Celebrating a Year of BIG Mentoring Connections!

The LAS community recently came together to celebrate one of our favorite traditions: the BIG Program. We held a special Big/Little gathering in the beautiful Beau Réveil/Esplanade garden to mark the end of another great year of mentorship. It was the perfect setting for an afternoon of sunshine and celebration! 

The BIG Program is about more than just mentorship. It's about creating a sense of family within the LAS community, where students can lean on each other, share experiences, and build lifelong friendships. Whether it’s helping a new student adjust to life in the Swiss Alps, offering help on schoolwork, or being there for a chat, “Bigs” play an important role in making younger students feel at home on our Magic Mountain!

Our dedicated group of “Bigs” (students from BEC, Savoy, and Beau Site) joined their “Littles” for one final catch-up before summer break. The evening included a BBQ: hot dogs, s’mores, ice cream, and music! It was wonderful to see the connections that have formed throughout the year; our older students have been so encouraging and thoughtful, and have learned a lot about leadership and mentoring through their roles. The "Littles" have benefited so much from having older students to turn to and gain advice from, and this symbiotic relationship has been really successful throughout the year! 

As we look ahead, we’re excited to announce that applications for next year’s Bigs will open later this month. Returning Bigs will have the chance to stick with their current Little or branch out to support someone new. We’ve already had a lot of interest, which speaks volumes about the compassion and commitment of our older students!

At LAS, programs like BIG and our Faculty Families are essential to the supportive, family-like culture that plays an important role in our community. We are so proud of our students who have shown fantastic leadership and mentoring skills this year, and we can’t wait to continue the program in August!