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LA MUSIQUE DE L’ESPÉRANCE THE PRESS GANG Meet three alumni journalists OFF THE BEATEN PATH Looking beyond the core subjects
CONTENTS
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A word from the DG
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New Appointments Education & Prejudice
5 eMentoring Meet Thaïs
9 CONTACTS EMAIL & TELEPHONE Foundation
administration@ecolint.ch
+41 (0)22 787 24 00
Admissions
admissions@ecolint.ch
+41 (0)22 787 26 30
Alumni Office
alumni@ecolint.ch
+41 (0)22 787 25 55
La Grande Boissière
reception.lgb@ecolint.ch
+41 (0)22 787 24 00
La Châtaigneraie
reception.cha@ecolint.ch
+41 (0)22 960 91 11
Campus des Nations
reception.nat@ecolint.ch
+41 (0)22 770 47 00
WEB Foundation: www.ecolint.ch Alumni: alumni.ecolint.ch Institute: www.ecolint-institute.ch
Boutique: www.ecolint.ch/boutique Ecolint Camps: www.ecolint-camps.ch Centre des arts: www.ecolint-arts.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 (see page 18).
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Afghan Women’s Orchestra
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Interview: Luis De La Calle
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Alumni on social media
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The India Project
10 La dynastie Decorvet-Alexander 12
Alumni teaching at Ecolint
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Beyond the core subjects
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Alumni Journalists
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Philanthropy in action
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From the archives: René-François Lejeune
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The Back Board
Visit:www.ecolint.ch/support Contact: brian.wahlen@ecolint.ch +41 (0)22 787 26 19 IMPRESSUM Editor-in-Chief: Michael Kewley (Director of Marketing & Stakeholder Relations) Managing Editor: Thaïs Ruegg (Alumni Community Manager) Editorial Team: Catherine Mérigay (Communications Manager), Francis Poncioni (Graphic Designer), Alejandro Rodriguez-Giovo (Foundation Archivist)
ON THE COVER: The Afghan Women’s Orchestra, the first all-female ensemble in the history of Afghanistan, performed and shared their love of music at the Centre des arts in January. Read the story page 6.
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 (thais.ruegg@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, April 2017.
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echo.magazine@ecolint.ch
A WORD FROM THE DG A colleague recently introduced me to the website of an organisation based in Finland which focuses on cultural differences between countries, based on the work of Geert Hofstede.The site allows you to compare countries according to six dimensions. These include ‘Power Distance’ which measures the attitudes of each culture towards the fact that all individuals in society do not enjoy equal opportunities. So, a low ranking would reflect a belief that inequalities should be minimised. Happily Switzerland scores a relatively low 34. A second category is ‘Individualism’, which is the degree of interdependence a society maintains among its members: whether, the website explains: ‘people’s self-image is defined in terms of “I” or “We”. In Individualist societies people are supposed to look after themselves and their direct family only. In Collectivist societies people belong to ‘in groups’ that take care of them in exchange for loyalty.’ The UK scores a high 89 so the British are described as ‘highly individualist and private people. Children are taught from an early age to think for themselves, to find out what their unique purpose in life is and how they uniquely can contribute to society. The route to happiness is through personal fulfillment’, whereas Thailand, scoring 20, is a highly collectivist country where loyalty to and responsibility for the extended family are paramount.
A third cultural dimension particularly intrigued me: ‘Uncertainty Avoidance’, or the extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations and have created beliefs and institutions that try to avoid these. The lower the score the more a nation’s people are able to cope with not knowing what the future holds; can be flexible, ingenious and creative, or at least, muddle through! Hong Kong had one of the lowest scores at 29, Ireland scored 35, the US 46, Argentina and France 86. I mused on how Ecolint would emerge if it was considered as a country in its own right! Well, it was intriguing, but we do teach our students not to generalise or to label according to national stereotypes! What struck me was not just how endlessly fascinating it is to work in an international school with students and staff whose cultural heritage is so varied, but also how important it is that we are able to help all our students to be comfortable with and resilient in the face of doubt and uncertainty, to be curious and resourceful, embracing opportunity, and not to impose upon them too much our own urge for order and safety in a volatile world. I really appreciate the way that so many staff foster a spirit of adventure and optimistic risk-taking as a way of encouraging our students to live life to the full and grow through exacting challenge.
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This is the moment for me to pay tribute to one of our colleagues, known to a good number of you, who is demonstrating that willingness to embrace a new challenge along with its attendant uncertainty. Irishman Eoghan O’Sullivan joined us three years ago as Head of Alumni Relations and has been simply outstanding in this role thanks to his communication, publishing and technical skills, his ability to engage with people, not to mention his talents as a musician. He has, more or less single-handedly, revitalised our engagement with our alumni around the world, organising networking events, facilitating reunions and putting individuals in touch with each other. He has been instrumental in encouraging many alumni to reconnect with Ecolint and given today’s students a number of opportunities to learn from them. Eoghan is stepping into the unknown and setting up his own consultancy. On behalf of the wide Ecolint family, I extend my warmest thanks to him. Good luck, Eoghan! Vicky Tuck Director General
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NEWS AND former PYP coordinator at La Châtaigneraie, Ms Gordon returns to Ecolint after two years at the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa. She succeeds Becci Lee, who is leaving the foundation after three years of outstanding
Director General Vicky Tuck, welcoming the appointment, said “We were greatly impressed by Ms Gordon’s values, enthusiasm, wisdom and expertise drawn from her studies, her long association with Ecolint and her recent headship experience in Mombasa.”
Dr David Hawley
OUR NEW DIRECTOR GENERAL The Governing Board of the International School of Geneva announced in early March the appointment of Dr David Hawley as Director General. He will succeed Vicky Tuck, who retires in August 2017. Dr Hawley is currently Chief Academic Officer at the International Baccalaureate (IB) organization based in The Hague. Prior to taking up his post at the IB in 2015, Dr Hawley was Head of Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific in Canada for nearly a decade. He began his career as a Science teacher in Guatemala and Venezuela. He then held several leadership roles internationally, first as Principal at Lincoln School in Costa Rica, then as Principal at Frankfurt International School in Germany, for five years. Dr Hawley served as Head of Atlanta International School for ten years, a pioneering school in bilingual and dual language education. In his career in education, Dr Hawley has had hands-on experience with the IB, the Advanced Placement pro-
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gramme (AP), the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), and French, German and Spanish Ministry requirements. He also has a deep background in experiential and expeditionary learning. Dr Hawley is a Canadian and US national who loves the outdoors and adventures. After graduating from Framingham State University with a degree in Biology and Earth Sciences, he subsequently pursued his studies at Harvard University Graduate School of Education, earning a Master’s Degree in Educational Technology and a Doctorate in Administration, Planning and Social Policy. He is married to Dr Leisa Weld, a statistician in the field of global health and international travel medicine. They have two multilingual young adult children who grew up in international schools.
NEW PREGNY EARLY YEARS PRINCIPAL Isla Gordon was chosen as the new Head of Pregny, the Early Years school of Campus des Nations, a role she will take up in August 2017. An alumna and
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Isla Gordon
leadership. Ms Gordon is well known to many in the Foundation, having worked here since 1999, first as a homeroom teacher on the Pregny-Rigot campus and then at the Primary and Early Years school of La Châtaigneraie, as Assistant Principal and later as PYP coordinator. In January 2015, she was appointed Junior School Principal at the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa. Fluent in English and French, Isla Gordon is a Swiss and UK citizen and completed some of her own schooling at Ecolint. After two years at the Université de Genève, she moved to the UK to study for her Bachelor’s degree at the Roehampton Institute at Surrey University, where she qualified as a teacher. In 2008, she embarked on post-graduate studies in Education (Leadership and Management) at Oxford Brookes University, and later obtained a Master’s in Education with Durham University.
PREJUDICE AND EDUCATION A recently published book by Conrad Hughes, Secondary School and Campus Principal at LGB, looks at how the principles of international education can better inform the efforts of educators towards a less prejudiced world. The book, Understanding Prejudice and Education: the challenge for future generations (Routledge), argues that the study of history and culture in schools, along with the development of empathy, critical thinking and reflection, can lessen prejudice. Chapters explore a range of examples from classroom practice, many from Ecolint itself. Dr Hughes starts with the need to recognize and broach prejudice at the individual level, before exploring some of the external factors that reduce
ND VIEWS prejudice. He concludes with an integrative framework that can be adapted and adopted in schools. In it he emphasizes the need for individuals and groups to work against preconceived beliefs and emotional reactions to situations, offering counterintuitive, rational and affective responses.
SHARE YOUR WISDOM Our alumni community – with thousands of members throughout the world – represents an incredible untapped resource when it comes to professional expertise, wisdom and savoir-faire, writes Thaïs Ruegg. For younger alumni who are looking to develop their career, or indeed any alumnus wanting to take on a new professional direction, being able to identify a mentor who can provide valuable advice, and shares an Ecolint background, is a very attractive proposition. We’re pleased to announce that Ecolint alumni can now sign up to our eMentoring platform, Ecolint Connect. This new service, which can be accessed by all registered users of our alumni website, allows you both to offer and seek career-related advice.
“My Ecolint experience has certainly influenced the writing of this book,” he says. “So much of what we do in the Foundation is at the core of an education for less prejudice: it was here that the first-known school level courses in international history started, and it was here that the Students’ United Nations was started, in 1953. Ecolint has always been a school with a remarkably inclusive approach to different types of learners. Our Special Educational Needs philosophy is a subtle expression of real open-mindedness.” Understanding Prejudice and Education is essential reading for all those engaged in relevant undergraduate, Master’s level and postgraduate courses in Education, Social Psychology and Cultural Studies, as well as for teachers and school leaders interested in developing strategies to reduce prejudice in their schools. It can be ordered online from Routledge, or from retailers such as Amazon.
the number of simultaneous mentees they are willing to take on and the range of eMentoring “services” they will offer. For example, some might wish to limit their mentoring to providing advice by email or reviewing a CV, while others may be in a position to offer an internship or even – to the right candidate – a job. Current students and their parents may be wondering why such a service is limited to alumni. In fact, our longer term aim is, in conjunction with the Ecolint Guidance Counsellors, to make Ecolint Connect available to senior students. With appropriate supervision from the Guidance team, some students could benefit greatly from the advice of alumni, whether still at university or further along their career path. For the moment, we invite all alumni to visit the platform, whether to become a mentor, a mentee, or both! Visit: http://alumni.ecolint.ch/connect
Ecolint Connect makes it easy for mentors and mentees to find each other and engage in a structured exchange. Mentors can specify both
MEET THAÏS Ecolint welcomed its new Alumni Community Manager in January 2017, with Eoghan O'Sullivan moving on to a new challenge at the end of March. Thaïs Ruegg introduces herself to her new community. I’ve said words along these lines to almost everyone I’ve met since taking up this role: I’m thrilled to be here. And that’s not an overstatement. It feels like the different areas of my life are all coming together – youth work, communications for NGOs, growing up in Geneva, my mother working at Ecolint for so many years. Not a day in this new role has gone by without me encountering someone with whom I have some sort of connection: a parent whose teenager I once mentored, an old friend I had last seen at La Chât’s Battle of the Bands
(circa 2001), a former teacher who had supervised my SAT test twenty years ago.
three years, fostering a community of engaged alumni with great energy and creativity.
I’ve enjoyed working alongside Eoghan – whose big shoes I have to fill – these past two months. It is encouraging to note that we seem to value similar things: making connections, meeting people, straightforwardness, humour. I will do my best to continue the excellent work Eoghan has done over the past
I’m looking forward to getting to know many more members of the community over the months and years ahead. Don’t hesitate to reach out by email or to drop into the Alumni Office for a visit. I’m here to serve you! thais.ruegg@ecolint.ch
Eoghan O’Sullivan (left) and Thaïs Ruegg.
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« ZOHRA » : LA MUSIQUE DE L’ESPÉRANCE FIN JANVIER, L’ECOLINT A EU LE PRIVILÈGE D’ACCUEILLIR L’ORCHESTRE « ZOHRA », COMPOSÉ DE JEUNES AFGHANES, PREMIÈRES FEMMES À APPRENDRE LA MUSIQUE EN AFGHANISTAN DEPUIS 35 ANS. CATHERINE MÉRIGAY Y ÉTAIT.
Quoi de plus naturel et plaisant que cet orchestre de jeunes gens venus se produire au Centre des arts ? Les visages des musiciens sont concentrés en attendant l’entrée du chef d’orchestre ; ils échangent quelques sourires complices çà et là ; quelques mots chuchotés à l’oreille. Le public finit de s’installer et attend. Là s’arrête le familier. Le chef d’orchestre est UNE cheffe d’orchestre. Vêtue d’une robe noire lui tombant aux pieds, elle a recouvert sa tête et ses épaules d’un voile rouge, vert et noir. Les couleurs du drapeau afghan. A ses pieds, une dizaine de musi-
: elles risquent jusqu’à leur vie pour pratiquer leur art dans un pays où les libertés sont balbutiantes et où saignent encore les blessures causées par des années d’oppression.
C’est surtout la musique d’un monde meilleur que le public écoute avec ferveur. Après les dernières notes, la longue standing ovation et l’émotion palpable en dit long, autant sur le besoin vital de recevoir cette musique libérée que sur la nécessité de la jouer, encore et encore.
ciennes assises en tailleur et vêtues d’habits traditionnels chatoyants serrent contre elles des instruments aussi beaux que mystérieux. Au deuxième rang, des jeunes filles au voile rouge et or, tenant des violons et violoncelles, forment une forêt d’archets plus familiers. Au signal de la baguette éclate alors la plus singulière des musiques, la plus vibrante et émouvante, porteuse d’un formidable espoir. La musique d'un monde meilleur C’est la musique de toutes les audaces que ces trente jeunes filles de l’Afghan Women's Orchestra « Zohra » sont venues offrir à l’Ecolint, accompagnées par de jeunes musiciens de l’Orchestre du Collège de Genève, dans le cadre d’une tournée européenne organisée par le WEF. De l’audace, il en a fallu à ces adolescentes âgées de 14 à 20 ans et dont la plupart n’a jamais quitté l’Afghanistan
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Un défi à l'obscurantisme Pour que cette magie opère ce soir-là et tout au long de la tournée de «Zohra», il a fallu le courage, l’abnégation et l’humanisme d’Ahmad Sarmast, musicien et musicologue afghan. Persuadé des vertus thérapeutiques de la musique sur son pays et ses concitoyens traumatisés, il décide que les filles, tout comme les garçons, ont désormais le droit de pratiquer ce qui était, il y a peu, l’incarnation du mal absolu pour les talibans et passible des pires châtiments. Malgré les obstacles, Ahmad Sarmast crée l’Afghan National Institute of Music (ANIM) en 2010 avec le soutien du ministère afghan de l’éducation. De cette formidable école, qui dispense une formation musicale et générale à ses élèves de tous niveaux sociaux, émane «Zohra», un orchestre uniquement composé de jeunes filles – et à leur propre initiative. En écoutant ces musiciennes souriantes mêler les sonorités de leur pays à des harmonies plus connues, il est difficile de
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se représenter les sacrifices auxquels elles ont consenti pour nous offrir ce moment qui touche au sublime. Ostracisées par des membres de leurs familles, enfermées, menacées de mort, obligées de dissimuler leurs instruments, ces jeunes artistes n’ont pour protection que la bienveillante persévérance d’Ahmad Sarmast et leur propre détermination à maîtriser leur destinée. Le fondateur d’ANIM a d’ailleurs payé un lourd tribut à l’accomplissement de son projet, gravement blessé par l’explosion de la bombe qui lui était destinée. Au sortir de ce concert exceptionnel, on se prend à croire que ce que nous avons vu n’est pas une utopie, mais un avant-goût de ce qu’il faut continuer d’espérer: une humanité libre, ouverte à l’autre et enrichie du meilleur de chaque culture. www.anim-music.org Zohra, the first ever all-female ensemble in the history of Afghanistan, gave a series of profoundly moving concerts at LGB in January. The young Afghan women are the first to study and play music in their country – and they do so at great risk, often being ostracized by their families and having to smuggle their instruments to and from class. Their story and unique melodies mesmerized the sold-out Centre des arts, inspiring hope in a future where cultures are marked by openness, free expression, and rich exchange. Ahmad Sarmast is the mastermind behind’s Zohra. Convinced that music is profoundly therapeutic for his country and its citizens, he created and now directs the Afghanistan National Institute of Music, which teaches music to all students, regardless of sex or class, and from which arises this unique allfemale Afghan orchestra.
UNE NOUVELLE FLÛTE POUR RAPPROCHER LES CULTURES L’ECOLE DE MUSIQUE DE LA GRANDE BOISSIÈRE ACCUEILLE DEPUIS SEPTEMBRE 2016 UN PROFESSEUR DE FLÛTE PEU ORDINAIRE. A SEULEMENT 45 ANS, LE PÉRUVIEN-DANOIS LUIS DE LA CALLE A DÉJÀ VÉCU PLUSIEURS VIES : MUSICIEN PRODIGE, CONCERTISTE, INVENTEUR, ENSEIGNANT, DOCTORANT, PHILANTHROPE, COMPOSITEUR. INTERVIEW DE CE FLÛTISTE EXCEPTIONNEL PAR CATHERINE MÉRIGAY.
La longueur de votre carrière – 40 ans – est impressionnante ! Je suis né à Lima et j’ai commencé très jeune à jouer de la flûte traditionnelle Inca (la Quena, une flûte en bambou et le Siku, un genre de flûte de pan) et à me produire en concert. A 14 ans, j’ai été nommé par le ministère de l’éducation meilleur joueur du Pérou dans la catégorie musique classique et populaire latine. A 15 ans, vous partez travailler la musique au Japon. Quelle expérience pour un si jeune homme ! J’ai eu la chance d’être repéré, lors d’un concert au Pérou, par une artiste japonaise émue par mon jeu. Elle m’a proposé de venir au Japon et d’être mon manager. J’ai énormément travaillé là-bas pendant 4 ans, appris l’art des flûtes traditionnelles japonaises et donné énormément de concerts importants, y compris à la radio et à la télévision. Votre étape suivante a été l’Inde. Pourquoi ce choix ? Au Japon, Hideo Kanze, dernier maître de l’art ancestral du Noh et directeur de mes concerts, m’avait dit : «tu dois partir en Inde pour étudier la culture traditionnelle védique, car tout vient de là !». J’ai donc refait mes valises, j’avais 19 ans ! Là-bas, je me suis totalement immergé dans tous les aspects de cette culture pendant 7 ans: le sanscrit, les textes fondateurs, les rites, la philosophie, la spiritualité et, bien entendu, la musique carnatique et la flûte en bambou indienne. Les cultures musicales ancestrales sont donc votre fil conducteur. Pourquoi cet attrait ? Au-delà d’une attirance naturelle, j’ai découvert à quel point nos racines résonnent en nous aujourd’hui. Au fond, les êtres humains, aussi différents soient-ils, ont un puissant héritage commun : celui de la vie en communauté, du partage et de la transmission des traditions. La musique permet
de relier les hommes entre eux. Comment exprimezvous cet intérêt dans votre enseignement ? Je pratique la méthode Suzuki. Il s’agit d’une façon d’enseigner la musique qui s’apparente à l’assimilation naturelle par l’enfant de sa langue maternelle : par immerLuis De La Calle, avec sa De La Calle Quena-Flute (à gauche) sion, en privilégiant la transmission orale et étudié au conservatoire supérieur de Suède l’écoute. Je fais fabriquer à mes élèves leur et dans d’autres conservatoires européens. propre Pinkullo (flûte ancestrale Inca en bambou, originaire du lac Titicaca). Ainsi, Vous avez obtenu de prestigieuses récoml’enfant construit une relation très particulière penses et été reconnu officiellement avec sa flûte. C’est là toute la puissance de comme l’un des plus talentueux flûtistes l’héritage de nos ancêtres, qui fabriquaient des traditions occidentales et non occileurs instruments, apprenaient par imitation et dentales. Que vous reste-t-il à réaliser ? se transmettaient oralement leurs chants. Un Je termine ma thèse de doctorat en sciences enfant est universel par nature. Il est capable de l’éducation musicale à l’Université de d’intégrer le patrimoine culturel de n’importe Genève. J’ai partagé la scène avec mes quelle origine et de l’utiliser pour nourrir son idoles, les meilleurs flûtistes du monde. J’ai expérience. été décoré par le Président du Parlement de la République et de plusieurs maires du Pérou. Vous avez également été invité à étudier Je suis sous contrat avec Sony Music. J’ai la flûte traversière au conservatoire supémaintenant besoin de faire profiter les autres rieur de musique de Copenhague. de mon expérience, sinon je risque l’indigesEst-ce là que vous avez eu l’idée tion ! C’est pourquoi j’ai créé en 2016 The Luis d’inventer votre propre flûte ? De La Calle Foundation, avec pour objectif Oui, car les possibilités musicales de la flûte d’offrir un enseignement musical et de l’aide traversière m’ont fasciné mais je voulais en sociale à des enfants défavorisés au Pérou rendre le son moins métallique. J’ai demandé (notamment les victimes des inondations à un luthier au Pérou d’adapter l’embouchure récentes), en Bolivie, au Mexique et en Inde. en bambou de la Quena à la flûte traversière. J’ai pivoté l’instrument à la verticale et la En juin 2017, Luis De La Calle organisera des De La Calle Quena-Flute est née ! J’ai gagné ateliers-découvertes de différents types de le premier prix de la World Competition for flûtes à La Grande Boissière et à La Innovation en Suède et ma flûte a été breChâtaigneraie. Contactez mary-eileen.marie vetée. En prime, j’ai pu obtenir un bachelor @ecolint.ch pour en savoir plus. de soliste virtuose et un master d’éducation Si vous souhaitez soutenir musicale au conservatoire supérieur de sa fondation, contactez luis. Malmö en Suède sur ma propre flûte, une delacalle@ecolint.ch. première mondiale. Mon instrument a été
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NET EFFECTS ONLINE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS, THOUGH NOT UNIVERSALLY LIKED, HAVE BECOME A POPULAR PLACE FOR ALUMNI TO CONNECT AND RECONNECT. EOGHAN O’SULLIVAN PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW.
In Bulletin No. 6 of the Association des Anciens, dated December 1940, we find ten typewritten pages of “Nouvelles des anciens”. We read, for example, that “Louise Hoffmann who for several years was in business, was recently married. We would like to know her new name!!!!” Another note reads: “Marguerite Kennedy continue ses études à Smith College. Nous n’avons pas eu de nouvelles directement. Mais sa tante nous a fait savoir qu’elle allait bien et qu’elle gardait un excellent souvenir de son séjour à l’Ecolint.” Those bulletins, which also included the names and addresses of both the members and non-members of the Association and updates on school life, were sent around the world by post. The effort that went into alumni outreach over the decades is remarkable. Brave new world Fast forward to the 21st century and we find ourselves in a very different environment when it comes to communicating. The advent of email, the web and, especially, online social networks has changed utterly the way alumni keep in touch, while the desire for updates about former classmates and news about the school remains undimmed. Social networks such as Facebook and LinkedIn are not to everyone’s taste. The school and the Alumni Office remain committed to communicating with alumni in print as well as via the website and regular email newsletters. However, for countless alumni around the world, the possibility of connecting via online social networks has been welcomed with open arms. John Murray (LGB ’80) is one alumnus who embraced the new platforms from the outset. An avid networker since graduating from Ecolint, he remembers well the days of writing letters to classmates’ parents or universities to track them down. As social media emerged in the early 2000s, he started reconnecting with many more classmates and more quickly, leading him
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John Murray (LGB ’80) was an early adopter of social media, founding the Ecolint Alumni LinkedIn group in 2007.
to the idea of forming the Ecolint Alumni LinkedIn group for business professionals. “LinkedIn has become one of the most powerful business tools that I use on a daily basis. It has been extremely valuable for reconnecting with old colleagues, conducting research and making business introductions,” he told us. John currently resides in the US and leads digital marketing strategy at Markel Corporation, a Fortune 500 insurance company based in Richmond, Virginia. The LinkedIn group he founded in 2007, now managed by the Alumni Office, has a membership of more than 1,500 alumni, with posts about everything from entrepreneurship in the alumni community and networking events, to relocation advice and job opportunities. (Join the group here: sl.ecolint. ch/linkedin.) Nostalgia-fest The social network where alumni can be found in the greatest numbers is Facebook. There are many, many groups and pages with an Ecolint connection, both official and unofficial. The most popular alumni group was founded in 2014 by Anna Szabados (LGB ’90). Anna, who has since become
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chair of the Central Committee of the Alumni Association, realized that a nostalgia-focused group might capture the imagination of many alumni. Almost on a whim, one evening she created the “You Went To Ecolint If…” group, which now has more than 2,000 members. Anna’s group is the place to go for anecdotes about infamous school trips, scans of old bus passes and gig tickets, debates about the tastiest confectionery of times past, photos of Geneva looking lovely, and just about anything else that might bring a tear to the eye or a smile to the face of an alumus. (The group is easily found on Facebook.) Beyond that, alumni may like to seek out recently formed Facebook groups in Southern California and South Florida; the “La Chât Old School” group, consisting mainly of Founex alumni from the 70s and 80s; and the “Ecolint Circa 1979” group, counting more than 300 mostly LGB alumni as members. There are also of course the official Facebook pages for the Ecolint Alumni Community and for the school itself. See: http://alumni.ecolint.ch/social
SIXTEEN YEARS OF THE INDIA PROJECT EVERY YEAR, A TEAM OF ECOLINT STUDENTS TRAVELS TO INDIA TO SERVE IN SOME OF ITS MOST VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES. STARTED IN 2001 BY TWO ECOLINT TEACHERS, THE INDIA PROJECT HAS INVOLVED MORE THAN 400 STUDENTS AND 35 TEACHERS. YEAR 13 STUDENT MALAIKA GABRA AND LGB MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER SHEENA RYAN TELL THE STORY.
It all started with a teacher exchange programme with Kodaikanal International School (KIS) in India. While there, Mr and Mrs Harrison, both Ecolint teachers, developed a connection with the Betsy Elizabeth Trust, a charitable organization that had established a crèche for children from the most disadvantaged families in Kodaikanal. The crèche programme provided the children with early education, nutrition and basic healthcare, while freeing their mothers to work as labourers in local farms and forests. The Harrisons recognized this as an opportunity for the Ecolint community to develop both a cultural exchange with another international school, KIS, and a service-learning project based on the international, humanitarian values of the IB and Ecolint’s school charter. The first Ecolint trip to India was led by the Harrisons in 2001. With the support of the wider Ecolint community, including teachers, parents and alumni, students helped to initiate and fund the establishment of two new crèches. Today, the crèches serve 150 children, and the project includes an outreach programme that supports a sewing centre for underprivileged women, a school in the village of Thamaraikulam, and the installation of smokeless stoves. The project has given Ecolint students invaluable educational experience through service-learning: in addition to their activities in India, they work as a team throughout the year to raise funds and awareness.
MALAIKA’S REFLECTION I still hear the rattling hinges of the night train, I still taste the steaming dosas, and when I look down I can still see the cheery, smiling faces of the crèche children. To say that those who participate in the India Project gain perspective and wisdom is an understatement.
in difficult situations, to be more grateful, and to be more fearless. The families in the tribal village and the resilient sewing ladies always greeted us with open arms and gave us a place in their community, their world, which held hardship and beauty we never had imagined.
The trip proved to be one of the most transformative experiences of my Ecolint years. Not only did I learn how to become a more self-aware, autonomous person, but every interaction in India was a lesson. From the teachers at the crèches, we learned dedication, patience, generosity, and kindness that overcame all language barriers. In the children, we witnessed the beauty of innocence and humanity. We learned as we watched the children wait patiently for their breakfast on Monday morning, after a weekend without food, and still share so instinctively. We learned when we saw them dance under the same teeming monsoon showers that had accompanied them on their long walk to school that morning. I had never expected to learn so much from children so young. They taught us to consider our privileged life in Geneva from a new perspective, to see light
After leaving India, we experienced a range of emotions, from melancholy to euphoria, and even withdrawal, as we readapted to our usual way of life in Geneva. We craved the proximity and complicity of our India team. In retrospect, I realize that our reluctance to let go of India was because, even at 14, we understood that our experience there – the memories, the emotions, the events – had touched us deeply. With time, reminiscing about the India trip has served as a humbling and comforting resource. The images, smells, and feelings are still palpable and vivid, yet also so deeply tucked away in that perfect memory of “The India Project”.Accessing them in the throes of the IB has armed me with one of the best gifts I have ever received: the gift of human experience.
Their readiness to roll up their sleeves and their willingness to open their eyes to a rich, complex, and often jarring world has brought new perspectives, and led them to reflect upon their responsibility and potential to promote social change. For further information: http://year10-indiatrip.blogspot.ch www.ecolintindiateam.com Contact: Sheena Ryan, LGB (sheena.ryan@ecolint.ch Sarah Shippey, La Châtaigneraie (sarah.shippey@ecolint.ch)
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LES DECORVETALEXANDER : UNE DYNASTIE ÉCOLINTIENNE DEPUIS DES DÉCENNIES, LES DECORVET-ALEXANDER SONT AU CŒUR DE LA VIE D’ECOLINT ET, AU TRAVERS DE LEUR COMPAGNIE D’OPÉRA, OPERAMI DE L’ACTIVITÉ MUSICALE A GENÈVE. GÉRALDINE FREEMAN, ENSEIGNANTE DE FRANÇAIS ET DE LATIN À L’ECOLE SECONDAIRE DE LGB, EST PARTIE À LEUR RENCONTRE.
Que peuvent avoir en commun Paul, pasteur, mathématicien, ancien directeur de l’Ecole Moyenne à LGB, expert en horaires scolaires et redoutable joueur d’échecs, Madeline, professeure de musique, diplômée en mise en scène d’opéras pour enfants au Metropolitan Opera House et Marion, jeune et talentueuse chanteuse lyrique, habituée des grands rôles du répertoire ? Un lien familial, certainement. Mais aussi l’Ecolint! Qu’est-ce que l’Ecolint représente pour vous ? Madeline et Paul, parents de Marion : L’Ecolint est dotée de valeurs exceptionnelles, d’une philosophie unique d’éducation à la paix ; c’est un lieu où se tissent des amitiés hors du commun avec élèves, collègues et parents, où se forgent des liens qui perdurent pendant des décennies. Marion : L’Ecolint est une école particulière où la différence est une richesse et où la découverte de l’autre passe par le respect. Cette vision forge les adultes en devenir qui fréquentent cette école. Je me souviens que dans ma classe se rencontraient des élèves de tous les continents : c’était magique ! En quoi l’Ecolint a-t-elle joué un rôle important dans votre vie ? Paul : En 1959, j’ai été sollicité pour créer un collège en Haïti. Le directeur de l’Ecolint, M. Roquette, m’a non seulement laissé partir en me promettant de me redonner mon poste à mon retour, mais m’a en quelque sorte mandaté pour devenir fondateur d’écoles. Cette flexibilité était unique ! Je suis ensuite revenu à l’Ecolint pour participer à la création du Baccalauréat International.
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Madeline Alexander-Decorvet
Marion : C’est à l’Ecolint que j’ai fait mes premiers spectacles et que j’ai décidé suite à une production du Mariage de Figaro de devenir cantatrice. J’avais alors 13 ans… Contrairement à ce que l’on pourrait penser, ce n’est pas le fait d’avoir eu une mère cantatrice qui m’a donné la vocation, mais bel et bien ma participation aux spectacles de l’Ecolint qui se trouvaient être dirigés par cette même mère ! Madeline : C’est une émotion intense lorsque des classes découvrent le bonheur de chanter ensemble, et disent «Je suis si fière d’avoir chanté pour les enfants d’Haïti pour qu’ils aillent à l’école,» ou «De te voir jouer du piano, ça m’a redonné envie de continuer d’étudier cet instrument,» et quand des parents confient «Vous avez changé mon enfant.»
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Parlez-nous d’OPERAMI… Marion : La philosophie d’OPERAMI, notre companie d’opéra, est proche des valeurs de l’Ecolint. Respect et qualité : l’association veut unir les uns et les autres sans discrimination autour du savoir et de la culture. OPERAMI a également une fonction pédagogique en voulant rendre l’opéra accessible à tous afin que cet art puisse continuer d’émouvoir encore pendant des générations. Madeline : Les mises en scène allient le travail sur les émotions et une direction d’acteurs exigeante : par exemple, dans Don Pasquale de Donizetti, le duo NorinaMalatesta est devenu une diabolique partie de badminton entre la soprano et le baryton ! Lorsque l’œuvre le demande, les élèves participent soit comme chœur d’enfants (La Bohème, Werther ou
Marion Decorvet
I Pagliacci ), soit comme figurants. Ils sont responsabilisés, comme la jeune Lydia qui était seule sur scène à l’ouverture du rideau de notre Traviata au BFM en 2016 devant près de mille spectateurs, et qui n’a jamais tremblé. J’aime avoir dans ma vie ces deux pôles, mon travail avec mes élèves et OPERAMI, le volet avec des adultes. Ces deux activités se nourrissent l’une l’autre.
Geneva où j’avais chanté le rôle de Mme Maurette, Papageno-Papagena, avec notamment le mémorable accident de trottinette à l’arrivée de Monostatos et de ses sbires, qui était une cascade d’une difficulté extraordinaire, les productions du Petit Ramoneur de Britten, où adultes, professionnels et élèves se côtoyaient sur scène, véritables prémices d’OPERAMI, Dreamcatcher de la lune, spectacle complètement bilingue où les élèves surgissaient d’une époustouflante forêt qui avait poussé au Carter Hall : tous les concerts, présentations ou spectacles sont autant de temps forts de ma vie par l’importance de ces moments uniques où les élèves « jouent leur vie », et qui sont tellement importants pour la construction de leur personnalité et leur rapport présent et futur à la musique. Paul : Une période palpitante a été la préparation du 75e anniversaire de l’Ecolint. A l’initiative du Directeur général George Walker, j’avais entrepris d’écrire le livret d’un opéra, basé sur un roman consacré aux enfants de l’Ecole Internationale, S.O.S. Geneva. Il fallait mobiliser toutes les unités de la Fondation, dans un texte bilingue, en collaboration avec un compositeur portugais.
Paul Decorvet
Quelques moments forts de votre vie à l’Ecolint ? Madeline : Récemment, les concerts des classes 5 PFB pour les pensionnaires âgés du Foyer Saint-Paul ou récital des 6 PFB en faveur de la recherche sur les maladies rares. Certains spectacles marquants : L’Arche de Noé, S.O.S.
Marion : J’ai été accompagnée durant mes années d’étude par des professeurs exceptionnels qui ont participé à la construction de l’adulte que je suis devenue. J’ai également appris la valeur du travail, si important dans mon métier, et surtout à organiser celui-ci. On peut travailler des heures, mais pas de la bonne façon ! Je pense que c’est la plus grande leçon que j’ai reçue : évaluer le travail et
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l’appréhender de la façon la plus efficace possible. Pensez-vous qu’une école comme l’Ecolint puisse être mise en danger par les changements du monde actuel ? Paul : L’Ecolint peut entrer en crise et devenir le contraire du bonheur. Cela se produit de manière plus ou moins cyclique, depuis les années 60. J’ai assisté à plusieurs conflits de pouvoir, à des crises qui ont déchiré l’école et ont entraîné une succession rapide de directeurs généraux. L’Ecolint est pour moi comme Janus, un dieu à deux visages opposés : son but est de promouvoir la paix, d’enseigner le respect et d’apprendre à résoudre les conflits, mais elle a beaucoup de peine à maîtriser ses tensions internes. Peut-être même est-ce précisément parce qu’elle poursuit avec passion des objectifs élevés qu’elle tombe dans les défauts des qualités qu’elle recherche. L’Ecolint représente pour moi un défi permanent, la nécessité de toujours lutter pour son idéal, de ne jamais le tenir pour acquis. Projets d’avenir ? Famille Decorvet (en chœur) : OPERAMI pour son 10e anniversaire va reprendre le Dido and Aeneas de Purcell. Nous espérons également pouvoir développer notre projet d’opéras pour enfants. La présence de parents, d’élèves, d’alumni et de collègues à OPERAMI est un grand bonheur : si vous souhaitez vous joindre à nous, n’hésitez pas à nous contacter sur associationoperami@gmail.com !
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THE RETURNEES CONTINUING OUR SERIES OF INTERVIEWS WITH FORMER ECOLINT STUDENTS WHO NOW TEACH AT THE SCHOOL, WE MEET WITH NICOLA CURTIN (LA CHÂT ’94) AND TRISTAN BERNARD (LGB ’75).
Nicola CURTIN (La Chât ‘94) > Visual Arts Teacher > Secondary School, La Châtaigneraie When did you start teaching at Ecolint, and on which campus? I started teaching part-time at La Chât in 2011. I am now a full-time Visual Arts teacher for Years 7 to 13 and also Head of Year to the current Year 12. When were you a student and at which campus? I moved to La Chât in Year 7 and graduated in 1994. Being the 90s, I went through hippy, grungy and goth phases (but not necessarily in that order). My claim to fame is that I saw one of Nirvana’s last concerts. Oh, and I also did pretty well in my IB! What did you do after leaving Ecolint? I always wanted to rediscover my Australian roots so I decided to study Fine Arts at the University of New South Wales. I spent four years thoroughly enjoying life as an art student in Sydney, but once I finished the degree I knew it was time to return to reality and gain a postgraduate certificate in secondary art teaching. I also knew that I had to return home as I had left a man who I loved back in Switzerland as well as my mother and three sisters.
Nicola Curtin in 1988
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What or who inspired you to be a teacher? There were, and indeed continue to be, many people (not least my colleagues) and many things that inspired me to become a teacher, but first and foremost it was my mother, Fay (the first Ms Curtin). She taught English and History at La Chât Secondary School and later (after I had graduated) became the UK university advisor. I never doubted that her work satisfied her intellectually and provided a community of like-minded people, as well as challenges. Her broad global perspective, inclusive ideology and strong sense of empathy were – and are – worth sharing. I hope that I may one day emulate her.
replaced. (Someone in my graduating class was the culprit – I still don’t know who.) That bin would always take me back in time!
After completing my PGCE in the UK, I found a job at Collège du Léman. I remained there for fourteen years and enjoyed every minute of it. During this time I also started a family and soon found myself mother to four lovely daughters (yes, four daughters and three sisters!). In the back of my mind, I knew that I would love to teach at La Chât one day and luckily enough the feeling was mutual! I began working with my three former Art teachers in 2012, just after the birth of my fourth child.
What are the main differences about Ecolint compared to when you were at school? The student body is much larger now. I used to think this was the main difference, but in fact the students know most of the other students in their year, so it still feels like a tight community. The grounds have expanded, but again, it still feels like the same campus as most of the buildings (except for the Primary) remain the same. We are still, thankfully, surrounded by farmland and forest, which continues to offer a great sense of space. The view towards the lake will always be stunning!
Are you ever, as a teacher, reminded of your former life at school? Strangely enough….yes! Every now and again, I stop and reflect on the time when I would sit and eat in the very room where now I teach. The main art room was once our cafeteria, our ceramics room the kitchen. My walk down from the car park often brings a sense of déjà vu. It was only last year that an old bin that had been spray-painted with a ‘94’ was finally
What are the best things about being a teacher? I receive particular satisfaction when I sense that I have enabled my students to develop their curiosity and creativity. In addition, becoming a Head of Year, a pastoral role, has further enriched my sense of belonging to the school and supporting the students within it.
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Tristan BERNARD (LGB ’75) > Professeur d'éducation physique > Ecole secondaire, La Châtaigneraie Quand avez-vous commencé à enseigner à l’Ecolint et sur quel campus ? J’ai débuté comme professeur d’éducation physique et comme entraîneur de rugby en 1984, au campus de La Châtaigneraie. A quelle période étiez-vous élève et sur quel campus ? J’ai terminé mes études secondaires en section anglaise à LGB de 1972 à 1975, après avoir passé sept ans aux Etats-Unis. J’ai eu le privilège de faire partie de la 3e promotion du Baccalauréat International. J’ai également joué dans la première équipe de rugby de l’Ecolint, devenant alors passionné de ce sport, passion qui est restée fil conducteur tout au long de ma vie. Qu’avez-vous fait après l’Ecolint? Je voulais découvrir le monde et me découvrir : d’un périple en bus VW en Afrique du Nord – interrompu par la crise politique dans le Sahara occidental – à une formation en architecture paysagiste, en passant par mon service militaire et même une période comme chauffeur de camion en Arabie Saoudite ; tout ça m’a amené à l’Université Saint John’s en Angleterre, où, dès lors convaincu que je voulais enseigner, j’ai obtenu un Bachelor en «Education in Human Movement and Linguistics.» Bien évidemment, j’y ai aussi joué au rugby et eu l’honneur de jouer pour la Sélection des British Colleges. Qu’est-ce qui vous a poussé à enseigner ? L’Ecolint m’avait fait goûter à l’enseignement lorsque j’étais encore étudiant ; pour mon CAS, je servais comme assistant au primaire, ce qui m’avait déjà transmis la vocation d’enseignant. Mais c’est encore le rugby qui m’a ramené vers l’Ecolint. J’entraînais l’équipe de rugby d’Hermance à l’époque, travaillant en parallèle à la Deutsche Schule Genf et au Pickwick’s Pub, où étudiants et professeurs de l’Ecolint avaient leurs habitudes. C’est ainsi que Phil Thomas (Directeur à LGB et arbitre de rugby), autour d’une bière, m’a informé que La Châtaigneraie recherchait un coach de rugby.
J’ai été embauché sur le champ par Mike Lee comme entraîneur et professeur d’éducation physique à temps partiel. Plus tard, je suis devenu chef du département d’éducation physique et coordinateur des compétitions. L’environnement international de l’école était parfait pour moi, qui par mes années passées à l’étranger, me sentais souvent étranger dans mon propre pays. Je suis vite devenu un pur produit de l’Ecolint, avec une ouverture d’esprit à l’international et un ancrage local.
En quoi l’Ecolint d’aujourd’hui diffèret-elle de celle que vous avez connue comme élève ? Les campus ont tellement grandi que cela enlève un peu de l’esprit de communauté qui existait précédemment. Fondamentalement, l’Ecolint reste une communauté où chacun peut encore exprimer ses opinions, mais pour combien de temps ? Certaines choses ne changent pas ; l’ensemble du personnel reste très investi et se préoccupe toujours des élèves. Même après qu’ils aient quitté l’école et débuté leur vie d’adultes, des anciens élèves gardent le contact avec leurs professeurs. En tant que professeur, je revis certaines choses que j’avais connues comme élève, comme les journées de ski et les tournois de rugby. Seulement aujourd’hui, c’est moi qui sépare les couples qui se collent un peu trop dans les couloirs !
Tristan Bernard en 1974 (à LGB)
Avez-vous parfois des souvenirs de votre vie d’élève qui ressurgissent ? Pendant notre année senior, nous avions des responsabilités et devions gagner la confiance des professeurs. Cela nous donnait des privilèges comme l’autorisation de sortir du campus pour aller au Road Runner ou à “l’Auberge”. Mon meilleur souvenir de l’école a été de battre le Collège du Léman lors des compétitions SGIS qui se déroulaient à Munich dans le vieux stade olympique.
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Qu’appréciez-vous le plus dans le métier d’enseignant ? Ce que j’aime vraiment, c’est de travailler dans un environnement social vivant, en constante évolution, pour partager et transmettre. Et je ne voudrais pas enseigner autre chose que l’éducation physique parce que cela permet d’enseigner à la personne toute entière. Les contacts que j’ai pu avoir avec mes professeurs et le temps passé à l’école ont façonné la personne que je suis devenue. J’aimerais rendre cela à la communauté, en aidant les élèves à s’intégrer socialement par la pratique du sport. De plus, le contact avec la jeunesse me permet de rester en phase avec la société d’aujourd’hui. Mes souvenirs de l’Ecolint sont devenus ma réalité quotidienne.
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OFF THE BEATEN PATH AT ECOLINT, WE PRIDE OURSELVES ON GIVING EVERY CHILD WHAT HE OR SHE NEEDS TO FLOURISH PERSONALLY AND ACADEMICALLY.
DESIGN
SOMETIMES THAT MEANS THINKING, TEACHING AND LEARNING OUTSIDE THE BOX. TANIA GENTET GANOSE EXPLORES SOME OF OUR LESS FAMILIAR SUBJECT OPTIONS.
Maths, Biology, Geography, English – these are typical elements of a solid, high-quality education. But what about Sports Exercise or Film? Philosophy or Design? Business Management? Latin? Might these not also, in line with the aims of the International Baccalaureate, “develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world,” and prepare them for a world of uncertainty and change? While curricula differ in content across our schools and campuses, our overarching goal remains consistent. Our programmes are more than just a set of qualifications; they are developed to best meet the needs of society in the 21st century and enable students to gain an interdisciplinary understanding of the world that surrounds them. To this end, we offer a number of courses that complement the well-known elements of the standard curriculum.
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XERCISE SPORTS, E ALTH AND H E SCIENCE Sports, Exercise and Health Science is the study of how the healthy human body works during exercise and how sport and physical activity promote health. Its scope ranges from the intricacy of the cellular level to whole body perspectives. Launched in 2011 for Year 11 students at La Grande Boissière, this option is now accessible to all IB students as a Group 4 subject at both Standard and Higher level. As an interdisciplinary subject, Sports, Exercise and Health Science combines elements of biology and physics, with careful study of anatomy, the energy systems of the human body, nutrition, psychology and biomechanics; sports, through the measurement and evaluation of performance and movement; and maths, by regular recourse to statistical analyses. As an applied science, it also teaches students how to develop personal exercise plans, giving them a practical, hands-on example of how this subject can be applied on a day-today basis. Paving the way to studying Sports Science at university, this option can also open doors to qualifications in Physiotherapy, Physical Education or Sports Marketing and Development.
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The Design teachers at Campus des Nations each have a specific technical background – natural product design, electronics and computers, and engineering – meaning that students can express their creativity in more than just artistic ways. For when does design ever end? The teaching of Design is ever-changing, as new products and technologies are constantly developing. Design brings together a wide set of skills including maths, physics, chemistry and biology, and gives them meaning in the specific context of product creation. Based on the premise that a given product is imperfect, students follow a process whereby they identify flaws in an effort to reassess constantly how a product can be further improved. From 3D printers to CNC milling machines, from computer coding to vector-based graphics, from laser cutters to robotics, students develop a wide variety of practical skills through individual, hands-on learning that breaks down the barriers of the traditional classroom formula. Design opens the doors to an array of university degrees ranging from Architecture to Engineering, Fashion Design to Applied Arts, Graphic Design to Systems Modelling and many, many more.
FILM Lights, Camera, Action! By using digital video cameras and editing software to create short videos, students at Campus des Nations and La Châtaigneraie are introduced to digital video making. Starting with conceptualization, they move through to scripting, storyboarding, filming and editing, covering all areas of the creation process. They have the opportunity to propose their own creative ideas and eventually produce a short online video. Some students have become such experts that they apply these skills on a regular basis, becoming student reporters for their campus magazines. As such, this course enables students to develop not only their artistic and creative abilities, but also to gain technical knowledge and discover different techniques that have transformed film and media into the incredibly varied universe that it is today. Filmmaking also paves the way for higher education choices such as journalism, screenwriting, sound editing, graphic design, film theory, cinematography, photography and more.
BUSINESS T EN MANAGEM
IE PHILOSOPH La philosophie encourage les élèves de l’Ecolint à poser et éclaircir les questions intemporelles que se pose l’humanité. C’est un sujet lié à la faculté de l’être humain à analyser sa propre pensée. Pour la première fois depuis des décennies, la philosophie est proposée aux élèves de l’école secondaire de La Grande Boissière. Au travers d’une analyse chronologique des principaux philosophes, y compris des penseurs non occidentaux, cette classe aborde trois grandes questions : 1) Qu’est-ce que la théorie de la philosophie ? 2) Quels principes la sous-tendent ? 3) Comment la philosophie peut-elle contribuer à l’épanouissement de soi ? Le cours permet aux élèves d’apprécier le sujet d’un point de vue académique afin qu’ils puissent développer un dialogue philosophique entre eux. Ils peuvent, ainsi, utiliser la philosophie comme boussole pour comprendre les revirements éthiques, politiques et culturels qui marquent le XXIe siècle. A la fin du cours, les élèves sont en mesure d’utiliser leurs connaissances pour créer leur propre philosophie.
LATIN D’un point de vue historique, l’enseignement du latin a toujours eu une place centrale dans l’éducation, et c’était même la langue maîtresse du savoir et de la science jusqu’au milieu du XVIIIe siècle. Mais au cours des derniers siècles, le Latin a progressivement cédé sa place au langues vernaculaires, au point de disparaître entièrement de certains programmes scolaires. A La Grande Boissière, bien que l’enseignement de cette langue ne fasse plus partie du programme d’étude officiel, on lui accorde néanmoins une large place, car son apprentissage ne peut être que bénéfique pour l’acquisition des langues vivantes. Mais à la place de longues leçons interminables de grammaire, l’enseignement du latin à l’Ecolint a été dépoussiéré et relooké afin de produire un cours dynamique, mêlant linguistique, culture antique, civilisation, et histoire. Ainsi, le cours est devenu une véritable fenêtre sur le monde gréco-romain. Alliant cours, visites externes, banquets gastronomiques et découverte des us et coutumes de nos ancêtres, l’initiation au latin à l’école est utile pour toute forme d’études supérieures : du droit à la médecine, de l’histoire à la pharmacologie, ces disciplines regorgent de termes latins, et une fois les racines acquises, on ouvre la voie à la connaissance.
Delivered at La Châtaigneraie, the business curriculum is an increasingly popular option. Following a practical approach, this discipline covers all aspects of the business world: accounting, communication, ethics, product marketing, market research. Students learn what it means to plan and build a career in business. As a result, the course can not only prepare them to hit the ground running as they enter the professional world following school, but also opens doors to further studies at university or in technical colleges. Being a multidisciplinary field, Business Management enables students to choose between broad spectrum diplomas, such as Economics or Business Management, or qualifications that focus on a specific strand, like Accounting, Human Resources, Marketing or Business Law.
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THE PRESS PACK CONTINUING OUR SERIES FOCUSING ON ALUMNI CAREER AREAS, IN THIS ISSUE WE MEET THREE PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS. GILES HATTERSLEY WRITES FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES IN LONDON, WHILE BOTH NOGA TARNOPOLOSKY AND RAMI KHOURI ARE BASED IN THE MIDDLE EAST.
Giles HATTERSLEY (La Chât ’98) @GilesHattersley I started at La Châtaigneraie in 1996, though had lived in and around Geneva for several years before that. I enrolled for my final two years of high school as my parents thought it would be a good idea for me to do the International Baccalaureate – and, boy, were they right!
Aspiring journalists always ask me how to get started. Two words: work experience. The hard truth about journalism is that there’s no real preparation for doing it other than doing it, so it’s a case of interning like mad until a job comes up. This might sound miserable, but it can
I’m not sure I ever studied as hard as I did during those two years. Arguably not at the university I attended in the UK afterwards, and certainly not at my previous school. But though I founded and edited the student newspaper while at La Châtaigneraie, and did plenty of reading for the English Lit course, I think the best element about the school for my future career was breadth. Sure, there are specialist writers in any given field, but I always think the quintessential journalist’s skill is being able to discover a fair whack about a subject fast, so you are able to write about it with authority, often to a punishing deadline. It’s the rare profession where knowing a little about a lot of subjects is often more helpful than knowing a lot about a little. Most weeks I’m sent off to interview a new face for The Sunday Times in London and have to find out everything about a person – whether a Hollywood actress or a politician – at breakneck speed. Studying all those subjects for the IB, while balancing the extracurricular demands of Ecolint, definitely turned me into a fast learner. Originally, I wanted to work on glossy magazines so I did an MA in Fashion Journalism at Central Saint Martin’s. But after I started doing work experience at The Sunday Times’ “Style” section in 2003, I had the good fortune to be promoted up through the paper, where I now work writing long profiles of well-known faces, be it Beyoncé or a fascinating person who just happens to be the news that week.
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Giles Hattersley
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also be great fun if you have the right attitude. And don’t be too judgemental. I’m paid to have lots of opinions about people, but Ecolint was also a terrific place to learn how not to define others by anything other than their actions. In fact, that might be the most valuable lesson of all.
Noga TARNOPOLSKY (LGB ‘84) @NTarnopolsky I was at Ecolint from 1973 to 1980, 2nd to 9th grades. During my years at Ecolint I developed an intense interest in public affairs and an equally intense desire to engage, to develop a voice that would be part of a greater conversation on matters of the world. This was encouraged in every class. I was influenced by the school’s proximity to the UN and to the diplomatic world; and its bilingual character had an enormous effect on the joy I take in language and the use of it. Mostly, Ecolint gave me a vivid sense of the immediacy of world affairs – that peace talks between African nations, for example, were not distant or abstract but part of the life I was living. I finished my last three years of school in California and went on to Amherst College where I studied English and Political Science. This was a direct continuation of the intertwined interests I’d acquired at Ecolint. I developed a real passion for W.B. Yeats and a fascination with the way his poetry reflected and affected the Irish struggle. I studied Marie de France, a 12th
century poet and, in my view, a pioneering feminist voice in public life and letters. I was not consciously preparing for life as a journalist, but it was excellent preparation. Journalism is going through a turbulent period, so I would encourage any young Noga Tarnopolsky person interested in this career to ask one’s self if one is cut out for a life that is filled with questions and unlikely ever to be economically secure or office-bound. Other than that, my advice would be to engage. If you have a passion for a particular region or subject, immerse yourself in it and start writing about it. Join Twitter, start a blog, submit your writing to platforms that you admire, reach out to mentors. Ecolint formed my sensibility, so it affects everything I write. I am grateful to Ecolint for the sense that the world is open to me, that no one, and nothing, is so alien as to be
out of reach. This is a necessary trait when interviewing heads of state and posting in real time about political murder, when reviewing hefty biographies of world leaders and when covering the tragedy of death in combat. It is no less required when revealing the existence of wild cauliflower and guiding one’s readers through the secrets of local bars, and even when penning a personal column touching on one’s life growing up as an Ecolinter in Geneva.
Rami G. KHOURI (LGB ‘66) @RamiKhouri My last four years of high school, 1962-66, were at Ecolint, coinciding with perhaps the greatest burst of musical energy in modern history. I'm sure this inspired and motivated us in our academic and social lives. My Ecolint years only mildly stimulated my writing, as I wrote a bit for the school newspaper and I also wrote songs for our rock band! But what Ecolint really did that has served me well in my career was to open and stimulate my mind in many arenas, through activities like the debate club, the Student League of Nations, and others. It also provided outstanding English teachers who gave me a strong foundation in writing. I attended Syracuse University in the USA, intending to study biochemistry, owing to the love for this topic that I developed while studying with the outstanding Mr Unitt. The chemistry at college level was too hard for me, and I followed my adviser's advice to pursue a subject that corresponded to what I liked
Rami G. Khouri
to do or what I did in my spare time. That turned out to be writing, and Syracuse has a great journalism school, so I studied journalism and political science and also wrote regularly for the student newspaper and an alternative weekly community newspaper. I've been a happy journalist ever since.
I think my Ecolint experience taught me early on never to reject interacting with any person or nationality, even those we may be in conflict with; I learned that only by exchanging thoughts and emotions with others can we ever create the foundations for a world of peace, justice, and tolerance.
My advice for prospective journalists? Read a lot, write a lot, stay humble, cherish the advice of your elder colleagues, and pursue the truth diligently.
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LA PHILANTHROPIE EN HÉRITAGE IL N’EST PAS RARE DE CROISER DES FAMILLES DONT PLUSIEURS GÉNÉRATIONS SE SONT SUCCÉDÉES À L’ECOLINT. C’EST LE CAS DES TAMARI, AVEC NICOLAS (LGB’88) ET LES CINQ JEUNES COUSINS ACTUELLEMENT SCOLARISÉS À LA GRANDE BOISSIÈRE. CATHERINE MÉRIGAY DRESSE LE PORTRAIT DE CETTE FAMILLE QUI A ÉRIGÉ LA SOLIDARITÉ ET L’EMPATHIE EN VALEURS FONDAMENTALES.
L’histoire des valeurs qui lient les générations de cette famille d’écolintiens remonte au début du XXe siècle à Jaffa, en Palestine. Lorsque la communauté locale manquait de moyens pour payer les enseignants de l’école maternelle, l’arrièregrand-père Wahbé A. Tamari s’en allait récolter dans son mouchoir un peu d’argent auprès des familles de son quartier. Non loin de là, au Liban, un autre des arrièregrands-pères enseignait à ses proches que, pour aider ses semblables, il faut avant tout faire preuve d’empathie et proposer un soutien éclairé par la compréhension de l’autre. De génération en génération, la famille Tamari, installée au Liban après 1948, a cultivé ces précieux enseignements, s’efforçant de vivre et de transmettre l’importance de l’engagement communautaire, modeste ou plus généreux, qu’il soit d’ordre financier ou qu’il se manifeste tout simplement par l’expression du respect de l’autre au quotidien. Bel exemple de cette philanthropie familiale, Abdallah W. Tamari et ses frères fondent en 1972 le Wahbeh Tamari Kindergarten à Amman, en Jordanie, en mémoire de leur père. Les Tamaris et l'Ecolint Etablis à Genève en 1977 – et devenus suisses peu après – Abdallah W. et Samia Tamari inscrivent leurs trois enfants, Wahbé, Della et Nicolas, dans des écoles privées. Apprenant plus tard l’existence de l’Ecole Internationale de Genève, les parents y font transférer leur benjamin, Nicolas. «Devenus adultes, se souvient sa sœur Della, nous nous sommes rendu compte à quel point l’Ecolint se distingue des autres établissements par son approche centrée sur l’enfant, sa vision, ses valeurs humanistes et son éducation qui valorise l’élève tout en lui donnant les moyens d’agir pour sa propre existence et celle des autres.» Wahbé, Della et Nicolas choisiront en toute logique d’y scolariser
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leurs propres enfants, tant les affinités entre l’école et les valeurs familiales sont évidentes. De ces décennies d’engagement est née la Tamari Foundation, créée en 2012 par Abdallah W. et Samia Tamari. La mission de la fondation est d’encourager les initiatives centrées notamment sur l’accès à l’éducation, le respect des droits humains et le développement de la citoyenneté responsable. Actuellement, la Tamari Foundation soutient des projets dans le monde entier. Dépositaires de cet héritage philanthropique, Wahbé, Della et Nicolas poursuivent tout naturellement l’œuvre de leurs parents et assurent aujourd’hui la continuité de la fondation. On s’en doute, la jeune génération Tamari n’est pas en reste. Agés de 8 à 17 ans, les cousins sont progressivement encouragés par leurs parents à s’investir dans les projets de la fondation. Désireux de soutenir leur école et de célébrer leurs valeurs communes, la famille Tamari a apporté son généreux soutien au Centre des arts de La Grande Boissière en 2015. «J’ai coutume de dire que ce qui n’est pas donné est perdu, et ceci ne s’applique pas seulement à l’aspect financier ! J’encourage vivement la communauté à soutenir l’Ecolint – de quelle que manière que ce soit,» tient à préciser Della, viceprésidente de la Tamari Foundation. Dans le numéro d’echo du printemps 2016, la fille de Della, Samia Allegra, alors en 8e année, offrait un touchant témoignage de sa visite au Centre des réfugiés de Vernier : «Si j’ai pu faire oublier à ces enfants leur tristesse l’espace d’une heure, j’ai gagné mon pari,» écrivait-elle. Représentant parfaitement l’engagement, l’empathie et la modestie chers à sa famille, Samia Allegra incarne – tout comme ses cousins – la pérennisation de cette belle tradition familiale.
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Cérémonie célébrant le soutien de la famille Tamari au Centre des arts avec la présence de Vicky Tuck, Directrice générale
Création d’ un projet commun au Rwanda avec IMBUTO Foundation: Della Tamari dans la classe d’un Development Center pour les enfants de 0-6 ans
Della Tamari, ses filles et la directrice Zahia Shaddad en 2016 lors de l’inauguration de la nouvelle façade du Wahbeh Tamari Kindergarten fondé en 1973 à Amman, Jordanie.
RENÉ-FRANÇOIS LEJEUNE: ELEVATING ECOLINT THE GENIUS OF ECOLINT ARISES FROM A BLEND OF TALENT IT HAS SHAPED AND FOSTERED INTERNALLY, AND TALENT IT HAS IMPORTED AND ASSIMILATED. RENÉ-FRANÇOIS LEJEUNE, DIRECTOR GENERAL BETWEEN 1968 AND 1978, ARRIVED AT ECOLINT WITH QUITE A CURRICULUM VITAE, WRITES FOUNDATION ARCHIVIST ALEJANDRO RODRÍGUEZ-GIOVO.
Ecolint historian Michael Knight describes Lejeune as “a man of high, and indeed sometimes awkward, principles; an idealist as well as a canny negotiator.” Although he was an eloquent advocate of traditional standards and values, Born in Lorraine, at the age of Lejeune was also keen 22 he joined the Résistance to embrace bona fide against the Nazis in occuRené-François Lejeune educational progress, pied France and co-founded such as the homegrown the Mouvement républicain International Baccalaureate, which reached populaire in 1944. At around that time he fruition and prospered under his leadership became a close collaborator of Robert and with his support. Schuman (who would play a crucial role in laying the foundations of the European In a memorable speech during Ecolint’s Union), and continued to work closely with Education Conference in 2014, the eminent him until 1958. In parallel, he pursued studFrench philosopher Luc Ferry reminded ies in Law and Literature at the universities teachers that the purpose of education was of Paris, Strasbourg, Nancy and Heidelencapsulated in the term élève – the young berg, culminating in a PhD. Before taking person whom they should be elevating, up his position at Ecolint, he had either not merely orbiting as ego-boosting cheertaught at or managed a range of academic leaders. This neatly sums up Lejeune’s own institutions in Metz, Algiers, Strasbourg and convictions. He saw it as a priority to bring São Paulo. His distinction as an educator our students into direct contact with “the eventually earned him the title of Chevalier best that has been thought and known”, des Palmes académiques. leading to “the moral and social passion for doing good”, as Matthew Arnold put it. Tolerant and humane To this end, Lejeune organized an ambiLejeune wrote and published extensively, tious series of open lectures by subject often on educational and spiritual matters. specialists among his teachers. He also The overlap between these two categories, published regularly a high-powered cultural which he saw as natural and essential, is magazine, Geste, written largely by the the key to understanding his philosophy of Foundation’s educators (in parallel with the education. To describe Lejeune as devoutly time-honoured Ecolint, which showcased Catholic and unapologetically elitist, whilst contributions by students). accurate, would be hopelessly reductive. He was also a profoundly tolerant and humane Lejeune was a model of dignity and exquiman; as the native of a culturally turbulent site manners, animated by lofty ideals, but region with clashing Franco-Germanic loyalthis should not be equated with narrowties that spawned a succession of wars, minded rigidity. Under his leadership, Lejeune “valued the ability to compromise Ecolint was such a relaxed and accommoand forgive”, in the words of his colleague dating community that the post-May ’68 Philip Thomas, who later served as the convulsions rocking the academic world Foundation’s acting Director General. The mores and manners of René-François Lejeune were rooted in the XIX Century, but he had learned well the lessons of the XX Century and articulated an educational discourse that – if we heed it – could spell sanity and survival in the XXI Century.
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generated barely a ripple in our school – our students had little to revolt against. There were times when Lejeune nevertheless elicited the wrath of the brilliantly eccentric history teacher and IB mastermind Robert J. Leach. Leach, an uncompromising birthcontrol campaigner, regarded Lejeune’s large family (10 children, some of them adopted) as a provocation. On at least one occasion he confronted publicly a bemused but civil Lejeune for having cluttered our planet with so many offspring. Lejeune’s piety could get on the nerves of other colleagues as well. In one famous episode, the Egyptian mathematician and Head of the Senior School, Asmé Nawar, rattled impatiently the handle of Lejeune’s locked office door and exclaimed, “I know you’re in there, René-François! I can hear you praying!” Nevertheless, Lejeune was a man of the world. When a talented young teacher’s rather wild personal life attracted the attention of Geneva’s puritanical police, rather than seek to dismiss him, Lejeune proposed that he should take a couple of years off to explore a bohemian existence and get it out of his system, with his position guaranteed upon his return. This arrangement proved to be beneficial both for the teacher and for the school. L’éducation morale A characteristically elegant, erudite and wise essay that Lejeune wrote in 1976 for the International Schools Association, “Quelle formation sociale et morale l’école devrait-elle donner au moment de la disparition des valeurs traditionnelles?”, concludes that “l’école (doit) assumer sa part capitale d’éducation morale de l’homme et de la société futures en vue de la réalisation des équilibres de vie qui assureront la survie et l’épanouissement de l’espèce humaine.” This is no less than what our school’s founders had in mind – a mission that remains at the heart of Ecolint’s identity.
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THE BACK BOARD
The Scenic Route
You may have missed…
The varied paths some of our teachers followed prior to joining Ecolint.
ELIZABETH WEST
MARSHALL SAPHERSON
Business and Economics Teacher at La Chât Secondary School since 2013
ANDREW CLOSE
Head of Drama at La Grande Boissière Secondary School since 2003
Head of Drama at Campus des Nations Secondary School since 2014
Enjoying the umbrella boy lifestyle
In the first of a planned series of AlumBlog posts, Dan Lacombe (La Chât ’78) describes his first steps in his post-retirement life as a modern-day nomad.
What did you do for a living before coming to teach here?
> alumni.ecolint.ch/umbrella
If you have seen the movie “The Wolf of Wall Street”, or read The Big Short, I lived the roller-coaster that was London currency trading before the global financial crisis. It was gruelling, demanding work for 20 hours a day, but it was also exhilarating, exciting, challenging and, I must admit, financially rewarding. Markets at that time brought out the best and worst in traders but, for me at least, it was a great natural high.
Ecolint Connect
Before taking up the post of Head of Drama at LGB I was involved in the development of digital media courses and technology transfer programmes. This eventually led to working for a UK telecoms company, developing and managing a digital media unit and a team of 15 programmers and designers. We created multimedia presentations, websites, electronic catalogues and online procurement solutions both for the parent company and for external clients including The British Library, British Telecommunications and The University For Industry.
I was the Director of Music for the biggest private school in Australia, and before that a Music and Drama teacher in Adelaide, and a part-time University lecturer. Before teaching, I was solo clarinet in the Band of the South Australia Police, which meant doing some basic police work and a lot of marching up and down! The highlight of that job was performing in the Edinburgh Tattoo. Throughout this time, I performed in many and various types of concert and in some Arts festivals.
How, if at all, do you bring your former career into the classroom? From my banking experience, I strive to find situations that students identify with, and show how a decision in one part of the world can have massive knock-on effects in other areas. Economics and business impact every part of our lives and I hope my enthusiasm for the power of these disciplines is evident in the classroom.
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In the private sector the focus was heavily on the product; on hitting deadlines and on meeting the expectations of clients. Many of these experiences are useful to me in teaching and help me to organize and prioritize my time. However, at school, the emphasis is more naturally on the process rather than the product and in particular on the quality of the learning experiences and developmental opportunities that can be structured for the benefit of students.
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I try not to apply too many police tactics to kids! I think the best part about being in a military band is the camaraderie, and it is something I enjoy about working at Ecolint. I have wonderful colleagues whose support and sense of humour is a special part of my life here. Two of my primary aims in the classroom are to give students a chance to experience the excitement of live performance, and to develop the discipline needed to attain their best, and I think these stem from my own experience as a professional musician and performer.
A new eMentoring platform where members of our alumni community can both seek and offer career-related advice. > alumni.ecolint.ch/connect
Breaking the FGM cycle
Campaigner Leyla Hussein gave an inspiring speech about her work to empower women to bring an end to the practice of Female Genital Mutilation. > sl.ecolint.ch/fgm
Running against bullying
Another inspirational guest speaker to visit Ecolint last term was Ben Smith, who ran 401 marathons in 401 days to raise awareness of bullying. > sl.ecolint.ch/bensmith
Change of address ? Get in touch ! Email: alumni@ecolint.ch Telephone:
+41 (0)22 787 25 55
Web: alumni.ecolint.ch (Alumni can update their own details on the website.)