History Timeline
1875
The first road from the valley was extended to Leysin, followed by a cog railway in 1897.
1890
Sick children were sent to Leysin with hope that its sunny alpine climate would restore their health.
1892
Leysin's first "boom" owes its growth to Tuberculosis. The first clinic, the Grand Hotel, now the Belle Époque Campus of LAS, was built to serve 120 patients.
1903
With the arrival of the "Sun Doctor", "Dr. August Rollier, Leysin became famous worldwide.
1904
Czar Nicholas II and entourage are at the Grand Hotel to receive treatment.
1911
Igor Stravinsky, a frequent visitor to the Grand Hotel where his wife was a patient, composes the "Rite of Spring".
1930
Out of 5,698 people living in Leysin, 244 were farmers and 3,000 were TB patients in 70 different countries.
1931
Mahatma Gandhi has discussions with patients at Leysin when he visits French author Romain Rolland.
1939
Newly married, Sigrid and Fred Ott shared a passion for education and a strong international perspective.
1943
Dr. Selman Waksman discovers the medicine that would eventually eradicate Tuberculosis.
1949
Sigrid Ott launched the summer "Yank Campus", the first of the International Ranger Campus, for the children of US military families throughout Europe.
1960
First meeting of the Swiss company, Leysin American School SA (LASSA) at Grand Hotel. Contract was signed to rent Savoy building.
1961
On September 18th, LAS opened its doors with 89 students and 12 teachers.
1963
American College of Switzerland was founded to give LAS graduates a chance to continue their studies in Leysin.
1982
Steven and Doris Ott assumed leadership roles and developed strategies for recruitment, accreditation and expansion.
1987
LAS became the first Swiss international boarding school to win accreditation in the European Council of International Schools (ECIS) and the US Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.
1991
LAS was the first boarding school in Switzerland to introduce the International Baccalaureate Programme.
1998
LAS was the first school ever to be awarded the International Organization for Standardization ISO 9001 status.
2005
70% ownership of LAS passed to the Swiss Foundation for Advancement of International Education; management stayed within the founding family.
2007
The Town Council named Fred and Sigrid Ott honorary citizens of Leysin.
2010
LAS opened the doors to the Belle Époque campus, previously the Grand Hotel.
2016
LAS founder, Sigrid Ott, celebrated her 100th birthday and the new Magic Mountain Athletic Center is open to students.