| Balmoral Hall School | |
| Address | |
| 630 Westminster Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3C 3S1, Canada |
|
| Information | |
| Area trustee | head_of_school= Mrs. Joanne Kamins |
| School type | Independent all-girls day/boarding school |
| Grades | Child Care - Grade 12 |
| Language | English |
| Motto | Meliora Petens Seeking better things |
| Team name | BH Blazers |
| Colours | Green, Gold, Black |
| Founded | 1901 |
| Homepage | www.balmoralhall.com |
Balmoral Hall School is a private school for girls in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Contents |
Balmoral Hall was founded in 1901 as Havergal College, located at 122 Carlton Street. The name was changed in 1917 to Rupert's Land College to end the confusion with the institution of the same name in Toronto.[1]
Sir James Aikins gave his home, known as Aikins House, to the United Church of Canada upon his death in 1929. In his will, he requested it be used as a girls' school and bestowed further funding to be used to that end. The school was named Riverbend School and opened in September 1929 at Balmoral Hall's present site.[1]
In 1950, due to declining enrollment at both schools, Rupert's Land College amalgamated with the Riverbend School at its site on Westminster Avenue. The new school was christened Balmoral Hall School, after Balmoral Castle in Scotland and classes began in September 1950 under the direction of Miss Gwedolyn Murrell-Wright.[1]
The two schools' mottos, Ad Meliora, or "To Better Things," and Alta Petens, "Seeking New Heights," were combined to form the school's new motto, Meliora Petens, which meant "Seeking Better Things."[1]
In 1955, the Senior School Wing was opened, and in 1967 the school expanded to include the Richardson Building, which housed a new gymnasium as well as new science labs and facilities.[1]
Since then, there have been several other expansions which brought new computer and science laboratories and classrooms, as well as athletic facilities, a theatre and a communications technology centre.[1]
Balmoral Hall's school team is called the Blazers.[2]
The school offers such sports as:[2]
As well, the school has four Houses, named Ballater, Braemar, Craig Gowan, and Glen Gairn, after the districts which surround Balmoral Castle. Each new student is assigned a House and receives a House pin. Houses compete in athletics, debating and various competitions and receive points which accumulate throughout the year. The House Trophy is presented to the winning House at the end of the year.[3]
The school has grown in size since it's opening in 1901. However, a decision made by the Board of Governors declared that the maximum number of students the school would take would be a little over 500. This is not due to limited space, but because it has been proven that smaller class sizes allow for greater success later on, because the students get more attention from the teachers. As well, studies show that graduates from single-sex schools have greater success later on. 95% of Balmoral Hall (BH) Grads go on to university, 99% to the university of their choice. 85% also receive scholarships to the university of their choice.