The Class of 2027 formally began their final year at Snowy Mountains Grammar School at the Senior Investiture Ceremony on Friday 16 October. With 69 students, the School’s largest Year 12 cohort stepped into a shared responsibility to lead, support and set an example for younger students.

Families, staff and students gathered in the Snowy Shed for the presentation of senior badges and the appointment of the prefect team and School Captains, Sienna Moore and Kai Sheppard.

In her address, Deputy Principal Dani Goucher encouraged students to consider who they wanted to become as they approached their final year of school. Alongside decisions about study, careers and future pathways, she highlighted the everyday choices that shape character: standing up for what is right, taking responsibility and helping others feel welcome. “One of the most powerful things a leader can do is recognise potential in others before they can see it in themselves,” she said.

Mrs Goucher reminded the cohort that every senior student has the capacity to influence school life. Younger students would learn from how they treated others, responded to challenges and supported one another, whether or not they held a formal leadership position.

Head of Middle and Senior School Tim Bland reinforced this message through the theme of servant leadership, encouraging students to lift others up through kindness, thoughtfulness and responsibility.

Junior School leaders then invited the incoming seniors to commit to challenging themselves, including others and exploring the opportunities ahead. Their response, “We will”, connected the presentation of senior badges with the example they would set for the wider student body.

The newly appointed prefects pledged to serve the School, act with honesty and fairness and lead by example. Sienna and Kai also accepted their responsibilities as School Captains, expressing their commitment to serving alongside the prefects and senior cohort. They thanked outgoing captains Georgette and Oscar for their guidance and leadership.

Mrs Goucher acknowledged the parents and carers whose encouragement and support had brought students to this point, asking them to continue championing their children through the celebrations and challenges ahead.

Her message to the Class of 2027 also looked beyond individual achievement to the relationships they would carry forward:

“One of the greatest legacies of a year group is not what it achieves, but how well its members looked after one another along the way.”