echo - Issue 17 - Autumn 2015

70e DE L’ONU : LES ÉLÈVES INAUGURENT «REBIRTH»

HAVE CHALK, WILL TRAVEL Training teachers in Zambia

IN THE KEY OF ECOLINT Alumni in the music industry

WELCOME

Welcome to the Autumn 2015 issue of echo, the biannual magazine of the International School of Geneva. In addition to being made available online, copies are distributed to the parents of all current students and alumni for whom we have a postal address, as well as staff and other members of our community.

Regular readers may notice that the magazine has been given a fresh new look and we also hope you will enjoy the selection of articles. They include features on humanitarian activities undertaken by staff and students, a look at pedagogical innovation around the Foundation, and insights into how our alumni are making their mark on the world, including two who were guests of honour at the 2015 graduations. Read on, and let us know what you think!

echo.magazine@ecolint.ch

BIENVENUE

Bienvenue aux lecteurs de cette édition d’automne 2015 d’echo, le magazine semestriel de l’Ecole Internationale de Genève. Egalement disponible en ligne, cette publication est distribuée aux parents des élèves actuels, aux alumni pour lesquels nous possédons une adresse postale, aux collaborateurs de l’école et à d’autres membres de notre communauté scolaire.

Si vous lisez régulièrement echo, vous remarquerez que nous en avons rafraîchi la mise en page et nous espérons que vous aurez plaisir à parcourir les articles de ce numéro. Vous découvrirez les activités humanitaires menées par les collaborateurs et les élèves, les innovations pédagogiques au sein de la Fondation, le parcours de nos alumni à travers le monde – deux d’entre eux étaient d’ailleurs les invités d’honneur de nos cérémonies de remise des diplômes 2015. Bonne lecture, et n’hésitez pas à nous faire part de vos commentaires !

CONTENTS CONTENU

3 A Word from the DG

4 News and Views

6 Training teachers in Zambia

7 Fundraising for Nepal

8 Nouvelle Directrice de l’éducation

9 Institut d’apprentissage et d’enseignement

10 STEM learning at Ecolint

12 Interview: Lakshmi Sundaram and Michael Mathres

14 Alumni in the music industry

16 Alumni who teach at Ecolint

18 LGB retirees

19 From the archives: Ludwik Rajchman

WEB

Foundation: www.ecolint.ch

Boutique: www.ecolint.ch/boutique

Centre des arts: www.ecolint-arts.ch Ecolint Camps: www.ecolint-camps.ch

Alumni: alumni.ecolint.ch

MAKE A GIFT

Ecolint is a not-for-profit Foundation. Our Development Associate Brian Wahlen is available to discuss ways of providing additional support via a regular or once-off donation. Taxpayers from various jurisdictions, including the US, the UK and Switzerland, can benefit from tax deductions.

Visit: www.ecolint.ch/support

Contact: brian.wahlen@ecolint.ch

www.ecolintusa.org (for US taxpayers) +41 (0)22 787 26 19

IMPRESSUM

Editor-in-Chief: Michael Kewley (Director of Marketing & Stakeholder Relations)

Managing Editor: Eoghan O’Sullivan (Head of Alumni Relations)

Editorial Team: Catherine Mérigay (Communications Manager), Francis Poncioni (Graphic Designer), Alejandro Rodriguez-Giovo (Foundation Archivist).

Printed by PCL Presses Centrales S.A. / Production 14,000 copies

International School of Geneva, 62, route de Chêne, CH-1208 Geneva

Echo is published twice a year by the Marketing & Stakeholder Relations Department, International School of Geneva and is also available on the school and alumni websites. For more information about echo or to submit information for publication, or if you would like additional copies, please contact the Managing Editor (eoghan.osullivan@ecolint.ch). The Marketing & Stakeholder Relations Department has made every effort to ensure that the information contained in this edition is accurate and complete. However, despite our sincere desire to avoid errors they might occur.

© Copyright International School of Geneva, November 2015.

20 The Back Board

ON THE COVER:

The United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) marked its 70th anniversary with an open day on 24 October 2015. Ecolint students participated in the inauguration of a commemorative sculpture. (See page 5)

Photo: UN Photo / Jean-Marc Ferré

A WORD FROM THE DG

A glorious autumn followed the baking summer in Geneva and we are proud to have 4,440 children in our school. Two new principals have taken up their posts: Christelle Lonez as Primary Principal at Campus des Nations and Conrad Hughes as Secondary and Campus Principal at La Grande Boissière. Karen Taylor has joined us as Director of Education (see page 8).

Worrying trends in the mental health of children and adolescents is a subject that preoccupies many of us working in education across the world. The sharp rise in incidents of self-harm and depression in the last 15 years is attributed to a wide range of factors which include, amongst others, the all-pervasive and sometimes toxic nature of social media; family break-up; parental, peer or self-imposed pressures to succeed, to perform and to conform; and fewer opportunities to take part in recreational sport.

In the face of this, what do schools do to support their students? Ensure that the approach to pastoral care means that there is at least one approachable adult who is looking out for each student’s well-being and progress; establish and maintain good two- way communication with parents; and strike the right balance with our students between being aspirational for their progress and showing that we value them for who they are today are all good places to start. At Ecolint we are fortunate also to have experienced psychologists and nurses working alongside our teachers and management teams to provide expert support.

As well as a place of safety where students are encouraged to explore their ideas, school is a community where the nurturing, wise and principled voices of adults provide a vitally positive influence. These voices have to be a little stronger than in the past as they compete with the class that never ends: the world wide web. They need to help students be hopeful and at ease with doubt. Above all, while respecting their

individuality, students appreciate feeling a sense of belonging to a community. For some, though by no means all, the best way to defy the demons that can lay them low is to be busy with activities that are not just about them as individuals: sports teams; orchestras; performing arts groups; international award expeditions; coding clubs; Odyssey of the Mind and so on. In our mission we say that we expect our students to want to take an active part in making their world a better place. We might assert that it is hard to help make the world a better place if you do not first feel good about yourself. But perhaps the trick to feeling good about yourself is to forget yourself by focusing on others, on noble causes, on that world betterment mission!

This notion of service is embedded in the IB philosophy and modelled by staff, current and former, across our Foundation. Within my own team of la Conférence des Directeurs two are trained volunteer firefighters in their local community and several devote some of their annual leave to supporting educational projects in Zambia, Sierra Leone and Nepal. Closer to home,

the Governing Board of the Foundation is a group of people, many of whom have busy day jobs or family commitments or both, who nevertheless seek to help make Ecolint a better place through their commitment to the onerous responsibilities of stewardship of the Foundation. I feel very privileged to work alongside these people who are most generous with their time and talents.

A propos of this, a little piece of history was made this September when Melaye RasWork, alumna of Ecolint, took on the mantle of Chair of the Governing Board. Ninety-one years on from the school’s opening in 1924, the Foundation of Ecolint has, for the first time concurrently, a female Chair and a female Director General. Vive la différence !

We might assert that it is hard to help make the world a better place if you do not first feel good about yourself.

Ninety-one years on from its opening in 1924, the school has a female Director General and a female Chair concurrently: Vicky Tuck and Melaye Ras-Work (LGB ‘87).

KEEPING IT REAL

NEWS AND VIEWS CHANGING OF THE GUARD

The official Alumni Association of the International School of Geneva was founded on 17 October 1935 and thus this year marks its 80th anniversary. In the days before email, social networks and low-fare airlines, the Association’s activities served

After last year's success with the Thought Leadership Series across the three campuses for the Foundation’s 90th anniversary, of the school we continue to invite inspirational speakers this year, and hopefully for the foreseeable future.

The idea for the series came from the fact that living in such a privileged and prosperous environment we risk losing sight of what is “reality”, and we therefore need to find opportunities to understand what is really going on in the world. Inviting a wide range of speakers from diverse backgrounds helps us to “keep in touch”.

Empathy, open-mindedness and tolerance are words we often use when talking about the education we provide at Ecolint; but perhaps at times we use them too lightly. Listening to and reflecting upon the testimony of someone who has suffered personally adds weight to those words. The individual is in front of us, and we have the opportunity to analyse, ask questions, debate, discuss and enter into a dialogue with them; it takes things to a completely different dimension.

So far in this series we have heard from Holocaust survivors, acid attack victims, aboriginal spokespersons, and victims of terrorist attacks. In the coming months we will have activists for women's rights, gay rights, environmental issues, and other guests who will share their story with us.

I believe the programme has given our school an opportunity to broaden the students’ horizons. Thanks to continued support from everyone within the community we can continue to enrich the educational fabric of our institution.

as the glue that held the global community of alumni together. Today there is more contact than ever before between alumni, with former classmates corresponding and meeting on a regular basis all over the world. In recent decades we have also seen the Foundation itself taking an increasingly active role in alumni relations, with the Alumni Office serving as a hub for stories, contacts, events and visits.

Despite this growth in ways for our alumni to engage with each other and the school, the Alumni Association continues to play an important role as a focal point for activities in Geneva. Most recently its Central Committee has concentrated primarily on the organisation of the five-yearly Alumni World Reunions as well as Escalade dinners and raclette/fondue evenings.

NEW MEMBERS

Last May, during the annual General Assembly of the Association, its co-chairs Francis Wright (LGB ’58) and Karin Raton (LGB ’70) stepped down from the role they had each held since 2010. Their fellow committee members thanked them for their work on behalf of the alumni community.

Michel Pelletier (LGB ’61), who along with Loïs Meyhoffer (LGB ’37) is an honorary member of the Central Committee, has handed the role of Secretary over to fellow committee member Theo Gill (LGB ’69). Michel, who continues as Treasurer of the Association, served as Secretary for an incredible 44 years!

Karin Raton remains a member of the Central Committee, which has welcomed two new members: Anna Szabados (LGB ’90) and Peter Hachfeld (LGB ’08). They join the above-mentioned members, along with Frank Lunt (Former Staff ’09) and Gisela Vargas (LGB ’90). A new chair of the Association has not yet been named. This task, which is the responsibility of the Central Committee, will be completed once the new committee members have settled in. >>>

John Deighan, teacher at La Châtaigneraie Primary School and coordinator of the Ecolint Thought Leadership Series.

The founder and captain of the Palestinian women’s football team, Honey Thaljieh, visited La Chât in October 2015. She’s pictured here with Year 6 student Yafa Hannon Karin Raton Francis Wright

In the meantime, Geneva-based alumni should keep an eye out for invitations to upcoming events including the Escalade Dinner (9 December) and the B.E.E.R. pre-Christmas gathering at Mr. Pickwick (17 December). Anyone interested in joining the Committee would be most welcome to observe one of the regular meetings. Alumni who attended La Châtaigneraie or Campus des Nations are particularly welcome!

ALUMNI WEBSITE CLARIFICATION

The official Ecolint Alumni website is at alumni.ecolint. ch. This site, with more than 6,500 registered members, is maintained by Ecolint’s Alumni Office. A monthly email newsletter provides links to the latest news, blog posts, events and publications. We encourage all alumni to take a few moments to register or sign in to update their contact details.

An unofficial site known as “Ecolint Online”, maintained by an alumnus, can be found at alumni.ecolint.net. While we know that this site is valued by many of our alumni, particularly as it existed long before our official site was launched, in the interests of clarity we wish to remind you that it is not connected with nor endorsed by the International School of Geneva. Furthermore, donations made to this website reach neither the Foundation nor the Alumni Association.

LES ÉLÈVES INAUGURENT «REBIRTH»

Pour son 70e anniversaire, l’Office des Nations Unies à Genève (ONUG) a reçu de l’artiste Michelangelo Pistoletto une oeuvre symbolisant la paix entre les peuples. Invités par l’ONUG à dévoiler eux-mêmes la sculpture, de jeunes élèves de l’Ecolint ont répondu présents.

Depuis la mi-octobre, 193 blocs de pierre gravés aux noms des états-membres de l’ONU serpentent dans le parc du Palais des Nations en trois boucles rappelant le signe de l’infini. La structure, ainsi que l’explique l’artiste, exprime la mission de l’ONU : «la recherche d’un équilibre entre les idées divergentes, la création d’un nouveau monde d’harmonie à travers le dialogue entre les oppositions, l’aspiration à gouverner en promouvant le développement inclusif et durable».

C’est le 24 octobre 2015, dans le cadre de la journée portes ouvertes au Palais des Nations, que la sculpture a été présentée au public et aux représentants des médias. Une inauguration traditionnelle requérant l’usage d’un voile que l’on retire, il fallait s’adapter à cette œuvre aux dimensions peu banales! L’ONUG et l’artiste ont donc fait appel à l’Ecole Internationale de Genève pour trouver 193 enfants et leur confier la tâche de dévoiler chacune des pierres à l’issue de la cérémonie. Une mission accomplie avec brio par les élèves et dont il faut souligner la patience exemplaire alors qu’ils devaient attendre la fin des discours officiels !

Ce n’est certes pas un hasard si l’Ecolint a été associée à l’événement. Ses liens étroits avec la Société des Nations, puis avec l’ONU, de même que l’impressionnante diversité culturelle de sa communauté scolaire, en faisaient un partenaire idéal pour renforcer le message délivré par la sculpture : l’espoir d’un monde plus pacifique grâce au respect entre les peuples et les nations.

Photo: UN Photo / Jean-Marc Ferré

HAVE CHALK, WILL TRAVEL

A GROUP OF FOUNDATION STAFF SPENT PART OF THEIR SUMMER BREAK TRAINING TEACHERS IN ZAMBIA. LESLEY MEYER , CAMPUS DES NATIONS PRINCIPAL, REPORTS ON THE TRIP AND THE PARTICULAR CHALLENGES OF TEACHING WITH ONLY THE MOST BASIC RESOURCES.

It was late afternoon on the banks of the Zambezi. Amidst speeches and much shaking of hands the former official responsible for education in the Western Province in Zambia turned to me and said, “Mrs Meyer, it would be wonderful if one day you could bring some proper teachers to Zambia to work alongside our teachers”. If you had seen the glint in his eye you would have recognised that this was no polite invitation, it was a very real challenge.

Since 1997 groups of international school students have been travelling to a small NGO-run camp, ZEEC (Zambezi Environmental Education Centre) to work in local schools in the Sioma area. Liaising closely with ZEEC Directors Mwiwanenwa Mwitumwa (or Mr Joe) and Joachim Meyer, students raise funds for projects determined by the local schools and have provided housing for teachers, boreholes, classrooms and educational materials. Some, including those from LGB and Nations accompanied by Ecolint teachers Frank Gatta, Jill Bailey and Keith Browne, then travel to the area and teach what are often truly exciting lessons in English, Maths or Science. It is a joy to see our international students, ‘taking an active part in making their world a better place’, a fundamental part of Ecolint’s mission.

INTO THE BUSH

However, the challenge of finding teachers willing and able to spend a part of their summer break, and a good deal of their own money, to travel to a remote part of Zambia to run a series of educational workshops quite literally ‘in the bush’ proved to be quite hard to overcome – until Ecolint that is! The International School of Geneva is an extraordinary community – and not because it is the oldest and one of the largest. Staff, students and parents live out the shared values of the school on a daily basis and are involved in projects in the local community and around the world. Nonetheless, it was quite a surprise when colleagues at Campus des Nations leapt at the opportunity to work with teachers in

rural Africa and almost immediately began planning a series of teacher training workshops designed to share their educational knowledge and experience with others.

The planning began in proper teacher style with questions – not about facilities, food or transport – but about whether we were doing the right thing. Could Ecolint staff, used to working in well-equipped classrooms with highly motivated students, really offer anything useful, practical or even relevant to our Zambian colleagues? Teachers there face enormous challenges: classes of up to 100, very few books, often no electricity or permanent classrooms. With all this in mind we planned eight very full days of workshops, with a commitment to use only resources that would be available in a ‘bush’ school - a blackboard, white chalk, a few sheets of paper and, of course, no internet or text books. We prepared sessions on planning and strategies for teaching mathematics, literacy and EAL (English as an Additional Language), including showing how to make teaching materials with few resources. We taught in dark rooms, on verandas, in empty classrooms and even in a bar!

None of this would have been possible without the generous support of the Campus des Nations and Foundation staff who sponsored food, transport and materials for the Zambian teachers.

164 TEACHERS TRAINED

It is of course difficult to evaluate the impact in the classroom of any form of professional development, but the feedback from the teachers who attended was overwhelmingly positive. In total 164 teachers and head teachers joined the ZEEC group in Nangweshi, Senanga and Mongu. They made full use of the rare opportunity to work together collaboratively and

entered into activities and exercises with professional curiosity and then enthusiasm, determined to use and share in their own schools what they had learnt and created.

There is no doubt that this was an amazing opportunity for us to put into practice many of the values that underpin international education. It was extremely hard work with very long days of teaching, planning and reflecting. We travelled long distances on terrible roads, stayed in some ‘interesting’ accommodation and all fell in love with the beauty of the Zambian bush and the wonderful, inspiring teachers who see education as the way out of poverty for their students and their country.

Justin Harte (acting Primary Principal at Nations), Alison Ball (Director of Ecolint’s Institute of Learning and Teaching), Dr Tony Harries (Durham University), Lesley Meyer (Secondary and Campus Principal at Nations), Nikki Ross (PYP Coordinator at Nations) and Elyane Ruel (former Nations Principal, now Principal at the American International School of Bucharest).

The “backward design” method of curriculum planning was the focus of a workshop in Nangweshi.

FROM THE ALPS TO THE HIMALAYAS

ECOLINT’S ALREADY STRONG CONNECTION WITH NEPAL HAS BEEN MUCH IN EVIDENCE SINCE THE EARTHQUAKES EARLIER THIS YEAR. BECCI LEE , EARLY YEARS PRINCIPAL AT PREGNY, REPORTS ON THE MANY FUNDRAISING EFFORTS AROUND THE FOUNDATION.

Since 2006, Olivier Revaz (Head of French at La Châtaigneraie) has organised five trips to Nepal, with Ecolint students raising funds and travelling to Kathmandu to support Sagarmatha Asayha Sewa Sangh (SASS), a children’s home. Fundraising of more than 60,000 CHF has paid for children’s education, clothes, books and other initiatives.

On Saturday 25 April 2015, Nepal was hit by a devastating earthquake, measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale. In the days that followed, there were hundreds of aftershocks and on Tuesday 12 May a second major earthquake struck the country, measuring 7.3. The scale of the damage was revealed slowly owing to the remote terrain for which Nepal is so famous and communications being down. Entire villages were lost.

ACTION STATIONS

It is hard when a disaster happens on this scale to know where to begin in terms of trying to help. Across the Foundation there was a huge variety of efforts, and additionally several of our Ecolint parents were involved in relief work through their organisations both in Geneva and in Nepal itself.

At La Châtaigneraie Primary, funds were raised through a movie afternoon, a student council request for a PTA grant, a second-hand book sale organised by the student council and Year 4 pupils, and through a staff lunch generously sponsored by Ecolint's catering supplier Novae..

A total of 4,741 CHF was raised and shared between three organisations. SASS were able to distribute sacks of rice to 400 families and 200 tents to people in need, and are keeping an amount to repair one of the two buildings on site. The Village to Village organisation in the Bungamati area provides funds to build latrines in a villages where sanitation has been completely destroyed. According to recent reports, twelve latrines have been built through collaboration with local villagers and are

It is hard to know where to begin in terms of trying to help. Across the Foundation there were a huge variety of efforts like this “Ban Bhoj” at Pregny.

now being managed by the villages. Funds also went to Nepali Youth Om Peace, a children’s education organisation set up by Philippe Musset, chef at La Châtaigneraie.

At La Châtaigneraie Secondary, Sam Lewis and Phoebe Hughes in Year 7 proposed to raise funds for villages that had suffered devastation following the earthquake. Lily and Laura bracelets, which are made by Nepalese communities, were sold at the Kermesse by a team of helpers including the Dhakhwa family from Nepal, Emma Greenaway and Phoebe Hughes and the Lewis family. The total amount raised was 4,854 CHF and the PTA gave 1,000 CHF to the project via their matching scheme.

UNANIMOUS SUPPORT

The LGB Middle School Student Council unanimously voted to give money from the International Lunch event (March 2015), to two charities, UNICEF and Shelter Box. 1,000 CHF was sent immediately to each and Year 7 followed up in June with another 500 CHF.

Les Marronniers (LGB) Primary Year 4 drama production raised 1,760 CHF which has been donated to First Steps Himalaya (FSH).

ALUMNI DONATION

In May 2015 the Ecolint Alumni US Northeast Chapter made a donation of $1,000 USD to the Kharikhola School Project, founded in 1985 following a trip to Nepal by Frank Lunt and Alan Sharpe of the Ecolint Physics Department. The project is led today by former Ecolint teacher Nicole Thouroude, who said that the donation would help with the rebuilding of the school following the earthquakes.

At Pregny (Campus des Nations) a Nepali style picnic and gathering (known in Nepal as a ‘Ban Bhoj’) was organised by staff, parents and children. Funds were raised through a silent auction for a stunning painting donated by Lucy Shaw (LGB Middle School Art and Drama teacher), a raffle, a second-hand toy sale, Nepali-inspired artwork made by the children, face painting and henna painting. Combined with several other events, organised by the children and parents of Pregny and Saconnex, such as bake sales and a walk-a-thon, a grand total of 7,640 CHF was sent to FSH.

FSH works in partnership with disadvantaged communities in the Sindhupalchok district of rural Nepal to provide early childhood development and quality education in schools. Unfortunately, the Sindhupalchok district was one of the worst-hit areas. FSH intends to rebuild using the “earthbag” method, as their newly constructed Education and Training centre in the heart of devastated Sangachok stood up to the earthquake and following aftershocks. Rebuilding started in September 2015.

Nepal continues to need a great deal of support after the devastating earthquakes. Please consider making a donation to one of the above organisations.

A huge thank you to all who have supported these projects. Thanks to Catherine Lewis, Derinda Barrance, Olivier Revaz, Catherine Revaz, David Woods, Duff Gyr and Shona Wright for their help with this article.

NEW TO OUR FAMILY

ECOLINT’S NEW DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION DR KAREN TAYLOR TOOK UP THE POSITION LAST AUGUST. BELOW SHE OUTLINES WHY SHE WAS EXCITED TO JOIN THE FOUNDATION AND HOW SHE SEES HER ROLE DEVELOPING.

A family of Swedish origin on my mother’s side, a daughter who is half American and half Russian, a French husband, two step children who are half French-half Madagascan, a Danish sister-in-law, a Ugandan niece, more than half my life lived at least partially in France. This is me and my family. But we are not the only such family. This is the world in which we live today.

Imaginez mon enthousiasme quand j’ai entendu parler du poste de Directeur de l’éducation à l’Ecolint. Voilà une école qui en son essence possède des valeurs profondément significatives et qu’elle transmet de manière active aux enfants, des valeurs qui correspondent à mes propres principes directeurs personnels et qui font écho à l’expérience de ma famille. Tout aussi attirant est le caractère bilingue de la Fondation. Je crois profondément que le bilinguisme ou le multilinguisme est non seulement enrichissant pour l’individu en termes de développement cognitif et de capacité d’empathie, mais qu’il est également nécessaire dans le monde d’aujourd’hui.

and that Ecolint itself remains a leader in innovative and meaningful pedagogy.

Perhaps it is clear why such a position would be appealing to me, but why is it important for Ecolint to have a Director of Education? As you well know, Ecolint is a large organisation - three campuses, eight schools, circa 4,440 students. Furthermore, from its earliest years, Ecolint has prided itself on providing an excellent education to a diverse, international student body with the aim of creating global citizens and leaders of the world’s increasingly complex future and who will be guided by the core principles of the school. It is the responsibility of the Director of Education to ensure that this takes place across this varied Foundation

Pendant de nombreuses années, Conrad Hughes a rempli ce rôle de manière plus que compétente. Sa nomination en tant que Directeur du campus et de l’Ecole secondaire de LGB ouvre la possibilité de repenser le rôle de Directeur de l’éducation. J’ai bien sûr l’intention de poursuivre les objectifs visionnaires établis par Conrad et l’UNESCO qui sont articulés dans les «Principes directeurs pour l’apprentissage au 21e siècle». Ce document témoigne de l’approche tournée vers l’avant que déploie l’Ecolint envers l’éducation des jeunes. Donner corps et vie à ces principes constitue un autre de mes objectifs. Mais le rôle du Directeur de l’éducation a amorcé quelques changements subtils. Il est de ma responsabilité - et c’est mon butd’assurer une cohérence dans la qualité de l’enseignement prodigué au sein de la Fondation. Comme ce poste est à présent combiné avec celui de Directrice de l’Institut d’enseignement et d’apprentissage, c’est sur ce dernier que se concentre le plus naturellement notre attention.

What an extraordinary gift it is to have the Institute at Ecolint. It is the focal point for

professional development in pedagogy and offers to instructors at Ecolint and the outside world a rich array of professional development opportunities. There are a number of excellent programmes already in place: the Postgraduate Certificate in International Education, the master’s degree programmes offered in association with the University of Geneva and Durham University, the microprogramme in philosophy at the Université Laval, courses in Teaching English in the Mainstream Classroom, the Gifted and Talented course, as well as teacher training for classroom assistants. It is through the Institute that we will be able to focus also on offering workshops and training that will be tailored to meet the needs and interests of teachers at Ecolint. Such professional development opportunities will help individual teachers to explore new pedagogical methods and will serve as a resource for school principals and their teams to strengthen the individual programmes and curricula on their campuses.

What is most important, what is essential, is that all our efforts serve to improve the quality of education and the experience of the children at Ecolint.

«...des valeurs qui correspondent à mes propres principes directeurs personnels et qui font écho à l’expérience de ma famille.»

SE FORMER À FORMER : TRÈS INSTRUCTIF !

A TRAVERS SON OFFRE DE FORMATIONS CONTINUES, L’INSTITUT D’APPRENTISSAGE ET D’ENSEIGNEMENT DE L’ECOLINT TRANSMET 90 ANS D’EXPERTISE EN ÉDUCATION INTERNATIONALE. CATHERINE MÉRIGAY A RENCONTRÉ ALISON BALL ET FRÉDÉRIC MERCIER , LES PASSIONNÉS (ET PASSIONNANTS) CO-DIRECTEURS DE L’INSTITUT.

Créé en 2011, l’Institut a pour vocation de proposer des formations certifiantes en pédagogie et de les mettre à disposition des collaborateurs de l’Ecolint et du public. En 2010 déjà, un pas décisif avait été fait dans ce sens grâce à la mise en place du Postgraduate Certificate in Education (International). Ce programme, dispensé en anglais, permet de devenir enseignant dans un environnement international.

DES FORMATIONS INNOVANTES

Comment l’Ecolint en est-elle venue à offrir cette possibilité ? «A l’époque, raconte Alison, je rencontrais des gens aux parcours variés qui souhaitaient se réorienter vers l’enseignement et qui auraient fait d’excellents pédagogues. D’autre part, nous avons à l’Ecolint de talentueux enseignants et j’ai pensé qu’ils pourraient transmettre leur savoir à ces personnes désireuses de se reconvertir.»

Alison cherche alors à monter un partenariat, et c’est avec la prestigieuse université de Durham, au Royaume-Uni, que va s’élaborer le PGCE (International) en collaboration avec l’Ecolint. «Il s’agissait d’ajouter à cette formation existante au Royaume-Uni, le PGCE, une forte sensibilisation aux caractéristiques d’une population d’élèves d’origines et de cultures très diverses», explique Alison. Depuis, cinq volées d’étudiants provenant de tous les secteurs – finance, santé, journalisme, sciences et beaucoup d’autres – ont obtenu leur certificat et sont allés enseigner dans les écoles internationales de Suisse et du monde entier.

L’élaboration, par la suite, de deux masters en éducation internationale (l’un en collaboration avec l’Université de Genève, l’autre avec l’université de Durham), témoigne de l’importance croissante de nourrir une réflexion globalisée sur l’enseignement. La transmission du savoir a la faculté de traverser les frontières, de briser les barrières culturelles et de devenir un outil réunificateur. Cela vous rappelle

quelque chose? La création de l’Ecolint en 1924 repose sur ce même principe.

TRANSMETTRE POUR PACIFIER

La formation de pédagogues «sans frontières» peut-elle œuvrer pour un monde meilleur ? «Oui, en transmettant l’expérience presque centenaire de l’Ecolint aux prochaines générations d’enseignants», se réjouit Alison. En faisant par conséquent rayonner les valeurs d’ouverture, de tolérance et de paix, constitutives de l’Ecolint et si nécessaires au monde d’aujourd’hui.

Le lien entre formation à l’éducation internationale et pacification des relations humaines s’illustre parfaitement à travers la nouvelle formation proposée dès juillet 2016 par l’institut. Il s’agit du Microprogramme en philosophie pour les enfants, développé par l’Université Laval à Québec et encadré par le Pr Michel Sasseville. L’Ecolint en a obtenu l’exclusivité européenne depuis septembre 2015. Grâce à ce programme, les enseignants acquièrent les outils nécessaires à l’élaboration et à la conduite de séances de philosophie.

Frédéric Mercier, à l’origine de cette collaboration depuis plusieurs années, explique pourquoi la philosophie en classe a une si grande valeur en termes de développement de l’enfant : «La pratique de la philosophie avec les élèves, et ce dès l’âge de trois ans, a pour objectif de stimuler leur pensée critique, leur agilité mentale, leur faculté d’analyse et l’écoute de l’autre.» Mais encore ? Tout enseignement n’est-il pas sensé développer ces compétences ? «Grâce à cette ʻgymnastique de l’esprit, ajoute Frédéric, les enfants construisent des habiletés de penser qui leur permettent de valoriser leurs opinions, leurs erreurs et de prendre la place qui leur revient dans une discussion. Au final, c’est l’estime de soi qui en sort grandi : l’enfant a une voix et elle est entendue. L’effet ultime de ce processus est la (re)construction du dialogue, et le dialogue est lui-même

la clé de la résilience et de la cohabitation pacifique entre les êtres humains.»

L’équation «s’ouvrir à l’internationalisme + apprendre à dialoguer = résoudre les conflits» semble si puissante que l’on se prend à rêver : si de plus en plus d’enseignants ayant intégré cette équation la transmettent à un nombre croissant d’élèves à travers le monde, alors ce système pourrait bien avoir un impact concret – osons l’espérer – sur la résolution des conflits planétaires. C’est là que le lien entre éducation internationale et paix dans le monde prend tout son sens.

Plus d’information sur l’Institut d’apprentissage et d’enseignement de l’Ecolint : www.ecolint.ch/institute

LA PHILO EN CLASSE, MODE D’EMPLOI

En expérience pilote à La Grande Boissière, la philosophie est pratiquée dans toutes les classes de l’Ecole primaire selon le principe développé par le pédagogue Matthew Lipman et repris par le Pr Michel Sasseville, de l’Université Laval au Québec. L’école collabore également avec l’Université de Genève.

• Chaque enseignant est formé et coaché

• La séance de philo est conduite par le maître de classe

• Selon les âges, des thèmes tels que le bien, le mal, la vérité, le mensonge sont abordés

• Des indicateurs cognitifs, comportementaux et relationnels servent à évaluer l’impact de la philosophie (tests de logique, diminution du nombre d’incidents entre les enfants, etc.)

STEM TAKING ROOT

ACROSS THE FOUNDATION THERE IS A GROWING RECOGNITION OF THE IMPORTANCE OF INTERDISCIPLINARY LEARNING. DR CONRAD HUGHES, LGB CAMPUS AND SECONDARY PRINCIPAL, AND PROF FRANCESCO MONDADA , PROFESSOR OF ROBOTIC SYSTEMS AT EPFL, OUTLINE THE PLANS FOR BRINGING STEM LEARNING TOGETHER IN A DEDICATED NEW CENTRE AT LA GRANDE BOISSIERE.

“STEM stands for “science, technology, engineering and mathematics”: it suggests an integrated approach to these domains whereby science and mathematics are learnt through interdisciplinary projects that use technology and the principles of engineering. Although interdisciplinary learning should not be restricted to these areas, STEM provides particularly useful opportunities for meaningful, innovative practice that reflects the increasingly integrated nature of real-world scientific research.”

Guiding Principles for Learning in the 21st Century, p.19

The LGB STEM Centre will be a place where students can extend their thinking by engaging in the creation and solving of open-ended problems involving robotics, design and programming. The fundamental aim of the centre is to host 21st century learning experiences that break traditional boundaries of theoretical, topic-based and single subject learning to allow for the development of higher order creativity, interdisciplinarity, critical thinking, information literacy and project-based learning.

EPFL & ECOLINT

The STEM Centre will be part of a deep review of scientific literacies across traditional domains. LGB will work with EPFL – Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne – on the interior design of the Centre and course development to stimulate the type of thinking required in the present-day world of integrated sciences and mathematics and, indeed, the types of thinking that research is suggesting schools need to nurture for tomorrow.

To triangulate professional development, curriculum design and building projects, throughout the 2015-2016 academic year LGB secondary staff will follow certified professional development run by Professor Mondada and other course developers from EPFL on artificial intelligence, human-robotic interaction, medical robots and Arduino boards. Some of these courses will be open to the whole campus.

THE DREAM

Our dream is to provide students from LGB and Geneva (through summer programmes) with a centre that will be

90 MINUTES ON MARS

Last June, 140 Year 9 students at La Châtaigneraie grappled with the challenge of programming and calibrating a robotic rover, which was then launched to Mars, where they had to navigate it blindly around a crater using data fed back from the rover. While “Mars” was, in this case, a classroom down the corridor, everything else about the Mission To Mars project was very real, helping students to develop their problem-solving and collaboration skills, working in groups of three or four on the 90-minute mission.

Run in conjunction with EPFL and the Swiss Space Center, Mission To Mars is an excellent example of STEM learning in action. In the three months leading up to the challenge, the students followed complementary units in their science, maths and computer classes, with space exploration as a unifying theme. Classes covered topics as diverse as distance/time graphing, sensor calibration, programming, history of space exploration, forces and acceleration, sustaining life in space and – yes – rocket science! The maths-related robotic activities were also followed by Year 9 students at Campus des Nations, and the Mission to Mars project will be repeated for the 2015/16 year.

The project is the result of exemplary inter-campus collaboration as ideas, resources, activities and lesson plans were shared and developed in conjunction with members of the Foundation’s Robotics group from all three campuses and experts from EPFL’s Robotics department. The project will be packaged up by the Swiss Space Center and EPFL to promote space education in Swiss schools.

Meera Mavroidis, Alicia Gruenert, Lara Eckes-Chantre and Laurine Lemercier, then Year 9 students at La Chât, got to grips with the practicalities of space exploration last June.

opened in September 2016 at the foot of the Salève building. Current plans involve the following elements:

• Cyberlaboratory: open space design, conceived and designed in collaboration with EPFL, allowing for higher-order thinking through open-ended problem solving, robotics, programming and the learning of circuit-design technology. This will be supported by the development of course material in collaboration with EPFL.

• “STEAM” Design Laboratory: this space will be dedicated to applying engineering design cycles to the fabrication of various

products, thereby yoking an explicitly artistic approach into the process (Art + STEM = STEAM). Learning experiences will include CAD programming, animation, film and graphic design.

Students will have beautiful open spaces in which they can imagine new worlds; wall-to-wall blackboards to brainstorm and hypothesise; state of the art equipment to explore; and an atmosphere in which they can dream and invent. We aim to bring different subjects together but also different age groups, merging various elements of the curriculum and student body to look for new forms of energy, divergent thinking,

STEM learning in action: students at La Chât programmed a robotic rover to explore the surface of Mars.

all working together on “wicked” real world problems that require new ways of thinking. To find out more or to join us in this adventure, please contact conrad.hughes@ ecolint.ch.

To discuss opportunities to support the development of the STEM Centre contact Brian Wahlen, Development Associate, at brian.wahlen@ecolint.ch.

BUILDING THE FUTURE TOGETHER

The International School of Geneva is a not-for-profit foundation and our day-to-day costs are covered by tuition fees. The school relies on financial support from our community and partners to help achieve some development projects.

Get in touch to discuss how you can help!

• Different ways of giving

• Support for specific projects

• Donor recognition opportunities

• Legacies

With your support, we can make a difference for current and future generations of Ecolint students.

BACK TO SCHOOL

How did it feel coming back to your former school to speak at the graduation ceremony?

Lakshmi: I found it fun to come back. It was a little strange to think that the kids who were graduating were actually born around the time I graduated – that made me feel very old! I wondered what would the 18 year-old Lakshmi sitting in that Greek Theatre have wanted or needed to hear at that time that would have made any difference or been interesting.

Michaels: The first thing I noticed at La Châtaigneraie was that the campus has changed dramatically. When I was there I think there were at least two or three buildings fewer. It’s good to see that, because it means that things are developing and moving in the right direction.

You both work on some of the big problems facing the world today, although in very different areas. Starting with you, Lakshmi, can you outline what your work entails?

vaguely international, but had no clue what that was going to be. After my undergrad I did a master's degree in International Relations and one in Public Health, and then worked in a number of different organisations, mainly focused on global health. I worked in Rwanda, supporting AIDS programmes there, and then moved back to Geneva doing a variety of things, including at the World Economic Forum.

Michael, what was your entry point to working on sustainability and the environment?

LS: I run an organisation called Girls not Brides, which is a global partnership to end child marriage. It brings together approximately 525 civil society organisations in 75 countries, all focused on ending child marriage. We try to build a global movement around this issue that has such a huge detrimental impact on the human rights of girls around the world.

What brought you to that?

LS: After leaving Ecolint in 1997, I went to Cambridge and studied Biochemistry. I always knew that I wanted to do something

I’ve definitely got itchy feet! I moved quite often, but remained focused on the health sector. I’d always been interested in broader issues of social justice and particularly gender equality. I think it’s a lot like some of the sustainable development discussions, where the issue you’re trying to address is so vast at times that it’s difficult to get your head around it and so you need the right entry point to help start those discussions. For me it was child marriage that resonated in many ways, because it had connections to health and education, but was fundamentally a human rights violation.

MM: Mine was a little more simple and straightforward. I actually worked in banking for the first four years after graduation from university. I decided to stop because it wasn’t so meaningful to me. A friend connected me with someone starting a socially responsible investment fund in London. I went to meet him, we had a good chat, and that’s how I got into this whole sustainability business.

Five years ago I started a company called World Climate Ltd. We organise the World Climate Summit, which is the public and private sector forum for leaders to come together and discuss and promote solutions to climate change. It didn’t exist five years ago and there was a need after the disappointment of COP15 in Copenhagen, so that’s why I did that. This year is the sixth World Climate Summit for the COP21 in Paris.

THE GUEST SPEAKERS FOR TWO OF THE 2015 GRADUATION CEREMONIES WERE ECOLINT ALUMNI. LAKSHMI SUNDARAM (LGB ’97) AND MICHAEL MATHRES (LA CHÂT ’93) EACH RETURNED TO THEIR RESPECTIVE FORMER CAMPUS TO ADDRESS THE GRADUATES. EOGHAN O’SULLIVAN CAUGHT UP WITH THEM A FEW MONTHS LATER.

Lakshmi Sundaram (LGB ’97) addressing the 2015 graduation ceremony at La Grande Boissière on 19 June 2015.

“I wondered what would the 18 year old Lakshmi sitting in that Greek Theatre have wanted to hear.”

In my speech at La Chât I tried to bring it down to earth in that I tried to relate what is going on in the world with what happened in Founex 40 years ago, where the first sustainable development report was written. I was trying to make that connection rather than starting at a really high level. Maybe some things went straight over their heads – I think quite a few of them were concentrating on their upcoming trip to Greece and that’s fine! But a lot of students thanked me and said they learned a lot from the speech. That’s why I wanted it to be on the alumni website, so they could re-read it whenever they wanted to.

and that’s been really great. My father and his brother went to LGB as well, so the school has always been a part of my family history. When I was growing up we had lots of family friends who were my dad’s school friends and they had remained friends over the years. When I went travelling, for example, I went to stay with my dad’s friend Riad, who was also at Ecolint, and so there was always that link to stuff that was going on in my life.

When I went off to university, I’d always intellectually known that school was a bubble, and that in Cambridge I had moved from one type of bubble to another; but still I had that thing of when you ask someone where they’re from, and you’re used to a story like “well my mother’s from here, and my father’s from here, and I grew up here and here and here”; to hear a one-word answer that was a small town in England was strange to me.

LS: I had friends in La Chât and had gone there a couple of times and seen things, but I think generally there was always this friendly competition between the two. If you were from LGB it was a case of “we’re so much better than those La Chât people”, and I know they said exactly the same thing about us!

MM: Back when I was a student “Ecolint” wasn’t La Chât. Ecolint was really La Grande Boissière. We referred to ourselves as International School of Geneva sometimes, but it was really about La Chât. I also had a different perspective in that I played sports, so the competitive element was more prominent. I played volleyball, football and cross country, so I visited LGB every year, not to mention CDL and all the other schools.

Who had the better volleyball team back in the day?

MM: The honest answer is that I don’t remember.

That’s very diplomatic of you!

AND AT NATIONS ?

Sustainability was also on the agenda at the graduation ceremony in Campus des Nations on 12 June 2015, where environmentalist Tony Juniper was the guest speaker.

Looking back to when you were at La Chât, did you have a sense then that your school would remain present in your life as you grew older?

MM: Yes, I did. It’s not just the history of the school, but it’s more about the students that attend the school, because of the location of the campus, its relationship to Geneva and all the international organisations, whether they’re corporations or agencies. There’s always a high churn rate of students due to the careers of their parents. In this respect I've always thought I want to keep in touch with what’s going on at La Chât and what students care about and want to do in the future.

LS: For me too, I have a number of friends I’m still very close to, who I went to school with,

One of the things I mentioned in my speech is, because you grew up in this funny context where you get cultural influences from all over but only snippets of them, you end up finding when you leave that you connect so much better with other people who have had the same nomadic influences. For example, if everyone had the same big movie they all saw when they were twelve and you didn’t, because even though you had some American influences you didn’t have all the American influences. It’s little moments like that that made me feel homesick in a way that I just hadn’t expected at all.

La Châtaigneraie had only merged with the Foundation in the mid-seventies. How aware were you of the other campus when you were at school?

GRADUATION PHOTOS

The official photos from all three graduation ceremonies can be ordered from Studio Casagrande in Geneva. There are links to the galleries dating back to 2001 at alumni.ecolint.ch/graduations (sign-in required).

Michael Mathres (La Chât ’93) speaking at the 2015 graduation ceremony at La Châtaigneraie on 29 May 2015.

(Photo Michael Mathres: Studio Casagrande)

“In my speech at La Chât I tried to relate what’s going on in the world with what happened in Founex 40 years ago.”

IN THE KEY OF ECOLINT

DISCUSSIONS AMONG ALUMNI OFTEN TURN TO THE TUNES THAT REMIND THEM OF THEIR SCHOOLDAYS, BUT FOR MANY OF OUR FORMER STUDENTS MUSIC IS MUCH MORE THAN A SOURCE OF NOSTALGIA. HERE WE MEET FOUR ALUMNI FOR WHOM MUSIC HAS BECOME A CAREER.

> Compositeur / Pianiste

> Montréal, Canada

J’ai fréquenté l’Ecolint pendant deux ans, de septembre 1993 à juin 1995.

Je n'ai pas étudié la musique à l’Ecolint Mon environnement musical de l’époque, c’était surtout Nirvana. Mes camarades portaient des jeans déchirés et des Doc Martens… la mort de Kurt Cobain a été un choc. J'aimais bien leur album acoustique, mais en fait c'est surtout Led Zeppelin et Jimi Hendrix que j'écoutais.

Ma carrière a évolué de façon organique, cela n’aurait pas pu en être autrement. Enfant, j'ai suivi des cours de musique mais j'ai arrêté à 14 ans car j'étais plus intéressé par le foot, le hockey et l’écriture ! A 15 ans, je me suis «rebellé» si je puis dire, en commençant à jouer dans un groupe de rock (j'ai quand même dû demander la permission à mon père !). J’ai pu composer, apprendre, évoluer vers le rock progressif et finalement aboutir au jazz-rock.

Tout cela m'a amené à être accepté dans le programme jazz de la prestigieuse université McGill, d’un niveau vraiment élevé. Par la suite, j'ai fait beaucoup de concerts. Mais surtout, j'ai pris des cours privés avec un véritable maître du jazz, Mike Longo, le pianiste de Dizzy Gillepsie. Cela m'a appris la transmission de la connaissance par un visionnaire.

Plus récemment, mes compositions de musiques de films ont pris plus d'importance. Il y a beaucoup de réalisateurs talentueux dans l'industrie cinématographique grandissante à Montréal. C'est très motivant !

On peut entendre mon œuvre musicale sur internet. J'ai participé à beaucoup de projets et ils sont pour la plupart accessibles en ligne. En s’abonnant à mon compte

Twitter @adamdaudrich, on trouve toutes les infos sur mes projets récents et passés. Je suis ravi de me reconnecter à la communauté Ecolint !

Aux élèves qui envisagent une carrière musicale, je recommanderais de choisir l’un des cinq grands domaines musicaux : l’interprétation, la composition, l'éducation, la musicologie et la technologie. Peu importe lequel, il contiendra toujours des aspects des autres domaines qui viendront l'enrichir.

Souvent, la meilleure solution pour résoudre un défi musical est juste de «jouer». Il y a des aspects de la musicalité qui sont très personnels et qui ne peuvent être vraiment développés que par la pratique.

Interagissez avec l’économie et apprenez à décoder certains signes : si votre situation ne vous donne pas encore de retour –financier ou autre – c’est peut-être que votre travail n'a pas encore atteint le plus haut niveau. Persévérez en construisant votre confiance avec le soutien de votre famille et de vos amis. Acceptez la critique constructive, mais pas le défaitisme. Lancezvous ! Vous verrez... c'est un tout nouveau monde qui s'ouvre à vous.

Lorelei CARLSON (LGB ’07)

> Singer / Songwriter

> Los Angeles, USA

I attended LGB from 2003-2004 for Year 10

Music was incredibly important to me during my time at LGB. I spent many lunch breaks and after school hours in the music department, singing with friends, playing the piano or listening to others perform. I was also part of the school choir and performed in various talent shows.

I've been fortunate enough to perform before many diverse and important

crowds here in the United States, as well as work with many talented musicians and producers who have helped me hone my craft and materialise my music into recordings. I now live in Los Angeles, where I’ve performed at renowned venues such as The Hotel Café and The Viper Room and released two EPs that have landed on the iTunes charts.

My music and more information about me can be found on www.loreleicarlson. com as well as on Facebook, YouTube, SoundCloud and Instagram. (Just search for Lorelei Carlson!)

A career in music is not easy to achieve or maintain. But the most important person to listen to is oneself. Listen to that innermost luminance and breadth of excitement it causes; that devotion and sparkle inside of you. If your heart believes in it, then you must cherish it and hone it. You may get discouraged, you may tremble, and you may weep, but you must always remember it is yours.

Adam DAUDRICH (La Chât ’98)

LORELEI CARLSON

ADAM DAUDRICH

Jesse M c NAMARA (La Chât ’08) > Artist Manager > London, UK

I was at La Chât from the age of five until I was eighteen, so thirteen years in total. I graduated in 2008.

Music has always been a big part of my life, even from an early age. I started playing piano in Year 3 and continued playing music at La Chât in some way or

All of my artists promote their music online. To give just a few examples: Basic Tape (soundcloud.com/basic-tape), Youngr (facebook.com/youngrofficial) and James Everingham (soundcloud.com/ james-everingham).

Music is a very competitive industry and so I would say the main thing is start early and learn as much as you can... whether that means helping out in music studios or at festivals/gigs or playing as much as you can to really perfect your skill as a performer. Music can be a lot of fun but to have a career in this world takes a huge amount of hard work and dedication to what you want to do.

KILLING ME SOFTLY

Perhaps the most celebrated musician in our alumni community is Lori Lieberman (LGB '70), who has been writing and performing for four decades. A poem she wrote became the basis for the well-known song Killing Me Softly and just last year she sang in Carnegie Hall. She contributed to last year’s 90-9-90 Project.

Read more here: alumni.ecolint.ch/lori

JESSE M c NAMARA

> Violoniste

> Londres, Royaume Uni

J’ai été élève à l'Ecolint pendant dix ans et demi. J'ai rejoint la classe de 3e primaire en milieu d'année en janvier 1996 et j'ai terminé ma scolarité en juin 2006.

En grandissant, la musique a pris une extrême importance pour moi. Mon père, Jad Azkoul, est guitariste de concert et mes parents m'ont encouragé à apprendre un instrument et à développer mes aptitudes musicales dès mon plus jeune âge. Je faisais surtout de la musique en dehors de l'école, mais j’appliquais cet enthousiasme à mes activités scolaires et, petit à petit, j’ai fait de plus en plus de musique à l'école : j’allais travailler mon violon pendant les pauses, je jouais au sein de l'orchestre de l'Ecolint sous la direction de John Davies, et j’ai formé un groupe rock The Katie Activity avec mes amis Alexandra Voûte, Teddy Trezise et Mathias Mesa.

JULIAN AZKOUL

another until I left. I always felt the music department was very supportive of my ambitions to work with and play music.

After school I decided I was more interested in the business side of music than performing so I studied Music Management at university. I went to LIPA, the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, which was founded by Paul McCartney. Since graduating from LIPA (in 2011) I have been managing artists in London. I have a roster for five artists and am part of a company that collectively looks after twelve acts.

Après l'Ecolint, j'ai poursuivi des études de musique, une année aux Etats-Unis à Lawrence University dans le Wisconsin, trois ans à l'Université de Cambridge ou j'ai obtenu un BA en musique et ensuite un master en violon de deux ans à la Royal Academy of Music à Londres. Depuis que j'ai terminé mes études formelles en 2013, je suis musicien professionnel à plein temps, me produisant en tant que soliste, musicien de chambre, avec des artistes de variétés comme Belle and Sebastian, Jonny Greenwood de Radiohead, Ghostpoet et Aphex Twin, et avec plusieurs orchestres symphoniques et maisons d'opéra au Royaume-Uni et à l'étranger.

Vous pouvez m'entendre sur YouTube ou avec mon ensemble à

unitedstringseurope.com (nous allons d'ailleurs nous produire à Genève la première semaine d'avril 2016) ; en concert avec la Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, la Welsh National Opera, la Royal Northern Sinfonia et bien d'autres orchestres encore dans les plus grandes salles et théâtres du Royaume-Uni, au Verbier Festival en Suisse, en tournée à travers le monde (j'ai donné des concerts à trois reprises en Chine, deux fois en Inde et à travers l'Europe et le Moyen-Orient), et même aux Etats-Unis pendant l'été avec un ensemble de musique arabe traditionnelle!

Aux élèves d'Ecolint qui considèrent sérieusement de choisir une carrière de musicien, je conseillerais d'en faire autant que possible lorsque vous êtes encore à l'école. Cela ne veut pas forcément dire qu'il faut jouer d’un instrument au point d'atteindre un niveau de conservatoire, mais qu'il faut se stimuler, trouver des occasions de se produire sur une scène quelconque, d'être ouvert d'esprit, d'apprendre de ses erreurs, de composer, de s'intéresser à la production musicale, tant dans l’élaboration de plus grandes œuvres comme les comédies musicales, les symphonies ou les pièces pour chœur, que dans le studio avec les méthodes de production digitale. Si vous avez des aptitudes pour un instrument en particulier, il faut absolument poursuivre cela avec patience et persévérance, en suivant des cours en parallèle au conservatoire ou avec les bons professeurs qui enseignent en fin de journée à l'Ecolint, tel Dan Dery, professeur de violon. Le milieu professionnel de la musique est vaste, très compétitif, mais avec énormément d’occasions de s'épanouir. Il ne faut pas oublier l'essentiel: s'amuser, prendre du plaisir, et collaborer avec les autres. Il ne faut jamais se renfermer sur soi-même, se satisfaire de ce qu'on sait. Il faut toujours être prêt à apprendre, ne jamais cesser d'explorer.

Julian AZKOUL (LGB ’06)

STUDENTS TURNED TEACHER

IN OUR CONTINUING SERIES FOCUSING ON FORMER ECOLINT STUDENTS WHO ARE NOW TEACHING HERE WE MEET ALEJANDRO RODRIGUEZ-GIOVO (LGB ’72) AND ADÈLE TSCHUDIN (LA CHAT ’07).

Adèle TSCHUDIN

(La Chât ’07)

> Assistante au soutien scolaire

> Ecole primaire, La Châtaigneraie

Quand avez-vous commencé à enseigner à l’Ecolint et sur quel campus ?

Je travaille à La Châtaigneraie depuis septembre 2013. Je voulais pouvoir élargir mes connaissances en lien avec les difficultés d’apprentissage dans un contexte scolaire. C’est avec grand plaisir que j’ai postulé à mon ancienne école, où j’ai énormément de bons souvenirs.

A quelle période étiez-vous élève et sur quel campus ?

J’ai étudié à La Châtaigneraie de la 6e primaire jusqu’à la 13e – de 2000 à 2007.

Qu’avez-vous fait après l’Ecolint?

J’ai entrepris des études universitaires en psychologie, avec à la clé un bachelor de l’Université de Genève et un master en psychologie de l’enfant et de l’adolescent à l’Université de Lausanne. Ensuite, j’ai travaillé au sein d’une consultation pour enfants et adolescents, où j’effectuais des bilans cognitifs et émotionnels. En parallèle, j’ai été active dans des associations d’aide aux enfants qui ont des difficultés d’apprentissage.

Qu’est-ce qui vous a poussé à enseigner ?

Comment et pourquoi êtes-vous revenue à l’Ecolint ?

Lorsque je travaillais au sein de la consultation psychologique, j’ai rencontré beaucoup d’enfants qui n’aimaient pas l’école. Quand j’ai approfondi de plus près ce sujet avec eux, c’était souvent lié à des difficultés qu’ils vivaient par rapport aux apprentissages. Cela m’a donné envie de travailler dans un contexte scolaire et d’essayer d’améliorer le vécu de certains enfants qui trouvent parfois des aspects académiques tels que la lecture ou l’écriture difficiles. J’estime que l’école est principalement un lieu d’épanouissement

et de développement personnel, ce que l’Ecolint m’a justement apporté. J’espère pouvoir promouvoir un ressenti positif de l’école chez les élèves avec lesquels je travaille.

De plus, étant née à Hong Kong et ayant vécu aux Philippines, je me sens comprise dans un contexte international tel que l’Ecolint, où l’on a l’ouverture sur le monde et où le fait d’avoir plusieurs origines et endroits qu’on appelle la “maison” est commun.

Avez-vous parfois des souvenirs de votre vie d’élève qui ressurgissent ?

J’ai le plaisir d’être maintenant collègue avec certains de mes anciens professeurs, qui m’ont vu grandir et m’ont accueillie chaleureusement à mon retour à La Chât en tant que collaboratrice!

En quoi l’Ecolint d’aujourd’hui diffère-t-elle de celle que vous avez connue comme élève ?

La taille ! Le nouveau bâtiment du primaire et toutes les infrastructures nouvelles sont impressionnants. De plus, il a été intéressant de découvrir le programme

bilingue au primaire. Je pense que j’aurais bien aimé vivre cette expérience bilingue lorsque j’étais élève.

Qu’est-ce qui est resté inchangé ?

Le sens de communauté propre à l’Ecolint est resté le même. J’ai beaucoup de plaisir à travailler et collaborer avec les collègues, parents et élèves au sein du campus.

Qu’appréciez-vous le plus dans le métier d’enseignant ?

Apporter un sourire aux élèves, les aider à dépasser une difficulté, à prendre confiance en leurs capacités, voir les élèves grandir intellectuellement… la liste continue !

Que changeriez-vous à l’école si vous aviez une baguette magique ?

Je m’assurerais que tous les élèves aiment venir à l’école. Vous me direz si vous trouvez cette baguette magique?

Souhaitez-vous ajouter quelque chose ?

J’ai beaucoup de plaisir à travailler à La Châtaigneraie et j’aimerais remercier tous mes collègues et les élèves pour l’accueil et la bienveillance dont ils ont fait preuve dès mon premier jour.

Alejandro RODRIGUEZ-GIOVO (LGB ’72)

> Teacher of English and Theory of Knowledge at La Grande Boissière

> Foundation Archivist and Staff Association President

When and how did you start teaching at Ecolint?

In 1989, I replied to a newspaper advertisement for an English position in LGB’s Secondary School. At the time, I was teaching at the American College of Switzerland in the alpine ski resort of Leysin, which was rewarding but entailed spending four hours a day on trains. After several years, my passionate affair with the Swiss railway network had declined into a humdrum relationship – it wasn’t going anywhere (except to Leysin and back).

When were you a student and at which campus?

1963 to 1972, initially at the Primary School’s La Gradelle annexe and then at La Grande Boissière.

What did you do after leaving Ecolint?

I simultaneously studied Law at the University of Buenos Aires, with a view to joining Argentina’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and was a journalist for the Buenos Aires Herald. Unfortunately, those years turned out to be possibly the most turbulent and brutal of my country’s history. In 1976, half way through my degree, a military coup took place. By the end of 1978 the prospect of representing a murderous dictatorship had become distinctly unappealing, and moreover my involvement with a newspaper that irritated the regime by

denouncing human rights abuses put me at risk. I therefore opted out of diplomacy, left for Great Britain and undertook a second degree, this time in English Literature, at the University of York. Life in England was complicated a bit by the Falklands War, as a result of which I was briefly placed under surveillance and my bank account was frozen. After graduation I returned to Switzerland, where I was appointed assistant professor of English, first at the American College and then at Webster University, before finally returning to Ecolint as a teacher.

What or who inspired you to be a teacher?

The great literary critic F.R. Leavis once said: “I teach because I was taught.” I can think of no better reason.

How/why did you come back to Ecolint? A major motivation was my recollection of the intellectual stature of many of my former teachers, and of how the school successfully blended high academic standards with a relaxed, humane and multicultural approach to education, in which substance takes precedence over form.

Are you ever reminded of your former life at school?

I have so many vivid memories that I need to keep them in check, lest they overwhelm the present.

What are the main differences about Ecolint compared to when you were at school?

It is remarkably similar. The students today are virtually identical, in appearance and demeanour, to those of my generation.

Some formalities were implemented a bit more strictly (for instance, we all stood up when a Director General entered a classroom), but little in the way of dress code was enforced during the hippy years – some girls came to school in bare feet with daisy chains around their ankles, and most boys – and quite a few male teachers, for that matter – allowed their hair to grow very long indeed. Teachers came across as more erudite back then, and less reliant on technological prostheses – but a positive development is that Anglophones and Francophones are better integrated today.

What has stayed the same?

All that is essential. It remains true to the vision and ideals of its founders in 1924.

What are the best things about being a teacher?

The daily interaction with young, curious and agile minds, particularly when they challenge intelligently my assumptions.

What would you do at school if you had a magic wand?

I would ask Frodo Baggins to cast it into the cracks of Mount Doom. I am too sure of what is best for Ecolint to be entrusted with such power, which would violate our school’s democratic traditions.

Anything else you would like to add?

To borrow a phrase from Jane Austen, I have delighted you enough.

THE THIRTY-YEAR CLUB

Alain Ackermann started teaching Physical Education at LGB in 1976, meaning that his retirement marked 39 years with the Foundation. The fact that annually he taught around 12 classes of up to 24 students each during that period means that Alain probably taught more students than any other Ecolint teacher. Beyond the official curriculum, he was highly regarded for his leadership of the Foundation ski team and rowing/canoeing activities on the lake. He also organised ski camps for Ecolint students during the February holidays for many years.

John Phillips came to the school in 1980 and taught Economics throughout his 35 years at LGB. He also served as UK Guidance Counsellor and, more recently, IB Diploma Coordinator. He was the heart and soul of the rugby team for many years and also led the weekend ski trips. He and his wife Susan were boarding house parents for 12 years. He earned his PhD in 2007, focusing on Education for Human Rights.

Away from the Biology classroom, where she taught for 30 years, Hilde de Smet was particularly dedicated to the leadership of Wold Challenge expeditions, for example to Kilimanjaro and Ecuador. She also coached the Foundation ski team and was involved with initiatives such as AIDS Day and the Paddle for Cancer dragonboat festival.

Our best wishes also go to the other retirees at LGB: Melinda Ruegg (Chemistry teacher since 1989), Marie-Claire Vigneau-Ribal (in the French department since 1991), Martine Coppens (French teacher since 1995), and Heidi Groves (Primary teacher since 2000). Additionally we said farewell to Olivier Schweri, manager of the printshop, who had worked at the Foundation since 1988.

THEIR FORMER STUDENTS WRITE...

> “You made it Mr Phillips! When I chose Economics as an option back in 1994, I was completely ignorant about the subject.

My understanding didn’t go far beyond knowing that once you spend money, it’s gone! So I was ready to go through hell, but no such thing happened. We always had interesting lessons (well, let's be honest, some were rather painful!), and you had the talent to explain Economics in such a comprehensive, calm and real-world way that it actually seemed almost easy. We had the feeling that you were not just a teacher but a colleague who wanted us to succeed and who was proud of us when we did; and your pride was our reward. Thank you for having transmitted your passion to us – even the ignorant ones! – and now, party on!”

Carole (Mayer) Müller (LGB ’96)

> “Mr Ackermann was my very first tutor in “big school” and what a kind caring man he is! I can't imagine a nicer man to guide us into and through Year 7 and then follow us from afar as he watched us grow into young adults. I also could never imagine

him ever telling anyone how good I was at sports, as I never went! He probably knew I wasn't the perfect student but I am convinced that he watched over me, all of us, as if we were his own. I later spent years seeking him at Kermesse or B.E.E.R.* but his appearances were few and far between. I'd still like to see him again to say “thank you” and let him know that he is one of the teachers that I remember, respect and admire the most. I’m not sure he'll remember me but please don't confirm that as I'd be terribly upset!”

Anna Szabados (LGB '90)

> “Biology is an unlikely choice of science class for someone just starting to use English as a working language. Mrs de Smet nevertheless took me into her class when I came to Ecolint at the beginning of Year 11. I recall she taught her pre-IB classes in the Salève building, but by the time the final IB year rolled around, we were in a wooden annex building near the Middle School. This proved to be a rather pivotal move so far as my life was concerned. There was a pond next to the annex, and Mrs de Smet let me keep in her classroom an aquarium made of fresh water from the pond. Within weeks, multitudes of microorganisms sprang out and I was busy chasing them under a microscope every lunch break! Eventually I realised Biology rather than pre-med was the right path for me, and followed my Ecolint education with undergrad in Biochemistry at Oxford. After a long winding path, I am about to obtain a PhD in Biology to become a professional amoeba chaser (or perhaps a developmental biologist). Thank you, Mrs de Smet, for instilling in me the love of Biology. Several of my classmates also remember you fondly as a teacher. We wish you a happy and wellearned retirement, Mrs de Smet!”

Tatsuto (Tatto) Ishimaru (LGB ’93)

*B.E.E.R. is the Best Ever Ecolint Reunion, an annual gathering of alumni on the last Thursday before Christmas, being revived this year on 17 December. See alumni.ecolint.ch for details.

Life after Ecolint seems to be suiting them well! John Phillips Hilde de Smet and Alain Ackermann

LAST JUNE A NUMBER OF STAFF AROUND THE FOUNDATION RETIRED. THREE TEACHERS AT LA GRANDE BOISSIÈRE SECONDARY SCHOOL WERE PARTICULARLY NOTEWORTHY, HAVING EACH TAUGHT AT ECOLINT FOR MORE THAN THIRTY YEARS, A TOTAL OF 104 YEARS BETWEEN THEM!

THE NOBLEST ECOLINTIAN OF THEM ALL

To borrow Voltaire’s mischievous aphorism about God, if there had not been a Ludwik Rajchman among the progenitors of the International School of Geneva, we would have had to invent him. It seems almost too good to be true that one of our founding fathers should have incarnated with so much authentic altruism and tireless commitment our values and fundamental aspirations.

Already as a medical student in Cracow during the early 1900s (he had been born in Warsaw – at that time under Russian occupation – in 1881), Ludwik Rajchman’s humanitarian concerns – in this case, his interest in the health and education of farm labourers and industrial workers – stood out and also, because of his socialist sympathies as a young man, got him into some trouble. He pursued his distinguished medical and academic career in Paris (at the Institut Pasteur) and in London (at the Royal Institute of Public Health and at King’s College) before returning to Warsaw in 1918, where he founded both the Polish Central Institute of Epidemiology and the Polish School of Hygiene.

This would have been a sufficient life achievement for most people, but for Dr Rajchman it was barely the beginning. In 1921 he was appointed Director of the League of Nations’ Health Organization in Geneva, in which role he laid the foundations of the future World Health Organization (WHO). His educational ideals nevertheless remained in the forefront of his mind, and in 1924 he collaborated with Arthur Sweetser (the League of Nations’ Press Officer and President Woodrow Wilson’s choice as future U.S. ambassador, had Congress agreed to join the organization) and eminent educators from the Institut Jean-Jacques Rousseau such as Paul Meyhoffer (our first director) and Adolphe Ferrière to establish our school, the first of its kind in the world.

Despite his intensive and invaluable work as a pioneer of modern public health in the League of Nations (including projects he

“In 1946 Dr Rajchman successfully launched his greatest undertaking: the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).”

personally set up in China, notwithstanding the perilously turbulent situation there at the time), by 1938 Dr Rajchman – who was distinctly at odds with Fascism and Nazism, sympathised with the Spanish Republic and also happened to be a Jew – was hounded out of the organization by those who were anxious to appease the Axis powers.

An exhaustive list of his subsequent and sustained efforts during the dark years of World War II to promote medical assistance and food aid in various countries, and to counter totalitarianism, would exceed the scope of this brief account. Suffice it to say that in 1946 Dr Rajchman, having managed to recruit the support of former US president Herbert Hoover (whose name is not automatically synonymous with major humanitarian endeavours), successfully launched his greatest undertaking: the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

If any evidence were needed of Dr Rajchman’s nonpartisan integrity and

genuine concern for the health of all, regardless of ideological boundaries, it is provided by the fact that in the 1950s he was successively stripped of his diplomatic passport by Stalinist Poland, which suspected him of being a CIA collaborator, and was forced to leave the United States during the McCarthyist witch-hunt, which targeted him as a communist spy.

Happily, Dr Rajchman’s merit was fully recognized during the final years of his life, which he spent in France, where he cofounded the International Children’s Centre (ICC), once again collaborated with the Institut Pasteur and was appointed commandeur de la Légion d’honneur. He died in 1965.

Perhaps no detail better illustrates Dr Rajchman’s inherently benevolent disposition than his relationship with the brilliant but despicably anti-Semitic French writer Louis-Ferdinand Destouches (better known under his pen-name “Céline”). Dr Rajchman innocently befriended Céline in the mid-1920s, when the latter was avidly seeking work in the League of Nations, repeatedly received him in his home as a guest and employed him in his organization. Céline bit the hand that fed him with vicious caricatures of his benefactor in L’Eglise and Bagatelles pour un massacre. Dr Rajchman was understandably upset when he discovered this betrayal, but according to some sources he did not bear Céline an insuperable grudge, and eventually was on speaking terms with him once again.

The International School of Geneva was established by, and over the decades has generated, a range of exemplary individuals of whom we can be justifiably proud, but perhaps none more than Dr Rajchman deserves a Shakespearean epithet: “The noblest Ecolintian of them all”.

A full-scale biography of Dr Rajchman was first published in 1998 and is still in print: Marta Balinska, For the Good of Humanity: Ludwik Rajchman, Medical Statesman, Budapest, New York: Central European University Press, 2005.

“FROM THE ARCHIVES” IS A NEW REGULAR COLUMN FROM FOUNDATION ARCHIVIST ALEJANDRO RODRIGUEZ-GIOVO. HERE HE INTRODUCES ONE OF ECOLINT’S FOUNDING FATHERS.

THE BACK BOARD

The Scenic Route

The varied paths some of our teachers followed prior to coming to Ecolint.

You havemay missed…

Rootlessness Revisited

“In 1979 I wondered if I was the only one. Now I know that I am one of many: it has been a sort of coming-out experience [and] those whom it does affect are all conscious of it.”

What did you do for a living before coming to teach here?

I trained as a lawyer and worked in various capacities for trade unions and community legal centres (in Australia) and the ILO (in Geneva): as an advocate, community educator and researcher. After five years as a stay-at-home parent I then decided to retrain as a primary teacher.

I left the classroom in 2004 to pursue my own theatrical passion. I sold everything but my dog and my dignity and moved to New York City to study the craft of stand-up comedy. Over the past ten years, I developed three critically acclaimed one-woman shows; opened for Kevin Hart and Roseanne Barr and did two TV gala specials for the Winnipeg Comedy Festival. In all my success as an international comic, I can assure you I have FAILED more times than I have succeeded.

Following literature and journalism studies in Canada I worked for a Cabinet Minister and did freelance editing and speech-writing. But it was as PR Director for a hospital that I encountered my steepest learning curve – and gained my most enduring life lessons. A first assignment was to interview a teenage boy who’d suffered third degree burns over ninety per cent of his body in a car crash – and I’ve never met a more inspiring or courageous young person. Suddenly, I faced the reality of what I'd only studied in fiction - pain, survival and the resilience of the human spirit.

How, if at all, do you bring your former career into the classroom?

My past work involved a lot of time dedicated to educating people to give them the skills and opportunities to achieve social justice. In the classroom it's the same: teaching skills to get the most out of life, and working with individual children to overcome any obstacles to attaining those skills and opportunities. And with a union background, and having read Roald Dahl's Matilda, I can sniff out class rebellion really quickly!

I think I bring a sense of fun and laughter to the learning. I think comedy is a great form to discuss the difficult topics; to look at something from another perspective; and to help students understand that failing is the greatest of all teachers. In my classroom, failure is celebrated because we take creative risks. Comedy allows for the Learner Profile to be a living thing and not just some words on a wall in a classroom.

Alumni, find us on …

Facebook facebook.com/ecolintalumni

LinkedIn sl.ecolint.ch/linkedin

Twitter twitter.com/ecolintalumni

Pinterest sl.ecolint.ch/pinterest-alumni

Education isn’t a matter of life and death, but we are directly involved in nurturing and guiding young people, helping them to make the most of the irreplaceable gift they’ve been given. I see it as our job – or, rather, our obligation – to help them uncover and develop their potential wherever it might lie – whether in studying Shakespeare or making a speech on the importance of opening our arms to refugees. It is an enormous, humbling, and immeasurably rewarding responsibility.

Robin Dormer (LGB ’69) > alumni.ecolint.ch/rootless

ALUMNOGRAPHIC 2015

This year’s edition of our infographic provides a snapshot of our alumni community around the world: where they live, what they studied, what they do. > alumni.ecolint.ch/ alumnographic

Even more online Yearbooks

We recently added more than fifty Yearbooks to our online collection, including the previously missing LGB 1958 edition and the Lycée des Nations books from 1971 and 1973. We now cover all school Yearbooks up to 2015, including LGB Middle School. > alumni.ecolint.ch/ yearbooks

TIM WALLACE Teaching at LGB Primary School since 2009

SHERRI SUTTON Teaching Theatre at La Chât Secondary since 2014

MEREDITH HANCOCK Teaching English at Campus des Nations since 2009