- Autumn 2026
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- Making school the best it can be
05
Making school the best it can be
Tom Rickards, Trinity’s new Head of Senior School, introduces our 2026 Student Leaders and discusses their aspirations.
Tom sees his role in leading the Senior School as setting direction and helping ensure everyone works together cohesively to make the school an even better place.
He believes that Trinity is an “outstanding” school with a huge range of opportunities, including subject, cocurricular, sport, leadership, outdoor education and service offerings, led by passionate staff who share their expertise and guide our students in these activities.
“There is a really supportive and collaborative culture, where people feel safe to be themselves and enjoy school,” says Tom.
This, along with the opportunities, “contributes to a culture where students genuinely strive to be their best and have a go, both individually and as a collective.”
There is a really supportive and collaborative culture
where people feel safe to be themselves and enjoy school
– Tom Rickards, Head of Senior School
A part of Tom’s role is to work closely with the 2026 student leaders – School Captain Darcy Stewart and Vice Captains Ahilan Sudheshan, Anthony Papaleo, Ryan Cen and Tate Harrison. Here, Tom speaks to the student leaders about their roles.
School Captain, Darcy, describes his leadership role so far.
“One of the most rewarding parts has been seeing the strong sense of community at Trinity, especially when younger students come up to say hello or have a chat. Moments like that remind me how important it is for leaders to be approachable and to set a positive example for others,” Darcy says.
Tate agrees, explaining that his highlight has been working with an incredibly driven group of Year 12s, “who I can always rely on to have a positive impact on our school culture”.
Ryan further explains that he aspires to be a leader who listens, encourages and is supportive, to “create a space where everyone feels confident to explore their strengths and enjoy learning, whether in the classroom or through cocurricular opportunities,” he says.
For Tom, and our student leaders, the importance of being surrounded by good people and having good mentors cannot be underestimated.
“It always starts with family: they guide and direct my values and keep me grounded,” Tom says.
Ahilan agrees, looking to his own family for guidance.
“A large and integral inspiration for me throughout my schooling has been my dad: his work ethic, communication skills and will to stay true to his passions and beliefs, even as he grows older, are all attributes which I strive to replicate in my life ,” Ahilan says.
For Anthony, it is the past school captains who have inspired him.
“I’ve always admired their calm confidence and the way they led by example,” he says.
“I have also learnt a lot from external mentors through the F1 in Schools program (now STEM Racing), who’ve shown me what professionalism, teamwork and innovative thinking really look like,” Anthony adds.
Ultimately for Tom, it is the student leaders who inspire him, as they look towards the remainder of the year and beyond.
“They know their students and what they need and do so much to make school the best it can be for everyone,” he says.
Bulleen Moments
How does Bulleen support and enhance the experience of our Senior School students?
Bulleen is so important for our Senior School students and we are just so lucky that those who came before us made such a wise decision to acquire the land. For me, Bulleen begins on a Saturday morning as a hub of our community, with so much activity taking place and a chance for students to compete together, but also for parents to connect with each other and build community. That time is always something I look forward to, seeing our community at its best, in such a beautiful setting. – Tom Rickards
Bulleen holds a lot of great experiences for me, most notably, our Year 8 Learning Journeys commencement there and many tennis matches played over the years. I feel that it has always offered a different way to foster community beyond the classroom and has given me the chance to build stronger bonds with my classmates through the many activities held on these grounds. – Ryan Cen
The playing fields at Bulleen are such a big part of the sporting culture at Trinity. Watching the first teams run out under lights for a Friday night game is a perfect way to end the week, chat with some friends and cheer and support the boys on the field. I remember in Junior School, some of my favourite memories were getting my Friday ‘lunch order’ and then heading out to Bulleen for periods 5 and 6 to play footy all afternoon. In Year 7 and 8, Bulleen continued to be a big part of school life through Wednesday night footy training sessions followed by our games on Saturday mornings. Those experiences weren’t just about playing sport, but about being part of a team, supporting each other and representing the school with pride. – Darcy Stewart
Bulleen acts as an escape from the hustle and bustle of school life. The current facilities there have allowed me to reach my full potential in my sporting endeavours, and I’m incredibly excited to join the OTG Football or Cricket clubs once I’ve finished school, especially to enjoy the new facilities that are coming soon. – Tate Harrison
