Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil
| Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
|
Collège Alpin Beau Soleil, Route du Village 1, 1884 Villars-sur-Ollon, Suisse Villars-sur-Ollon, Canton of Vaud Switzerland | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private, international boarding school |
| Established | 1910[1] |
| Authorizer | NEASC, IBO, CIS, & ECIS |
| Principal | Frances King |
| Staff | 120[2] |
| Faculty | 90[2] |
| Enrollment | ~200[3] |
| Color(s) | Turquois, grey, white |
| Nickname | BS |
| Tuition | CHF 96,000 CHF (80000 €) tuition and boarding (2014-2015) |
| Affiliations | Secular |
| Information | (+41) 24 496 26 26 |
| Website |
site |
Founded in 1910 Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil is one of the oldest private boarding schools in Switzerland. It is located 1350m above sea level on the Swiss Alps of Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland. The college provides a full boarding education for students from over 40 different nationalities aged 11-18 years old. Owned by the de Meyer family until 2010, the school then passed into the Nord Anglia Education family of schools. Nord Anglia Education is responsible for 35 international schools located across 14 countries, with a total of 23,600 students.
Campus
The student body numbers about 240 students from more than 40 nationalities. The campus is set around one main building dating from the school's founding in 1910, but has been expanded and modified, with now 6 external dorms around the town of Villars.
History
- September 1910: founding of the school in a châlet in Gstaad under the direction of Mme Bluette Ferrier.
- 1920: move of the school to Villars-sur-Ollon.
- 1958: Pierre de Meyer became the second director. He adopts the name of his wife as his was that of a commoner. Following a hunting accident in the eighties (he shot himself in the foot) the school is run by Mr Ian Lawson who was a former headmaster in Gordonstoun (Scotland) and was also the tutor of Princes Charles, Andrew and Edward of England.
- 1991: Jérôme de Meyer became the third director.
- 15 December 2005: ninety students, alumni and teachers unfurled the flag of Beau Soleil on the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro (at 5895 metres the highest peak in Africa).
- June 2010: Celebration of the 100th anniversary of the school. New building inauguration.
- September 2013: Mrs Frances King becomes Principal of the school.
The Beau Soleil Philosophy
Beau Soleil aims to provide its students with a comprehensive education in order to develop their critical awareness and an appreciation of personal effort and self-discipline.
Curriculum
Beau Soleil offers two distinct, parallel systems: a French Section and an International Section. The programme of studies offers academic subjects up to university level, coupled with an holistic education providing art, music, drama, sports and expeditions encouraging all-round personal development.
The classes in the French Section extend from 6ème to Terminale and prepare students for the official French government examinations - the Diplôme National du Brevet at the end of the 3ème and the French Baccalauréat (series L, ES and S) at the end of Terminale. The subjects taught in the French Section conform to the requirements of the French Ministry of Education. International Section. The classes in the International Section extend from 6th Grade to 12th Grade, and prepare students for the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE)at the end of 10th Grade and the International Baccalaureate (IB) at the end of the 12th Grade.
Beau Soleil offers a wide variety of summer and winter sports, such as different team sports in the fall and summer term and skiing and/or snowboarding in the winter term.
Expeditions
Beau Soleil is renowned for its expeditions. Every year, some students climb Kilimanjaro in Africa. There are trips ranging from New Zealand, Morocco, Ghana, India, Tanzania, Uruguay, Japan to Chile and China. On November 27th 2009, 252 people, the students and staff, embarked on a 12-day cruise on the Mediterranean Sea to celebrate 100 years of Beau Soleil. In February, 2013, the whole school went on a trip to Tanzania, where students and staff climbed Kilimanjaro, travelled to Zanzibar on a cultural trip, visited the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and helped in the orphanage.
Orphanages
Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil owns orphanages including some in Madagascar, Tanzania, India and Uruguay. The school visits these orphanages as part of humanitarian expeditions.
Accreditations
- The school is accredited by three international bodies:
- Council of International Schools (CIS)
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
- International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO)
Beau Soleil is a member of the Round Square Association
The school belongs to l'Association vaudoise des écoles privées (AVDEP) and the Fédération suisse des écoles privées (FSEP).
Notable alumni
- Charlotte Gainsbourg – Anglo-French actress and singer [4]
- Jacques Villeneuve – racing driver
- Jean-Daniel Dätwyler – Swiss Olympic and World Cup skier
- Princess Marie of Denmark
- Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg
- Prince Louis of Luxembourg
- Prince Felix of Luxembourg
- Claire Lademacher, wife of Prince Félix of Luxembourg
- Hermès Family
See also
References
- ↑ "Beau Soleil". 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-26.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Essential Character". 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-03.
- ↑ "Financial Times". Retrieved 2007-08-02.
- ↑ The new Villeneuve: the life of Jacques Villeneuve, Bloomsbury Publishing, 1998 By Timothy Collings, page 79