2026 School Leaders' Mission, Vision and Values

Here, you can learn more about their mission for 2026, the legacy they hope to leave at Knox, and the key values that shape their goals.

Leadership Journey

Mani: Back in Year 7, I engaged in the mentor program and became a mentor representative. That started my leadership journey throughout Knox Grammar.

One big point has been my Cadet journey. Starting at the end of Year 8 as a recruit, I wasn't sure what to expect but had lots of fun throughout my first year. I decided to go for promotions and became a Corporal. After my Corporal year, I was fortunate enough to become the Head Year 11 Cadet, the Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM). That really kickstarted my intensive leadership journey. Working closely with my team was amazing. To be able to develop my teamwork, communication, and leadership skills throughout the Cadet journey has been really fun.

I also continued playing the saxophone and really found a love of that. I've been able to lead groups of players to work towards big goals that we've wanted to achieve.

Miles: I didn’t always know that I wanted to go for leadership. It came gradually, from putting my hand up to new opportunities and experiences, getting out of my comfort zone, trying new things – academically, sporting-wise, and through co-curriculars. And it came from being around people that want to help you succeed and want to help you get into these new things.

My older brother came through Knox Grammar School, and he inspired me to try so many new things at school. Getting behind these opportunities and experiences, you really get to see what you want to do in the future, and who you want to become, and I think that's a great place to start – whether you're looking for leadership, or you're not.

Lewis: From the start, I always really wanted to be the kid who put his hand up for everything and gave everything a go. Back in Year 7, I tried bagpipes, Tech Crew, Debating, and Social Justice, eventually finding the ones that I really liked.

In the later years, I started getting more involved in Social Justice. I was volunteering for many of the initiatives, helping with running the big causes, and that's been one of the best things that I've been involved in at Knox. About two years ago, we brought in an initiative called the Push Up Challenge, we’re so happy to see how successful that initiative is today. We also co-founded a Respect for Relationships committee, with around five other schools in our local area. We worked to start a conversation and develop solutions about community issues, and we helped organise a charity event towards the end of last year. It’s an awesome journey making a positive difference.

Mission

Mani: My mission for 2026 is to spread kindness and compassion throughout the School community. We as individuals, can contribute meaningfully to someone in their daily life, through small acts of kindness like saying ‘good day’ in the morning.

Miles: My mission for the School this year is to create an environment where students feel encouraged to get out of their comfort zones and make the most of new opportunities.

Lewis: As prefects last year, we all sat down together and thought about what are the key values that we want in our School community. We came up with a few important focuses. One of which was ‘Inclusion’ – we want to encourage everyone to get involved in everything and feel like there's a place for them in every part of this school.

A big value for us is ‘Open Communication’. We want to be able to talk honestly and openly about the issues that affect students. We're making positive change in areas across our school, and we want to continue having honest conversations with staff and students across the School community.

A key mission that we have for this year is to solidify a ‘Culture of Service’ across the whole school. As a year group, some of the most rewarding things we've done is partnering with local charities. We want to help bring that across the entire school. All year groups can be partnering with charities, helping to give back to the community in everyday life. It's so rewarding, and it's one of the best things you can do at Knox.

Legacy

Mani: I think kindness would be a great legacy that we'd be able to leave on the community. Kindness costs nothing, but you never know the impact it may have on someone.

Miles: My vision for Knox in the future is to create a school culture where trying new things is normal, and effort is celebrated as much as achievements, in academics, sport, co-curriculars, service, and leadership.

Because overall, it's creating a school culture where students can try new things without the fear of failure, or judgement from others. If, by the end of the year, students feel more comfortable putting their hand up to try new things and get behind new experiences, and also encouraging others to do the same, in my eyes, that'll be a huge success.

Lewis: The legacy we want to leave behind as a year group is that we all work together as one team. We want to be remembered as one team of about 400 people that came into this school together and performed really well. We don't want to be in small little groups that feel separate from each other. So, we've been working to create whole school belonging in our community.

Key Values

Mani: A message I have for all the boys is get involved. Try as many opportunities as you can. You may fall in love with something, you never thought you would. And be kind.

Miles: You don't have to be perfect to get involved. You just have to be willing. Support each other, back yourselves, and be confident to step forward. If you leave the Senior School, knowing that you tried something new, or did something you thought you wouldn't have before, you will be so proud of yourselves for the rest of your lives.

Lewis: My message to the boys is to embody a guiding mantra for 2026, called ‘Bridge the Gaps’. We want this whole community to feel so connected with each other. We want to be able to take that step to cross what we call invisible lines that sometimes exist. ‘Unity’ is one of the biggest traits at Knox. When year groups are all united together, we’ll achieve much better outcomes, and we'll have a much better experience at school.