What would you say if you could turn back the clock and speak with someone whose actions had profoundly affected your life?
That’s the central question behind the new TVO series Yearbook. The series follows six Canadians as they embark on journeys to reconnect with people from their school days, looking to resolve, relive or better understand the critical events that shaped their lives.
One of those six Canadians is Victoria Hammond, a Bracebridge resident with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who was bullied for her disability in high school. In the episode, which airs February 6 at 9 pm on TVO, Hammond attempts to track down her former classmate Ben Taylor, who now lives in Dungannon, ON, who she feels could have been a better friend during that difficult period in her life.
Hammond and Taylor attended Twin Lakes Secondary School in Orillia, but she moved to Bracebridge in 2020.
She may be better known locally as Sugar Cookie the elf at Santa’s Village, or as the purveyor of putters at Northern Escapades Mini Golf in Bracebridge.
“Santa’s Village is the greatest job I’ve ever had,” she says. “I call her Sugar Cookie because I love to bake and I go crazy with baking over Christmas time. My motto is I love to bake and I’m sweet like sugar.”
Hammond has been a musician for as long as she can remember and she’s wanted to perform from a young age. During high school, she was a regular participant in talent shows and coffee houses.
“Being on stage I felt like nothing could hurt me. I felt completely invincible,” she says.
However, since being diagnosed on the autism spectrum at the age of six, she could often find school situations challenging.
“I often feel like I’m an alien from another planet and that made me an easy target for bullying,” she says
Hammond met Taylor when she joined the choir.
The two bonded over their love of music but Hammond says there were social situations where she felt Taylor let her down in the face of bullying.
Hammond says in late 2022 she came across a promotion for the Yearbook series on social media.
“It was such an interesting idea,” she says. “I remembered my friend Ben. I hadn’t talked to him in 12 years but I thought it would be such a cool way for us to connect again because we live so far apart.”
Hammond put in her application, outlining her story, and then the show contacted Ben in Dungannon, who agreed to take part.
The makers of the show spent several days in Bracebridge filming, including footage at Santa’s Village.
“I wasn’t nervous at all,” says Hammond. “I’m just happy to be able to use my story to enlighten and entertain.”
The results of the reunion will be on screen on February 6, (the episodes can also be streamed on TVO.org and the TVO Docs YouTube channel) but Hammond reveals her and Taylor have remained in contact since filming, and even plan to work together on some musical endeavors.
“The whole experience was really amazing,” says Hammond. “I’m just hopeful that this helps people to better understand autism.”
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