An Overview of the LAS Student Lifestyle

At Leysin American School in Switzerland, we put a lot of effort into ensuring our students have the best possible time in our alpine village! Although we place heavy emphasis on academic achievement, our school believes that to make a well-rounded student, we must encourage them to take part in a variety of extracurricular activities and meet as many people from around the world as possible. In turn, this allows students to become the best versions of themselves and develop into innovative, compassionate, and responsible citizens of the world. The combination of the many different programs we offer at LAS is what drives our student experience, and we can’t wait to share these activities with our students this year!

Here at LAS, we place heavy emphasis on Experiential Learning within our academic programs. This means that we believe students learn through hands-on experience. This idea also applies to our extracurricular programs, where we encourage students to interact with their peers, develop new skills through activities, and learn about their strengths and weaknesses. Through these programs, we encourage students to step out of their comfort zones and try new things. In doing so, they learn new skills such as teamwork, resilience, compassion, and responsibility. 

With an alpine backyard and neighboring countries just hours away, we make the most of Leysin’s location whenever possible. Travel weekends, cultural trips to areas of Europe, and even excursions further afield to countries like Zimbabwe allow our students to make the most of the opportunities at their fingertips. Participation in these trips helps fully immerse students in the customs, culture, and history of the country they visit. These trips also create further bonds between students and their peers, as well as their teachers and faculty, and foster a family-like atmosphere. What’s not to love about surfing in Portugal with your friends, learning to cook in Italy, or embracing Zimbabwean culture through a community service trip?

Furthermore, students are also encouraged to take advantage of their time in the Swiss Alps through our incredible outdoor activities programs, such as the Alpine Institute, which allows students to complete a variety of expeditions and training. Students are also given the opportunity to join sports teams and active programs such as volleyball, yoga, and horseback riding. Furthermore, in the winter months, the Alpine Club and ski term help students learn new skills and see all that the Swiss Alps have to offer! This is often a favorite amongst our students, who love fostering new friendships and spending time in our picturesque snowy landscape.

In addition to outdoor activities, students are encouraged to explore their creative interests. They have many opportunities to channel their imagination in after-school activities, including choir and theater. A number of extracurriculars exist outside of the arts as well, with enough variety to captivate each student! This fall, an incredible array of creative and service activities are available, such as robotics, Ukelele, and knitting. Whether students are complete novices or experts in these activities, there is a place for them in our clubs to develop their skills!

We have really enjoyed welcoming our students to the Magic Mountain this week and look forward to all that this semester has to bring!  Whether students are new to the area or returning to their Alpine home after summer vacation, there’s always a sense of excitement and trepidation at the start of the year. We hope that our students make the most of our extensive academic program and look forward to developing new skills and friendships along the way! 

To learn more about our academic program, visit las.ch/lifestyle