TASIS–The American School in Switzerland

Languages, Art History, Photography, Engineering, and Painting Ticino
Lugano and Château d’Oex, Switzerland

For More Information, Contact
U.S. Office
The TASIS Schools
1640 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20007
202-965-5800
800-442-6005 (toll-free)
Fax: 202-965-5816
http://www.tasis.com
E-mail: summer@tasis.ch

Type of Program: Lugano: Intensive foreign language study, art history, digital photography, engineering, and painting Ticino; Château d’Oex: Intensive French language instruction
Participants: Coeducational, Lugano: ages 4–18; Château d’Oex: ages 11–17
Enrollment: Lugano: 300; Château d’Oex: 65
Program Dates: Lugano: Four weeks, June–July; three weeks, July–August; Château d’Oex: Four weeks in July, plus one optional week in August
Heads of Programs: Betsy Newell, Dean Topodas, Jim Haley, Vincent Clarke, David Damico, Margaret Blackburn, and Marie-Josée Breton

Location

Lugano, Switzerland: Nestled in the foothills of the southern Swiss Alps, with spectacular views, the TASIS campus is a compact cluster of historic buildings and new facilities. It overlooks the attractive resort town of Lugano and is 2 miles from Agno International Airport and less than an hour’s drive from Milan (Malpensa) International Airport in Italy. The idyllic setting allows for a wide range of enjoyable activities, including windsurfing, pleasure cruises to lakeside hamlets, picnics, and hiking to picturesque villages.
Château d’Oex, Switzerland: Located in the French-speaking canton of Vaud, the area offers outstanding opportunities for French language learning and an appreciation of the area’s natural beauty.

Background and Philosophy

Founded in 1956 by Mrs. M. Crist Fleming, TASIS is a coed college-preparatory American boarding school for students in grades 6–12 and postgraduates.
The Summer Programs began thirty-four years ago and were designed to offer American and international students an opportunity to study abroad and a chance to live in a truly international environment. The French Language Program, located in Château d’Oex, was founded fifteen years ago.

Program Offerings

Four- and three-week courses in English as a second language, French, and Italian are offered during the months of June, July, and August. Students who have attended Italian classes during the first session are welcome to join the one-week Home-Stay in Italy option. Engineering and art history are offered during the first session; painting Ticino and digital photography are offered during the second session only. The age range is 14–18, and the average class size is 12. Courses such as drama, video making, art, and computer language learning programs complement intensive classroom work, offering creative options for the practice of oral communication skills. Progress reports are mailed home to parents at the end of the session.
Middle School Program (MSP): This program is specifically designed to cater to the needs of preadolescents, ages 11–13. The program offers intensive French and English as a second language. A musical theater class is offered during the first session.
Le Château des Enfants (CDE): An international summer camp for students ages 4–10, Le Château des Enfants offers English, French, and Italian instruction. Emphasis is placed on acquiring oral skills in the target language through music, drama, games, excursions, and activities as well as classroom study.
TASIS French Language Program (TFLP): This program in Château d’Oex offers intensive language instruction for 14- to 17-year-olds and an optional six days at the end of the four weeks in the south of France.
Middle School Language Program (CDMSP): This program in Château d’Oex offers intensive French or English instruction for 11- to 13-year-olds.

Extra Opportunities and Activities

Lugano: All students participate in afternoon sports and activities. Students choose from a variety of sports, including swimming, aerobic dance, basketball, cross-country running, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball. The afternoon activities include art, photography, and computer club. Weekend excursions provide ample opportunity for students to explore local areas of interest. Full-day excursions to Como and Milan, Lucerne, and Valley Verzasca and half-day excursions to nearby places of interest, such as Swiss Miniature in Melide and the antique street markets in Como, are organized. Optional weekend travel destinations (at an extra cost) include such cities as Florence, Nice, Paris, Venice, and Verona. Students ages 11–18 may also choose the AC Milan Junior Camp afternoon optional (an intensive soccer program under the supervision of AC Milan coaches, three afternoons per week).
Château d’Oex: Hiking, rock climbing, tennis, swimming, basketball, and soccer are offered. Weekend destinations include Geneva, Interlaken, Zermatt, and Gstaad.

Facilities

Lugano: The program uses all of the boarding school facilities of the American School in Switzerland. The historic Villa de Nobili houses the administrative offices, dining rooms/terraces, classrooms, and dormitory areas. Villa Monticello contains classrooms, a computer center, and dormitories. Hadsall House houses an audiovisual lab, a recreation center, and a snack bar, as well as dormitory accommodations. The art and photography studios are adjacent. The M. Crist Fleming Library holds 20,000 volumes. On-campus sports facilities include a gymnasium, an outdoor pool, a fitness center, and two multipurpose hard courts.
Château d’Oex: The historic wood-carved chalets, set in the heart of the village, are home to TASIS students. They house dormitories, classrooms, a dining room, and recreation areas. There are a tennis/basketball court and Ping-Pong tables in the garden of the main chalet. Nearby facilities include a swimming pool, soccer field, and beach volley. Tennis players of intermediate and advanced ability can enroll in the intensive tennis offering to improve their skills under the guidance of certified tennis instructors. (Spaces are limited and an additional fee of $350 applies.)

Staff

There are 60 full-time summer staff members (the staff-student ratio is 1:5). Qualified classroom teachers also undertake supervisory responsibilities, including coaching sports, chaperoning trips, dormitory coverage, and the “in loco parentis” role. Counselors work alongside teachers in the dorms, on excursions, on the sports fields, and in recreational activities to help provide a caring environment for students.
Many of the staff members are current or former TASIS faculty members, and counselors are alumni from all TASIS programs.

Costs

For Lugano and Château d’Oex, Switzerland, the all-inclusive cost for a four-week session in 2008 was $5900. The cost for the three-week session was $4750. The TASIS French Language Program, with the additional optional week to Nice, South of France, amounted to $7650. There are no additional fees, with the exception of long-haul airfare, the optional European weekend travel costs, personal spending money, and health insurance and medical expenses.