Stem to Steam education
Branksome Hall’s Slingshot Innovation Academy’s summer programs will offer unique and exciting opportunities for young people to collaborate, develop an entrepreneurial mindset, build confidence, and gain valuable real-world experience. supplied
Beyond the school walls: Expanding access to innovative educational programming to a broad and diverse community
Toronto’s Branksome Hall is preparing to launch a new initiative that will extend the benefits of its transformative educational approaches beyond the walls of the school.
The independent girls’ school is recognized for its academic excellence and leadership in such areas as entrepreneurship, the arts and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Beginning in the summer of 2025, Branksome Hall will open the Slingshot Innovation Academy, which will bring its innovative curriculum to young people in the broader community.
“Our goal is to take some of the great things that are happening at the school and make them available to young people beyond our student body,” says Kevin Goodridge, the school’s chief innovation officer. “The new programs will be open to not just girls but to anyone who’s interested in participating.”
The target group for the academy will be youth aged 13 to 16, who will be able to register for one- or two-week workshop sessions in which they will learn about design technology, entrepreneurship and leadership with the mentorship of faculty members and industry experts.
Branksome Hall was founded more than 100 years ago and today has 900 students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12. The concept of sharing its strengths with the external community is a reflection of the school’s history and its values, says Goodridge.
“The school was at the forefront of moving girls’ education forward at a time when that was not common. Through the academy, we are continuing that progressive tradition.”
The programs offered next summer will be a Design Technology Studio focused on coding, design thinking and design technology, and a Noodle Studio, which will replicate Branksome Hall’s unique Noodle accelerator program that helps students develop entrepreneurial skills by creating a real-world business. Both offerings will stress the importance of collaboration and leadership skills.
“Students like to be creative, but creative with a purpose – solving challenges they identify as important and seeing that they can have an impact on the world by making decisions and taking action,” says Goodridge. “Our programs foster the innovative spirit that will serve young people throughout their education and careers.”
The school will promote the academy to girls and boys in diverse communities, he adds. “We’re interested in having people take part who might not normally consider an institution like Branksome Hall, and we’re exploring what financial aid might be available to support a broader range of students.”
“Our goal is to take some of the great things that are happening at the school and make them available to young people beyond our student body. ”
Value of learning entrepreneurship at a young age
Monique Moran has strong ties with Branksome Hall. She is a graduate of the school, and her daughter, now in Grade 9, has been a student there since Grade 7. Moran is also a member of the school’s Innovation Council, external professionals who advise on programming.
Moran lauds the school’s plan to offer its Noodle program more broadly, as she has witnessed the great value Noodle has brought to her daughter since she joined it in Grade 7.
After working for years in corporate roles related to marketing and sales, innovation and team building, Moran founded her own company in 2022, Growth Assembly, which specializes in helping companies address critical growth challenges and develop new revenue sources.
As Moran was getting her new company off the ground, her daughter and co-founders were building their own business through the school’s Noodle program. “It became a parallel path as we both travelled on the journey of entrepreneurship,” she says. “Their business is successful and growing. While I got the foundational training to start my own business through my corporate experience, it’s incredible that they’re learning it and building a thriving business. The learning is in the doing and not just the seeing.”
The Noodle program teaches students multiple skills: developing ideas for solving specific problems, building a business plan, pitching their business to get seed money, and marketing and growing their company.
“It is so powerful for girls to stand in the value of their ideas and learn about the path that will lead them to attract investment,” says Moran. “They’re developing all these micro-skills that will set them up to pursue entrepreneurship if they choose, as well as earning a credential that will strengthen their university applications and careers.”
Moran says the Slingshot Innovation Academy is a groundbreaking opportunity for the Toronto community. “Programs that have brought so much success to the girls at Branksome Hall will have a powerful impact when they reach more girls and boys,” she says.
“The more youth who can learn the foundations of entrepreneurship and innovation, the more we build a future of innovative thinkers in Canada.”