Investiture Ceremony (2026-2027)
Saint John’s Academy held its Investiture Ceremony for the academic session 2026-27 on Saturday, 15th August 2026, at 10:00 a.m. — a date that fittingly coincided with India’s Independence Day. The occasion brought together the school’s Director, Principal, Vice Principal, staff and students to formally invest the newly elected School and House Captains, Vice Captains and Prefects with the badges of office, entrusting them with the responsibility of leading their peers through the coming year.
The programme opened with a warm welcome address by Mrs. N. Rai, followed by the Prayer led by Mrs. P. Spring and the Scripture Reading by Mrs. J. Antony, setting a reflective and dignified tone for the morning. The House Masters and House Mistresses then came forward to hand over the badges of office to the newly appointed captains, vice captains and prefects, with the formal announcement of appointments made by Mrs. N. Rai and Mr. R. Dubey. The badge holders then took their Oath of Office together, pledging to serve their school and fellow students with sincerity and integrity, after which the school choir led the gathering in the School Song.
Head Boy Gaurang Srivastava addressed the gathering on behalf of the newly appointed office bearers. Speaking about the meaning of leadership, he reminded his peers that “students will look to us not for perfection but for effort, for fairness and for example,” and that “leadership is not about standing in front and giving orders — it is about standing beside others and saying let us do this together.” He spoke of how the school has shaped its students through “discipline in the classroom, teamwork on the field and kindness in the corridors,” and of the responsibility now given to the captains and prefects to be “the bridge between students and teachers” and “the guardians of the values this school stands for.” Acknowledging that the road ahead would not always be easy, he told his fellow office bearers, “we don’t need to be the best leaders on day one — we just need to be willing to learn every day, to admit mistakes, to take feedback and to keep showing up even when it is difficult,” closing with a message of unity: “let’s not compete with each other — let’s complete each other.”
The Director, Mr. C.V. Innes, addressed the gathering next, congratulating the newly elected leaders and thanking the Principal, Vice Principal and staff for organising the ceremony. Drawing on Shakespeare — “there is no art to read the mind’s construction on the face” — he cautioned the captains and prefects against judging their fellow students by appearances, noting that those who seem least likely often turn out to be the most dependable. Reflecting on his own school days, he observed that the houses which excelled were invariably those whose captains and prefects took the greatest interest in encouraging their housemates to participate — win or lose. He urged the newly invested leaders to motivate their houses to take part in every activity, not only academics, reminding them that the sports field teaches lessons no classroom can — chiefly, the ability to face disappointment and rise again. He also spoke of the trust placed in captains and prefects as a bridge for students who may hesitate to approach a staff member with a difficulty, and encouraged the gathering to resolve differences through teamwork rather than conflict, before thanking the staff, the musicians and the assembly for the opportunity to share in the occasion.
Principal Dr. Zareen Rizvi congratulated the newly elected office bearers, telling them that their election “is a reflection of the trust and confidence that your teachers and fellow students have placed in you,” and that it marked “the beginning of a new journey — one that brings with it responsibility, commitment and the opportunity to serve your school community.” She reminded the badge holders that true leadership “is not about authority — it is about listening, understanding, respecting others and taking everyone along,” and encouraged them to be approachable, patient and fair, assuring them of the full support and guidance of the teachers and school administration. “The commitment to perform your duties sincerely and uphold the trust placed in you,” she said, “must come from within.” She wished the newly invested leaders a successful and memorable tenure, urging them to “lead with humility, serve with sincerity and make your school proud.”
Dr. Rizvi then extended the school’s vote of thanks — to the Directors for gracing the occasion with their presence and for their constant support and guidance, to the Vice Principal, in-charges, teachers and staff for their dedication in organising the programme, and to the students for their wholehearted participation. Closing on the note of the day’s other significance, she reminded the gathering that “freedom comes with responsibility,” and that as young citizens of India, students have a role to play in building a better nation through discipline, honesty, compassion, respect and responsible citizenship, wishing everyone a very happy Independence Day. The ceremony concluded with the singing of the National Anthem.
The Class Teachers and Mr. K. Waters oversaw discipline throughout the programme, stage decoration was coordinated by Ms. A. Chattejee and Mrs. S. Gupta, and the musical accompaniment was provided by Mr. Kuldeep Kumar.
List of Badge Holders
School Captains 2026–27
School Motto: Nil Desperandum (Never Despair)
| Post | Name | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Head Boy | Gaurang Srivastava | XII A |
| Head Girl | Anushka Bhardwaj | XII B |
| Sports Captain (Boys) | Prince Eklavya | XII A |
| Sports Captain (Girls) | Sparsh Yadav | XII A |
| Cultural Secretary | Joanna V. Emmanuel | XII B |
| Cultural Secretary | Mansi Pathak | XII A |
| Cultural Secretary | Aaliya Zainab | XII A |
| Cultural Secretary | Vanshita Agrahari | XI A |
Dolphin (Blue) House
House Motto: Fortune Favours the Brave
| Post | Name | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Captain (Boys) | Prince Eklavya | XII A |
| Captain (Girls) | Indrani Bhattacharya | XII B |
| Vice Captain (Boys) | Arnav Singh | XII A |
| Vice Captain (Girls) | Aaliya Zainab | XII A |
| Prefects (Boys) | Vinayak Mishra | XI A |
| Dhairya Pratap Singh | XI A | |
| Prefects (Girls) | Subhi Singh | XII B |
Eagle (Yellow) House
House Motto: To Greater Heights
| Post | Name | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Captain (Boys) | Sushant Kumar Mishra | XII A |
| Captain (Girls) | Joanna V. Emmanuel | XII B |
| Vice Captain (Boys) | Aaradhy Shukla | XII B |
| Vice Captain (Girls) | Smriti Kesarwani | XII A |
| Prefects (Boys) | Akshansh Yadav | XI A |
| Shaurya Kumar | XI B | |
| Prefects (Girls) | Yashasvi Devvanshi | XII A |
| Divyanshi Singh | XII B |
Panda (Green) House
House Motto: Labour with Consistency
| Post | Name | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Captain (Boys) | Gaurang Srivastava | XII A |
| Captain (Girls) | Vaishnavi S. Sengar | XII B |
| Vice Captain (Boys) | Anmol Kesarwani | XII A |
| Vice Captain (Girls) | Anshika Das Chaudhary | XII B |
| Prefects (Boys) | Satvik Gupta | XI A |
| Divyansh Upadhyay | XI A | |
| Prefects (Girls) | Astha Sonker | XII B |
| Vanshita Agrahari | XI A |
Tiger (Red) House
House Motto: Courage is Destiny
| Post | Name | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Captain (Boys) | Prashu Jain | XII A |
| Captain (Girls) | Anushka Bharadwaj | XII A |
| Vice Captain (Boys) | Avnil Sanjeev | XII A |
| Vice Captain (Girls) | Mansi Pathak | XII A |
| Prefects (Boys) | Avinish Gupta | XII A |
| Shlok Kumar Gupta | XII B | |
| Prefects (Girls) | Anamika Singh | XII A |
| Janhvi Singh | XII B |
