History

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.

Sir James Aikins gave his home, known as Aikins House, to the United Church of Canada

United Church of Canada

The United Church of Canada is a Protestant Christian denomination in Canada. It is the largest Protestant church and, after the Roman Catholic Church, the second-largest Christian church in 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.

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

Balmoral Castle

Balmoral Castle is a large estate house in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is located near the village of Crathie, west of Ballater and east of Braemar. Balmoral has been one of the residences of the British Royal Family since 1852, when it was purchased by Queen Victoria and her...

 in Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 and classes began in September 1950 under the direction of Miss Gwedolyn Murrell-Wright.

The two schools' mottos, Ad Meliora

Meliora

Meliora is a Latin adjective meaning "better". It is the neuter plural form of the adjective "melior, -or, -us". It is the motto of the University of Rochester at Rochester, New York...

, 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."

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.

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.

Athletics

Balmoral Hall's school team is called the Blazers.

The school offers such sports as:

• Hockey - A varsity prep team that plays in the Junior Women's Hockey League (JWHL)
  Junior Women's Hockey League
  The Junior Women's Hockey League is an ice hockey league established in 2007 to provide opportunities for young females to develop into collegiate student-athletes. A successful league in only its first season, the JWHL has seen 18 players sign with NCAA Division-I for the 2008-09 season, while 5...
  
   and a junior varsity team that plays in the Winnipeg Women's High School Hockey League (WWHSHL).
• Soccer
• Volleyball
• Basketball
• Badminton
• Ultimate Frisbee-
• Curling
• Cross-country
• Track and field
• Golf
• Rugby - Balmoral Hall restarted its rugby program in spring of 2010. See the girls in action at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDnVc0fIJow

As well, the school has four Houses, named Ballater

Ballater

Ballater is a burgh in Aberdeenshire, Scotland on the River Dee, immediately east of the Cairngorm Mountains. Situated at a height of 123m in elevation, Ballater is a centre for hikers and known for its spring water, once said to cure scrofula.-History:The medieval pattern of development along...

, Braemar

Braemar

Braemar is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, around west of Aberdeen in the Highlands. It is the closest significantly-sized settlement to the upper course of the River Dee sitting at an altitude of ....

, Craig Gowan, and Glen Gairn, after the districts which surround Balmoral Castle

Balmoral Castle

Balmoral Castle is a large estate house in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is located near the village of Crathie, west of Ballater and east of Braemar. Balmoral has been one of the residences of the British Royal Family since 1852, when it was purchased by Queen Victoria and her...

. 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.

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.

Notable alumnae

• Ashleigh Banfield
  Ashleigh Banfield
  Ashleigh Banfield is a Canadian-American journalist who as of 2010 hosts Disorder in the Court, Open Court and Hollywood Heat on Tru TV , where she reports on domestic and pop culture issues...
  
   - journalist, anchor for Court TV
  Court TV
  truTV is an American cable television network owned by Turner Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Time Warner. The network launched as Court TV in 1991, changing to truTV in 2008...
  
  .
• Chantal Kreviazuk
  Chantal Kreviazuk
  Chantal Jennifer Kreviazuk is a Canadian singer-songwriter of the adult contemporary music genre. She is also a classically trained pianist, and can play the guitar.-Albums:...
  
   - singer
• Sarah Carter
  Sarah Carter
  Sarah Carter is a Canadian actress, best known for her role in the TNT drama Falling Skies.-Biography:Carter was born in Toronto, Canada and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She attended Balmoral Hall School where she was a dedicated dancer and took part in various school plays including ‘’The Wizard...
  
  - actress