We're always thinking cross-curricular at Brillantmont and trying to find ways to engage the students in Maths by thinking creatively. We are currently in the throes of the "Splat competition", which is a regular annual event for which students can win a prize by completing as much of the booklet as possible. The Brillantmont Splat Challenge 2018
Read MoreA year reaching its end is a time for reflection and celebration. Nowadays, it is not uncommon to change jobs every two years, moving from one challenge to another. That is not the case for the staff at Brillantmont. The size of the school means that the range of tasks and jobs to be done is always varied and changing, as the school constantly evolves and moves forward. Consequently, several staff members have been at the school for many years, which ensures continuity and a long-term vision.
Nobody embodies this better than our Director, Mr Philippe Pasche, who this year celebrates his 40th year at Brillantmont. He began working at the school as a young accountant, also teaching commerce and sports. He has always been eager to develop students' interests beyond the classroom and, as an accomplished sportsman, to get them moving! Particularly keen on skiing, he has shared many memorable moments on the pistes and some people might not know that he is in fact a qualified ski teacher. He always looks forward to joining the students during their week long ski trip, which in February 2018, is to the village of Zinal. Working closely with the owners of the school, the Frei family, Mr Pasche's role has evolved over the years and on the retirement of Mme Frei, who had been Head for over 40 years, he stepped into the role of Director General. With the support of Deputy Director Ms Boland, he successfully leads Brillantmont forward.
As we celebrated him at a recent dinner, he reflected on his years and his journey within the Brillantmont family. The way the school has changed and developed over the years, always trying to keep excellence and the students' success and well-being at the centre of our vision, has given him immense opportunities to develop talents and competence in many domains. The demands of his role and leading a community of 200 people means that life is never dull and proves that "variety is the spice of life." Surpassing everything however, is his respect and affection for the students and the satisfaction he gains in seeing them mature and develop is the greatest reward he could wish for.
We would like to congratulate him on this milestone anniversary and thank him for his years of commitment and passion for Brillantmont.
Read MoreThe first term at Brillantmont has whizzed by with many exciting events paving the school calendar. The first few days, when we welcomed new students, on their first experience away from home, seem a distant memory. Our students are now well and truly immersed in school life and part of the BM family. After the first weeks of hard study, the October break to Nice and Verona provided a welcome taste of European dolce vita. Back in school, the annual Reading Week celebrated the power of words and brought out our students' creative sides. The ever popular Model United Nations trip to Singapore provided unique opportunities to develop leadership and group work skills. Habitat for Humanity have worked tirelessly on fundraising events to support their upcoming building trip to Portugal and et's not forget the numerous trips, international evenings and learning projects which have also filled this term.
Read MoreEvery year Brillantmont celebrates the written word during Reading Week. Librarian Mrs Robbins and English teacher Mrs Nikyulu , who organised it, are not alone in believing that, even in this digital, fast-paced world, nothing beats turning the printed page. As the softly falling snowflakes herald the arrival of winter, what could be better than snuggling up with a good book and being transported to another world?
Read MoreThe great thing about studying in a Swiss boarding school in Lausanne means that our students are very close to the design capital of the world -Milan, Italy. A couple of weeks ago, a group of students headed to NABA - the Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti where they followed a workshop intended to give students experience of a college level design course. The topic was "You only live once, maybe twice" and was about recycling in design. The workshop was hosted by designer Hagit Pincovici, whose work is very philosophical. After an initial presentation on different types of design, with references to unusual, original, artists, it was time to get creative. The participants, who came from several schools, were asked to create a character which they could make using various materials available.
Read MoreBrillantmont teachers are always using different resources in order to fully engage and stimulate their students. In the Maths Department, some classes are signed up to the online iMaths and my iMaths platform. Through a variety of activities, games and quizzes, students can extend and reinforce their maths skills, consolidating their in-class knowledge. Their teachers can even set and mark homework through it. Students receive clearly explained feedback on their results, helping them and the teacher evaluate areas of strength and areas which need further work.
Through his exploits, he is keen to share his concerns about today's world - sustainable development, poverty, climate change -and in so doing, stimulate discussion and ultimately promote concrete actions leading to change. Brillantmont students were very enthusiastic about his presentation, which proved most thought-provoking.
Ben says, " He addressed the fear that you have in certain situations and explained why he has lived his life in that way. Clearly, it's important for him to live his dreams and he told us also that we should live ours." Megan added, "He got straight to the point and explained that you should be confident in your own abilities. If someone tells you something can't be done because it's never been done before, that's the worst excuse, because it means there's someone in the world who can do it. He made us realise that if we don't take affirmative action, there won't be any changes in the world."
Piccard's environmental concerns resonated with Bettina, who shares his view that " in Switzerland, we are very aware of recycling and maintaining a clean atmosphere; being able to move away from non-renewable sources of energy in the future is important. " Her feelings were echoed by Andreas, who says, "I'm going to live in the future and my children too, so the future we create is important to me." Let's hope that such an inspiring presentation will lead BM students to be engaged and committed actors in the destiny of the world around us.
Life at boarding school means you get to go on lots of fun trips and this autumn break, a group of Brillantmont students were lucky enough to go on a trip to Verona, Italy and Nice, France. Verona is of course the setting of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and no trip there would be complete without a visit to Juliet's balcony, although Brenda commented that "it was really small". (This is true!) The students had the chance to discover the charms of Verona, its historic centre, as well as letting their hair down in the Gardaland
amusement park.