At Leysin American School in Switzerland, we put a lot of effort into ensuring our students have the best possible experience in our alpine village and that they cultivate a strong community during their time here. Although we place heavy emphasis on academic achievement, our school believes that to make a well-rounded student, we must encourage them to take part in a variety of extracurricular activities, meet as many people from around the world as possible, and develop a deep sense of community in their “home away from home.” In turn, this allows students to become the best versions of themselves and develop into innovative, compassionate, and responsible citizens of the world.
In order to cultivate a community here on our magic mountain, we offer a wide variety of activities and programs that help our students bond with their peers and faculty members. Faculty Families have played an essential role at LAS for many years. All students are assigned to a family consisting of faculty “parents” and fellow students. The Faculty Family serves two primary functions: helping students navigate the world of LAS and encouraging students to make new friends beyond their classroom peer groups. This helps cultivate bonds amongst students from different backgrounds and makes our community feel much closer!
Faculty Families take part in lots of different activities together. In the past, this has included day trips where they go for meals, explore a new city, have fun at laser tag, and experience an exhilarating mountain coaster! These days are always a lot of fun and allow students to feel a sense of community. Faculty Families have also bonded over events such as the Winter Banquet, where they shared good food, listened to live entertainment, and celebrated the end of the year together. Our students love hanging out with their Faculty Families and often feel really at home with their faculty parents!
Students also bond with their dorm and roommates through participating in activities like movie nights, cooking, crafts, and games. The Dorm Olympics, which is hosted every year in the first semester, allows our students to develop their competitive spirit and compete with each other to win the title of best dorm. Students take this friendly tournament in their stride and come dressed in their dorm t-shirts, ready to support their friends. Students participate in fun activities such as egg toss, the chair challenge, the chopstick challenge, and the Oreo face challenge, to name just a few!
Furthermore, our extensive activities program allows our students to make new friends while developing community spirit. Students are encouraged to take advantage of their time in the Swiss Alps through our incredible outdoor activities programs, such as the Alpine Institute, which allows students to complete a variety of expeditions and bond in the outdoors with their friends. Students are also given the opportunity to join sports teams and active programs such as volleyball, yoga, and horseback riding. Joining a wide variety of activities is great for students who love fostering new friendships.
We organize new activities and opportunities each year for our students to meet new people and cultivate friendships here at LAS. Students bond with their peers from around the world and find their place within our diverse and friendly community in no time. We can’t wait to see new friendships form this semester!
