International School of Geneva

  • International School of Geneva
  • Ecole Internationale de Genève
Location


Switzerland

Information
Type Day School
Religious affiliation(s) No religious affiliation
Established 1924
Director-General Mrs Vicky Tuck
Enrollment 3940
Color(s) Navy Blue and White         
Athletics
  • Volleyball
  • Rugby
  • Football
  • Skiing
  • Basketball
  • Track and Field
  • Netball
Website www.ecolint.ch

The International School of Geneva (in French: Ecole Internationale de Genève), also known as Ecolint, is a private international school based in Geneva, Switzerland. It is the oldest and largest operating international school in the world. The International Baccalaureate (IB) programme, which most anglophone and many francophone students at the school follow, was created at La Grande Boissière campus. Ecolint is a bilingual school, with instruction in languages such as French, English, Spanish, Chinese or German. Ecolint's current Director General is Mrs Vicky Tuck. The International School is a testing center for the US college boards (SAT, ACT, etc.) and the British IGCSE. The International School is composed of three separately governed campuses in and around Geneva.[1]

In 2006, the British Guardian newspaper listed it as one of the best UK-curriculum international schools in the world.[2] The school is also a member of the G20 Schools Group. According to the Good Schools Guide International, at the International School of Geneva "Students receive a truly international education and as a result leave as rounded and worldly young people."[3]

As of 2011 it is the largest international school in the Geneva area.[4]

History

From 1920 to 1921 the League of Nations and the International Labor Office established their headquarters in Geneva. In 1924 the International School of Geneva was founded by senior members of two international organizations, in conjunction with Adolphe Ferrière and Elisabeth Rotten.[1]

Ferrière housed the first class in his family's chalet. He was also technical adviser to the school from 1924 to 1926. Other prominent individuals involved in the creation of the School were Arthur Sweetser and Dr. Ludwig Rajchman. They were supported by William Rappard, Rector of the University of Geneva and Sir Arthur Salter, a senior official of the League of Nations.

The foundation continued to evolve as it acquired new campuses in the Vaud countryside at La Châtaigneraie (also called "La Chât") near Founex and at Pregny (near the European Headquarters of the United Nations). A sports hall was built in 1977 and a new primary building was built in 1980 on the Châtaigneraie campus. In 1993 a sciences building was built and in 2002 the old "La Ferme" building, which used to house the girls' boarding lodgings, became the music building. The new multimedia library (known as Multi Media Center or MMC) was finished in September 2001, adding a third floor to what is known as the "New Building" (NB). In September 2008, the new sports hall was opened, replacing the long-defunct swimming pool, the aging "Bubble", which was inflated in 2000 to protect from harsh climates, and the old PTA offices. This was achieved with the financial help of the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation.

The third campus, Campus des Nations has had two beginnings. The first was in the 1940s with Rigot which became Pregny-Rigot, the second in 2005 with the closure of Rigot and the opening of Saconnex. The Pregny-Rigot campus was a pre-K through year 6 school that adopted the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program in 2002. This campus had two buildings, Rigot which was an old Swiss farmhouse just off Place des Nations housing the early childhood classes, the other a unique architectural structure up the hill from the United Nations and Red Cross which hosted the primary school and learning center. In 2005, Pregny-Rigot shifted with the opening of a new building, Saconnex, near the World Health Organization and the International Labor Organization. The early childhood classes at Rigot were moved to a renovated Pregny and Rigot was returned to the city of Geneva. Years 3-6 were moved from Pregny to the new building, Saconnex, which also opened a secondary school. The Secondary school offers the IB's Middle Years Program, the IB Diploma and the IB Career Related Program (IBCP).

Campuses

La Grande Boissière (also called "LGB") is the oldest and largest of the three. The primary school (beginning from age three) has 650 students, and runs through grade 4. The middle school has 450 students, and runs from grade 5 to grade 8. The secondary school has 650 students, beginning with 9th grade and going to grade 12 or 13. All three stages offer bilingual programmes. The Campus Principal is Dr Conrad Hughes. (46°11′55″N 6°10′21″E / 46.19861°N 6.17250°E / 46.19861; 6.17250)

La Châtaigneraie (also called "La Chât") became part of Ecolint in 1971 and is located in the Vaud countryside, near Founex, overlooking the Alps and Lake Léman. It has a primary and a secondary school, and has approximately 1420 students. The oldest building on campus is the main secondary building which was completed in 1908, when La Châtaigneraie first opened. It is the only campus to offer the Swiss Maturité Fédérale, the Swiss certificate of the end of Secondary Education. The Campus Principal is Mr David Woods. (46°20′23″N 6°10′18″E / 46.33972°N 6.17167°E / 46.33972; 6.17167)

Campus des Nations, (also simply called "Nations") opened in 2005 and operates on two locations in and in the vicinity of Grand Saconnex. The Campus Principal is Mrs Lesley Meyer:

Notable alumni

Languages offered

While the school itself offers its curriculum in English, French or bilingual programs, it offers many other foreign languages such as Spanish, German, Italian, Mandarin as part of the curriculum. Swedish, Japanese, Swahili, Finnish and other foreign languages are available via private tuition but can be counted towards credits; this route is often chosen by students who have little other opportunity to formally study their mother tongue. The two curricula for the different language programs are, in theory identical, other than the fact that they are in two different languages and ultimately lead to two different diplomas, with the English language program leading to the International Baccalaureate (or a High School Certificate with graduation one year earlier), and the French language program leading to the Swiss Maturité Fédérale. However, the International Baccalaureate bi-lingual section also offers a vast array of its courses in French.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Ecole Internationale de Genève - Home
  2. ↑ A guide to schools abroad that offer a British curriculum, Education Guardian, December 12, 2006
  3. ↑ International School of Geneva: La Châtaignerie Campus — Good Schools Guide International
  4. ↑ "International schools see demand soar" (Archive). The Local. September 2, 2011. Retrieved on April 16, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Member Search Results - International School of Geneva
  6. ↑ Gail A. Carpenter, Boston University, Cognitive and Neural Systems, Home page
  7. 1 2 3 http://alumni.ecolint.ch/news/294160/Souvenirs-and-vignettes-of-my-Ecolint-stay-1939-47.htm
  8. ↑ Rami G. Khouri
  9. ↑ "Riad al Khouri Visiting Scholar, Middle East Center Carnegie Endowment for International Peace". ecolint.net. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  10. ↑ Lori Lieberman: Killing Me Softly
  11. ↑ Vital Theatre Company
  12. ↑ http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/people/k.stelle
  13. ↑ Interview in Télétop Matin magazine (Switzerland), 21 September 2014
  14. ↑ "Ecolint Alumni: Maya Stojan". International School of Geneva. Retrieved 2016-09-17.

Coordinates: 46°11′55″N 6°10′21″E / 46.19861°N 6.17250°E / 46.19861; 6.17250

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