Summer Camps & Programs

Program Description

Leysin American School in Switzerland

Summer in Switzerland
Leysin, Switzerland

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For More Information, Contact
Admissions Office
Leysin American School
CH 1854 Leysin
Switzerland
603-431-7654 (United States)
888-642-4142 (toll-free in the U.S.)
+41-24-493-3777 (Switzerland)
Fax: +41-24-494-1585 (Switzerland)
http://www.las.ch/summer
E-mail: admissions@las.ch

Type of Program: Academic enrichment, language studies, SAT/ACT prep, I.B. prep, performing and visual arts, travel, leadership, sports, and recreation
Participants: Coeducational; Alpine Adventure (ages 9–12), Alpine Exploration (ages 13–15), Alpine Challenge (ages 16–19)
Enrollment: 250–300 each session
Program Dates: (tentative 2009 dates) First Session: June 27 to July 17; Recreation and Culture Week: July 17 to July 25; Second Session: July 25 to August 14
Head of Program: Tim Sloman

Location

Summer in Switzerland (SIS) is located in the picturesque town of Leysin, overlooking the Rhone Valley 1,000 meters (3,000 feet) below and facing the majestic panorama of the Southern Alps.

Background and Philosophy

SIS provides a special summer experience of academic enrichment, foreign language study, performing and visual arts, travel, leadership, sports, and recreation. The global community at SIS is warm and friendly, and all the students, from more than forty different countries, are appreciated for their uniqueness. SIS is a program of the Leysin American School in Switzerland (LAS) and takes place on the LAS campus. LAS is a coeducational, college-preparatory boarding school for American and non-American students in grades 9–12, with postgraduate and year-abroad programs.

Program Offerings

There are three student groups: Alpine Adventure (AA), ages 9–12; Alpine Exploration (AE), ages 13–15; and Alpine Challenge (AC), ages 16–19. AA has a student-faculty ratio of 4:1 and is more of a camp setting. Activities are generally by group and are closely supervised. Both AE and AC students take 4 hours of morning classes, and all participate in afternoon activities. Their student-faculty ratio is 5:1. Curfews vary depending on age group. AE and AC students may also sign up for Leadership Adventure; Theatre International; intensive ESL; Sat/ACT Prep Course; Highlight Tours to France, Italy, Germany, Austria, England, and within Switzerland; and Program Assistants (ages 18–19 years).
Enrichment and Academic Courses Students participate on weekday mornings in four periods of enrichment and academic courses. SIS offers American high school credit classes for those enrolled in both the first and second sessions. Courses for AE and AC students include French, Spanish, algebra, geometry, computer science, English, TOEFL, International Baccalaureate (I.B.) prep (math, creative writing, and extended essay), SAT prep, photography, chorus, piano, acting, 2-D art, 3-D art (including ceramics), and visual and performing arts. Art students participate in a schoolwide exhibition of painting, sculpture, writing, and photography. Many nonnative English speakers choose to enroll in comprehensive English as a second language (ESL) courses, which cover conversation, grammar, and written communication at all levels. AA students have the choice of taking either beginner’s French or English as a second language. They also take environmental education, computer proficiency, arts and crafts, and theater classes together. In addition, they may sign up for a weeklong Recreation and Culture Week, based in Leysin for the week between the two sessions.
Recreation and Sports In the afternoon, students take part in various recreational, sports, and leadership activities. Recreation and sports include basketball, volleyball, soccer, Frisbee, hiking, open tennis and tennis lessons, ice skating, swimming, paragliding, white-water rafting, mountain biking, and horseback riding. AA participants typically do activities as a group.
Theatre International Theatre International students train in the mornings, improving skills in acting, improvisation, costuming, writing, directing, stage combat, and acting for film. In the afternoons, students prepare, publicize, rehearse, and stage a number of shows to the entire SIS community. Whenever possible, Theatre International offers students special excursions to theater productions.
Outdoor Leadership Adventure This program includes alpine activities such as climbing, rappelling, white-water rafting, hydrospeeding, alpine hiking, ropes courses, and other outdoor activities. During school mornings, students participate in outdoor education and leadership classes, such as a first-aid and CPR class. They learn to develop their leadership styles, map-reading techniques, nature and conservation skills, and outdoor skills. Students learn to lead a climbing activity and learn about the different types of equipment and how to use them. Students also learn how to prepare an activity they will lead with younger students at SIS. Activities include overnight and longer trips out of Leysin. The program staff members are experienced, skilled, and certified outdoors instructors.
SAT/ACT Preparation. This new program is taught by a trained teacher from a specialized company, Studyworks. Students review math content and learn techniques suited to the nature of the math questions. Verbal review comprises reading skills and techniques as well as vocabulary review. For the Writing section, students hone their essay-writing skills to ensure that they can meet the required standards and review the grammar fundamentals needed for the test. SAT Prep students have SAT classes all morning and three afternoons per session. The rest of the time they join the general program.
Excursions Students visit Swiss cities and cultural centers on weekend day trips. Outings are also taken to tourist attractions in the mountains and the countryside. Faculty guides accompany each trip. Students are given information and an orientation before the trips begin. Typically excursions are to Lausanne, Geneva, Berne, Lucerne, and Zermatt.
Evening Activities and Special Events Evening recreation includes attending theater productions, the Montreux Jazz Festival, talent shows, ice skating parties, casino night, eating special dinners like Swiss fondue, dancing at the disco, campfires, night hikes, and sports tournaments. Most of these activities take place on the campus, but some special events take place in Leysin and are chaperoned by faculty members.

Daily Schedule

	8:00 8:45 12:10 12:25 1:30 2:45 4:15 6:00 6:30 8:00 9:30 10:45 11:15 Breakfast Morning classes Lunch for AA Lunch for AE and AC Quiet time and study hour First activity period Second activity period Dinner, AC allowed off campus in Leysin village Free time, AC/AE allowed off campus in Leysin Evening activities AA lights-out, Red Frog/on-campus open time AE lights-out AC lights-out

Extra Opportunities and Activities

Leysin Recreation and Culture Week This exciting, fun-filled week is held between the first and second sessions and is designed with AA students in mind. Students attending either session may sign up. Days consist of half- and full-day trips, recreational opportunities, and cultural activities. Special emphasis is placed on teaching students about the host country, Switzerland, and sharing the beauty of their own cultures with one another.
Recreation and Culture Week Highlight Tours Optional weeklong tours to France, Germany, Austria, Italy, England, and within Switzerland are offered during Recreation and Culture Week for students in the AE and AC programs. The French Highlight Tour includes Paris, Versailles, and the Loire Valley. The Germany Tour visits the town of Munich and the scenic region of Bavaria. The Austrian tour emphasizes music and includes a visit to Salzburg. The Italian Highlight Tour offers visits to Florence, Venice, and Pisa. The England Highlight Tour visits popular sites in London as well as Stratford-upon-Avon and other places of interest. Faculty members supervise these tours.

Facilities

SIS uses the boarding facilities of the Leysin American School in Switzerland (LAS). Boys and girls are housed in different dormitories according to age group. The dormitories are safe, clean, and fully staffed by resident faculty members. All rooms have an en suite bathroom. Every effort is made to make the dorm a home away from home. LAS resources include music practice rooms, an art studio, and computer science labs. A well-equipped black-box theater is available for the dramatic arts. On-campus sports take place in the LAS gymnasium, which has a basketball court, fitness center, and a squash court. Students also use the two sports centers in Leysin that contain an indoor swimming pool, squash and tennis courts, an ice-skating rink, a soccer field, and climbing walls.

Staff

Faculty members are primarily from schools in the U.S. and Canada. Teachers are certified. Professional theater people with teaching experience supervise the theater department.

Medical Care

The school provides accident and health insurance coverage for students. A medical clinic is available in Leysin, and there are regional hospitals in Monthey and Lausanne. The school has a complete infirmary, and 2 full-time nurses are on staff.

Religious Life

The school is nonsectarian, but provisions are made for students to attend Protestant and Roman Catholic services in Leysin on Sunday mornings and a Muslim mosque on Fridays when possible.

Costs

Fees are all-inclusive and cover room, board, tuition, books, activities, and excursions. There is a minimal price increase each year. For 2008, costs were as follows: three-week session, CHF 5800; three-week session plus Recreation and Culture Week, CHF 8150; and both three-week sessions plus Recreation and Culture Week, CHF 13100.

Financial Aid

Up to four scholarships are awarded each session. Two are based on financial need, and the other two are merit-based awards: one for theater and one for leadership. In 2007, each scholarship was for no more than CHF 2000.

Transportation

The school provides all SIS participants with transportation on official arrival and departure dates to and from the airport in Geneva at no additional cost.

Application Timetable

Students of all nationalities, ages 9–19, are eligible for admission to SIS. All specific information regarding tuition, fees, application forms, and supplementary data is provided in an annually updated flyer. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Students should note that SIS does apply a quota system for male and female applicants, age groups, nationalities, and spoken languages. Early applications are, therefore, more likely to receive a favorable response.