mindedness, and openness to a range of different experiences, which has shaped my personal characteristics.
