Nothing even remotely like this has ever happened before
In a secondary school in Melbourne's south-east, the quiet machinery of institutional life — contracts, renewals, conversations behind closed doors — gave way to sudden violence when a teacher, facing the end of his employment, stabbed the principal who had delivered that news. The assault at Keysborough Secondary College on a Tuesday afternoon injured principal Aaron Sykes, sent students into hiding, and left a community grappling with how ordinary grievance can, in a single unguarded moment, become something irreversible. Kim Ramchen, 37, now faces charges that will be decided in court, while the school around him attempts the slower work of returning to itself.
- A teacher who had just learned his contract would not be renewed walked into his principal's office and stabbed him twice — then left, returned with a larger knife, and had to be physically restrained by multiple staff members before police arrived.
- The school's lockdown alarm sent students scrambling into classrooms, some believing it was a drill until teachers began shouting — a thirteen-year-old called his mother, terrified, while families gathered anxiously outside the gates.
- In court, Ramchen's defence portrayed a man of no prior violence, a devoted father and quiet community member who 'snapped' after a door was slammed in his face — a version the magistrate noted conflicted with the principal's own account.
- Principal Aaron Sykes was treated and released with non-life-threatening injuries, Ramchen faces charges of intentional injury and unlawful assault, and a bail decision remains pending as the investigation continues.
- The school reopened the following morning with counsellors on site, but the community's sense of safety — the assumption that a school office is a place of paperwork, not peril — will take considerably longer to restore.
On a Tuesday afternoon at Keysborough Secondary College in Melbourne's south-east, a teacher named Kim Ramchen walked into principal Aaron Sykes's office and stabbed him twice. Ramchen, 37, had recently learned his contract would not be renewed for 2026. He first used a four-inch knife, was pulled away by staff, then left and returned with a twelve-inch knife before being pinned down by multiple colleagues until police arrived. Sykes sustained non-life-threatening wounds and was later released from hospital.
In court, Ramchen's lawyer described a man who had led a 'blameless life' — a financial provider to his wife and young son, with no history of violence. His brother Lev testified that Kim was a quiet person, deeply shaken by the loss of both parents in childhood, and that nothing like this had ever come close to happening before. The defence argued he had snapped after Sykes slammed a door during a conversation about the non-renewal, though the magistrate noted this account did not align with what the principal reported.
For the students inside the school, the experience was its own kind of wound. Thirteen-year-old Kerim Kacar initially thought the lockdown was a drill — until teachers began shouting. He and friends hid in the food technology room for around twenty minutes, frightened enough that he called his mother. His sister answered to the sound of their mother crying on the other end of the line. Outside, a crossing supervisor watched children waiting in the street, most of them anxious for friends still locked inside.
The school reopened Wednesday morning with counsellors present. Parents dropping off children described the events as frightening, though they were relieved no students had been physically harmed. The Victorian government confirmed wellbeing support was being arranged. Officially, the school was operating as normal — but for a community that had watched violence move through its administrative hallways, the return to normal would be a longer, quieter journey.
On a Tuesday afternoon in Melbourne's south-east, a school principal was stabbed twice in his own office by a teacher who had just learned his contract would not continue into the next year. Kim Ramchen, 37, walked into the administrative kitchen at Keysborough Secondary College's Acacia campus around 3 p.m., pulled a four-inch knife from somewhere on his person, and entered principal Aaron Sykes's office. What happened next was violent and sudden enough that staff had to physically intervene, pulling Ramchen away from Sykes. But the assault did not end there. Ramchen left the office, the school triggered a lockdown, and he returned with a twelve-inch knife to resume the attack. It took multiple staff members pinning him down before police arrived to make the arrest.
Ramchen had been teaching at the school for two years. The court heard he had recently discovered his contract would not be renewed for 2026. His lawyer would later argue that he "snapped" after Sykes slammed a door in his face during a conversation about the non-renewal, though the magistrate noted this account conflicted with what the principal said happened. Ramchen was charged with intentionally causing injury and unlawful assault. Sykes sustained non-life-threatening stab wounds and was released from hospital. Ramchen himself suffered a minor injury during the incident.
In the courtroom, Ramchen's defense painted a portrait of a man with no history of violence. His lawyer described him as someone who had led a "blameless life," a financial provider to his wife and three-year-old son, fully embedded in his community. His brother, Lev Ramchen, testified that he was "shocked and bewildered" by the allegations. He told the court that Kim was a quiet person, not much of a talker even with family. Their mother had died when they were children. Their father died of pancreatic cancer when Kim was fourteen. "Nothing even remotely like this has ever happened before," Lev said.
While the assault lasted only minutes, its ripple through the school community was immediate and lasting. When the lockdown alarm sounded, thirteen-year-old Kerim Kacar thought it was a drill. Then teachers began shouting at students to hide. He and friends ran into the food technology room and stayed there for about twenty minutes, terrified. He called his mother. His sister Merve answered the phone to their mother crying, hearing her child's fear through the line. "Hearing that was the scariest thing ever," Merve said. Outside the school, a crossing supervisor named Marlon watched children waiting in the street, some excited by the commotion, but most anxious for their friends still locked inside.
On Wednesday morning, the school reopened. Counselors were on site. A parent dropping off his child said the events were "scary" and "quite worrying," though he was grateful no students had been physically hurt. The crossing supervisor worried about how the children were feeling as they walked back through the gates. The Victorian government said it was working with the school to ensure access to wellbeing support. No students had been involved in the stabbing itself, and the school was operating as normal, the official statement said. But normal, for a school community that had just experienced violence in its administrative office, would take time to return.
Notable Quotes
I wouldn't have conceived that something like this was even possible. Nothing even remotely like this has ever happened before.— Lev Ramchen, brother of the accused
Everyone started running and the teachers started running and saying 'Quick, quick, hide, hide'… that's when it gave me a fright.— Kerim Kacar, 13-year-old student
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
What made him do this? Was there warning?
Not that anyone saw. He'd been there two years, quiet, no history of trouble. Then he found out his contract wasn't being renewed. His brother says he was the kind of person who kept things inside.
And the principal—did he know this was coming?
The court heard Ramchen had a conversation with Sykes about the non-renewal. Ramchen's lawyer said Sykes slammed a door in his face. The principal apparently tells a different story. Either way, something broke in that moment.
Two knives. Why go back for the second one?
That's the question that haunts it. He was pulled off the first time. The school locked down. But he came back with a bigger knife. It wasn't impulsive—it was deliberate.
The students—what did they experience?
Terror, mostly. They heard alarms, heard teachers yelling to hide. A thirteen-year-old called his mother from a locked room. His sister heard their mother crying on the other end of the line. Twenty minutes of not knowing if anyone was hurt.
And now?
Counselors are there. The school is open. But you don't walk through those doors the same way after something like that happens inside them.
Do you think anyone saw this coming?
His own brother said he couldn't have conceived of it. A quiet man, a provider, no history. Sometimes the people closest to us are the ones we understand least.