There’s a saying that growth starts at the end of your comfort zone, and few know this better than the Head of Trafalgar Castle School, Melissa Knight-Johnson. The Head of this day and boarding school for girls in Grades 4 through 12 has exemplified this sentiment throughout her career at the School and even before.
In addition to being the Head of School for Trafalgar Castle School, where she is responsible for its overall strategic operational management, Knight-Johnson has been a member of the Royal Canadian Navy for the past 20 years.
One could argue that Knight-Johnson’s comfort zone ended in her third year of university, when, inspired by a friend in the Royal Canadian Navy, she put herself through boot camp to see if she could complete it. The demands of boot camp were not only physical but also mental, as was Naval Warfare training, which Knight-Johnson continued into shortly after.
“What I was doing as a Naval Warfare Officer was so interesting.” Knight-Johnson recalls, “To get through training, I had to earn the captains’ confidence in that not only could I get the ship from point A to point B safely, but also that I could keep that thousand-ton ship and all 50 people on board safe while doing so and respond to any potential threat or situation.”
Naval Warfare Training also included maneuvering around other ships, which involved decoding messages, using physics and math solutions to determine where to go, and getting to designated positions—all in six minutes or less.
Knight-Johnson says that in the Navy, you’re challenged to reach your breaking point, and you need to know how to handle that breaking point. This helps the Navy ensure that its members can react appropriately in any given situation and that they succeed in their position while also ensuring the safety and security of the ships, those serving on them and the country for which they represent. Through boot camp, Knight-Johnson learned the importance of preparation work and, more importantly, how critical it is to trust yourself and project that confidence onto those around you. She didn’t know it then, but these would prove useful both inside and outside the Navy.
Knight-Johnson served on His Majesty’s Canadian Ships Nanaimo, Edmonton and Saskatoon as a watchkeeper, Navigation Officer and Operations Officer. She then served as the Senior Staff Officer for Outreach for Central Region Command, supporting the seven naval reserve divisions across Ontario. Here, she built relationships within the community and developed and supported programs to increase the public’s understanding of the Royal Canadian Navy. Like boot camp, her experiences in the Navy provided Knight-Johnson with invaluable lessons — like being decisive while also allowing others to be heard and the importance of building and maintaining strategic personal working relationships — that she would take with her into the next stage of her career journey: education.
“As a teen, I would never have thought of teaching or joining the Navy.” Knight-Johnson says, “Both of those careers came to me in university. I had always thought I would be a doctor from age two. It was while I was prepping for the MCAT that it dawned on me that being a doctor could possibly prevent me from doing all the other things I’d want to do in life. So I considered other options and recalled a time in my final year of high school when I taught a unit of Grade 9 Science and enjoyed it. So mid-way through my third year of undergrad, I decided to pursue education as a career and have never looked back.”
That decision turned into a career of 18-plus years with Trafalgar Castle School, beginning in 2007 when Knight-Johnson was hired as a Boarding School and Grade 8 homeroom teacher. Given her military background as an officer, she knew that leadership roles were where she would thrive. So naturally, when the position of Athletic Director at Trafalgar Castle School opened, Knight-Johnson decided to tuck her degree in Kinesiology and experience as a varsity athlete into her belt and take the leap.
Education leadership came naturally to Knight-Johnson as she continued to push out of her comfort zone and move into roles at Trafalgar Castle School, which provided more opportunities to flex her leadership muscles. These included Guidance and Student Programming roles, then Program Development in 2019.
“This allowed me to combine many of the aspects of the School that I loved,” she says. “The Athletic Director and Experiential Education Coordinator reported to me, and I managed our post-secondary applications and supported building partnerships with institutions and organizations like Ontario Tech University.”
Then, the pandemic hit, and the vice principal of Trafalgar Castle School retired. Over the next year, Knight-Johnson took on many of the vice principal’s responsibilities before proposing that she take over the Deputy Head of School position. Less than a year after taking over the Deputy Head position—and shortly after returning from maternity leave—Knight-Johnson learned that the then Head of School, Dr. Leanne Foster, was leaving and suggested that she apply for the position.
“I was 39 years old with an 18-month-old baby and a seven-year-old child. While I knew I would eventually want to become a Head of School, I wasn’t sure I was ready then.” Knight-Johnson explains, “I did a lot of thinking. Growth and challenge were always central to every role I’ve ever taken on, and I recognized that because I wouldn’t know how to do everything as Head of School right away, there would be a lot of growth and challenges.”
Not long after taking on the responsibility of Head of School, Knight-Johnson found herself heeding words of wisdom from Admiral Bill McRaven, author of Wisdom of the Bullfrog. Among the many lessons she gained from his book, four in particular she carries close to her chest as she began her career as Head of School. Be confident in yourself (“When in Command, Command”), demonstrate your stamina (“The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday”), be prepared to take risks (“Who Dares Wins”) and be accountable for your actions (“Can You Stand Before the Long Green Table”). All are touchpoints that can lay just outside the circle of comfort.
The former Head of School, Dr. Foster, was convinced that Knight-Johnson would be great at the helm of Trafalgar, and she’s proved Dr. Foster right ever since. In addition to her willingness to step beyond her comfort zone, Knight-Johnson attributes some of her success to the staff, faculty, community and students she encounters daily. Faculty members who acted as mentors throughout her career journey, as well as staff and community members who firmly believe in her leadership and the excellence, creativity, and passion of students.
The Trafalgar community views Knight-Johnson as a true leader—one who isn’t afraid to make crucial decisions, take risks, be the voice of the school, and, most importantly, recognize that to steer your ship effectively, you have to be willing to step outside your comfort zone.
“I want our students at Trafalgar to truly believe in themselves and remember that all of these moments, whether they’re fun, hard, easy or frustrating, are what will lead them to becoming the next version of themselves.” She says.