At Knight School Inc., you’re the hero.
More than playing dress-up with swords and armour, Knight School is a unique fusion of medieval training in the modern world.
Founded by Jaclyn Ziemniak and Joshua Knowles, the Milton sports-based empowerment organization offers immersive experiences. Participants can engage in choreographed stage fighting, medieval mounted games, team-building programs, riding lessons, horse training, and even first aid certification.
At its core, though, Knight School is about making people feel confident, empowered, and valued.
Through the art of medieval teachings, this power duo has set the stage for removing the restrictive barriers we often self-inflict and helping empower people from all walks of life.
Jaclyn and Joshua met while competing internationally in full-contact medieval combat and quickly formed a strong bond. With backgrounds in corporate management, they noticed a common challenge in large companies—strategic plans often get lost in translation between executives, middle management, and frontline staff.
Determined to bridge this gap, they developed a team-building program that helps employees at all levels feel confident, empowered, and valued in their daily roles.
While the corporate world and medieval swordplay can feel two worlds apart, Joshua sees the connection, “It’s a great icebreaker to get people up and laughing and doing something that they never thought they would do, which is to learn how to do a choreographed sword fight like they are on TV or in the movies.”
Beyond the fun, the session helps the participants create a free flow of safe conversation, which includes employees feeling safe to ask for help so that they can grow and feel supported.
This same strategy and firmly held values are used in their other services. “Our three main values are accessibility, inclusion, and empowerment,” Jaclyn states.
Knight School’s impact extends far beyond corporate training.
They partner with several organizations and traditionally underserved groups, including retirement facilities and a local therapeutic riding school for those with emotional or mental exceptionalities.
What’s more, Jaclyn and Joshua are especially passionate about working with children, particularly those between the ages of 8 and 12 who are at a crossroads in their growth and self-esteem.
“It’s like empowering those kids at that very moment where they can either start to shrink or grow,” Joshua says.
Joshua relates this understanding to his own childhood experience. Despite his current six-foot-four frame, he describes himself as an awkward kid in high school. “I didn’t play sports. I had this internalized monologue, ‘I’m not good at sports,’ which isn’t necessarily true.”
Now, he realizes that maybe many like him just aren’t interested in traditional sports. This understanding opens up the opportunity for other children who likely feel like he did, those who may not be viewed as obvious athletes.
One of Knight School’s earliest events was a choreographed sword fight for a teenage boy’s birthday party. This group consisted of a diverse group of kids with different athletic abilities and outgoing traits. By the end of the event, they had all learned the sword fight choreography.
Their approach extends to girls’ programming, acknowledging that many girls drop out of athletics in their teenage years.
Joshua and Jaclyn want them to say, “I belong in sports, whatever the space is, I belong here. I’m confident to be here. And that’s really our passion is helping people see that.”
The kids are so busy having fun that they often don’t even realize they’re learning real-world skills, such as proprioception—using your body in space.
Kids can take this skill and use it in real life; it’s about who they are, how they operate in the world, and how they can use it to build confidence.
When Jaclyn and Joshua launched Knight School, they never imagined that educating the market in what they do would be their biggest obstacle and opportunity at the same time. Their programs are about facilitating conversations in a unique way that allows people to see themselves differently.
It’s what they call their “secret sauce.” Whether it’s corporate teams, kids, or community groups, participants walk away having faced challenges, worked together, and discovered strengths they didn’t know they had.
Curious to see yourself as a Knight? As their motto goes: “You can’t be what you can’t see.”
Knight School is launching a new 2025 summer camp for kids. They also recently wrapped up a six-week sword-fighting program with the Milton Community Resource Centre (MCRC), so be on the lookout for upcoming community programs.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a corporate workplace or if it’s a kids’ camp, it’s increasing the ability to feel like you’re a strong powerful person who can implement change in your world. And that’s really our sweet spot,” says Joshua.
You can find more about this creative duo’s services on their website, or on their socials, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
