The residence houses of the Leysin American School are absolutely vital to the well-being and positive functioning of the school community as a whole. If students feel at home and at ease in their living situation, they will feel positive about themselves and will be able to perform to their potential.
Building a community is the primary objective of the Leysin American School. We believe in a stable, caring and supportive family-like environment where students receive adult guidance through frequent daily interaction. "Family" is the key word because, given the distance that many of our students travel to get here, our faculty is committed to providing a positive "in loco parentis" role model for students.
The dormitories at LAS provide students with a unique opportunity. Students will be provided a chance to learn appreciation for and understanding of people of other cultures from around the world. Living together in a harmonious setting allows for learning of one another's differences beyond language, food, and traditional costumes, to explore the ideas, values, and histories that have solidified each cultural group's uniqueness. This rich experience opens up another avenue to realize, that despite our obvious differences, there are many more similarities shared between us as human beings, that we might not have previously realized.
Our residences strive to educate students to be responsible, productive and ethical citizens with the skill to think creatively, reason critically, communicate effectively, and with an attitude of respect towards peoples of other cultures.
Supervision
Each dormitory houses several live-in faculty members. Dormitory staff rotates supervisory nights and weekends throughout the year. It is important to know who is on duty each night. In the case of emergency, the person on duty is the primary contact person in addition to the Dorm Parent(s). The dorm supervisors will also rely upon student dorm prefects to assist them throughout the night. It is important for students to familiarize themselves with apartment locations and contact numbers in the event an emergency situation presents itself.
Student Prefects
Students looking for leadership opportunities within the school community are invited to apply for positions of dorm or all-school prefects. Students occupying these special positions must be dedicated to improving campus life, while at the same time attending to special student issues as they arise. Student prefects are expected to model the values of the community, and will be held to a higher behavioral standard. For their dedication to the prefect position, students will be granted special privileges and are welcome to seek special allowances not freely granted to non-prefects. In order to be successful, prefects must be intrinsically motivated to seek their positions.
Roommates
In the name of facilitating cultural curiosity, understanding and appreciation, attempts are made to house students in rooms of mixed cultures and languages. While this is not always possible, we try to keep same native language speakers separated. This separation necessitates the need to converse in a common language (usually English), and helps our ESL students develop their English language skills.
Living with roommates can be challenging even under the best of circumstances. For many students, this will be the first time they have had to share a living space. Sharing it with a stranger can make this new experience even more intense. Therefore it is critical for students to get to know the person they are going to be living with and establish "ground rules" for the room, and conduct within the room. Remembering that there may be great cultural differences between you and your roommate, it is important to remember that you both have needs and wants. In asking for respect of your habits, you must also respect your roommates' needs and wants. If you can negotiate a set of room guidelines, you are more likely to function effectively as roommates and learn a great deal from one another.
Our Dormitory Houses
Dormitory houses are determined by gender and grade levels.
Savoy House (8th, 9th and 10th Grade Boys)
The Savoy represents the heart of the LAS academic experience. With all classrooms housed in Savoy with the exception of sciences and math, students will spend most of their day here. In addition to housing 8th, 9th and 10th grade boys, the Savoy is also home to our library, the Administration offices, Health and Wellness counseling and nursing center, college counseling, dining hall, and the Arts Department.
Beau Reveil House (11th Grade Boys)
Recently purchased, the Beau Reveil is a beautiful addition to our campus and home to 11th grade boys. The building boasts our newly renovated modern language center, a beautiful recreation area, three floors of rooms with spectacular views and ample office facilities. The breathtaking views from Beau Reveil rival those from any building in town
Eden House (12th Grade Boys)
Purchased by the school in 1992, Eden is the location for the Alpine Adventure program in the summer and is the senior boy's dorm with some full IB grade 11 students during the academic year. The Eden features a beautiful, south-facing patio complete with a permanent bar-b-que, common area and a peaceful sense of privacy. The Eden Dorm is located between the Vermont Complex and the Beau Site right in the center of our campus.
Vermont House (8th, 9th and 10th Grade Girls)
Purchased and opened in the year of 2001, the Vermont is an extremely popular dorm for 8th, 9th and 10th grade girls. It is our most intimate dormitory house. It also houses the Travel Office and school bookstore. The Vermont dormitory is connected to the gorgeously restored Math Chalet by underground tunnel. Additionally, The upperclassman lounge dubbed "The Fish Bowl" is located between the two housing structures. The Fish Bowl plays a central part in our ski season, as a gathering point at the end of a day of skiing.
Beau Site House (10th and 11th Grade Girls)
Beau Site has been a part of the Leysin American School Campus since 1996. Housing our sophomore and junior girls, the Beau Site is also the visitor center and houses the Accounting offices. Students come to Beau Site to study Science in renovated classrooms and extensive labs. Beau Site is also the location of the Red Frog, a recreational area that has a big screen TV, a lounge with refreshments run by our Student Council, pool tables and other recreational games. Beau Site also features the impressive "Valley View" multipurpose room.
Esplanade House (12th Grade Girls)
The Esplanade was one of the first buildings of the LAS Campus. It houses our youngest senior girls and some full IB grade 11 students. With a small population of approximately 32 students, the Esplanade attends to the increased guidance needs of its inhabitants. Located on the highest edge of our campus, Esplanade features spectacular views.
Please note that there are exceptions to these allocations. In some cases individuals may find themselves in a different dormitory than the ones outlined above due to spacing issues, prefect positions, age, and behavior considerations. While the dorm placements are generally static and movement from one dorm to another discouraged, it is not uncommon, and there is no entitlement to any room or dorm on campus. Any inter-dorm room changes will be approved by Residential Life Coordinators in consultation with the Dean of Students.