Interview with Branksome Hall PARENT, Sanober Bukhari
- Name
Sanober Bukhari - Child 1
Gr. 7 - Gr. 9 (Female, Current Day Student)
Sanober, a parent at Branksome Hall, shared her perspective on the school’s inclusive and globally minded community, rigorous IB academics, exceptional co-curricular and performing arts programs, strong leadership and mentorship opportunities, and a supportive culture that has helped her daughter thrive with confidence, independence, and purpose.
Highlights from the interview
Our daughter adores the friendships she has made and she has found friends that do share the same values as her, which makes going to school of course that much more fun.
After attending the open house presentations at Branksome Hall we learned of their school values of inclusivity, community, creativity, and making a difference. That really resonated with us, in particular, the concept of thinking globally and acting locally.
We had the opportunity to speak to a few of the current students and we found them to be exceptionally confident, kind and articulate. There was definitely a palpable sense of energy and positivity in the environment. We walked away feeling like this was the only school for our daughter and in fact did not apply anywhere else.
These past two years she is thriving at the school. Early on, Branksome Hall was able to create a culture that was both nurturing and also supported independence which really gave our daughter the confidence to jump right into all that the school has to offer.
She loves a small classroom environment where the teachers have cultivated a comfortable space to allow students to engage in thoughtful discussion and debate, which I know our daughter regularly partakes in.
As a parent, I appreciate the number of leadership and mentorship opportunities available for the students. The school really encourages students to lead by example. I've seen my daughter get inspired by senior students and in turn she's also been in positions to mentor other students as well.
What stands out to me most about the school's culture and values is their strong sense of building community and inclusivity. I have seen these values put into practice with the way the school celebrates the heritage of the diverse student body through assemblies and community events and engage families in cultural celebrations.
Extracurriculars are a big part of Branksome Hall. There are about 80 plus clubs including sports teams and the school signature clubs are pretty impressive.
Branksome Hall’s staff from senior leadership to teachers are easily accessible and available to the parents, especially when it comes to the well-being of students. The staff has always been welcoming and willing to engage in thoughtful and meaningful discussion. A strong parent partnership is something that they truly value and is very important to them.
My three reasons for recommending Branksome Hall to other families is that the school has an inclusive and engaging school community with strong partnership with families. They have excellent academics, co-curricular and extracurricular programming. It has a school culture that nurtures and supports globally conscious, thoughtful, critical thinkers who are going to be leaders and innovators of tomorrow.
