Embracing Multilingualism: Celebrating Mother Language Day at LAS

February 21 was Mother Language Day, and while English-speaking schools such as ours primarily focus on English development and proficiency, students' home languages are a great tool for learning and for affirming students' identities in the spirit of inclusion. Some of our home language initiatives at LAS include the IB school-supported self-taught options, the LAS library's multilingual collection, International Week, as well as classroom practices that many staff members implement. All of these showcase the value of additive bilingualism at LAS!

Here at LAS, 75% of our students speak a language other than English at home, and this diversity of our community shows an ideal opportunity to celebrate Mother Language Day! We prioritize nurturing multilingualism, advocating for multilingualism, where students learn through their first and second languages at the same time. Through initiatives like the English Language Acquisition (ELA) program, stocking diverse literature in the library, and cultural trips, we cultivate language proficiency and global citizenship. Even in student dorms, we intentionally pair roommates from different mother tongues to encourage language learning and cultural sharing.

At LAS, we actively promote multilingualism within our library by offering an extensive collection of books in various languages. Our library stocks over 400 French books, more than 200 Chinese selections, 50 Polish works, and nearly 200 Japanese texts, among others. Additionally, our two campus libraries stock close to 1,000 English Language Acquisition (ELA) books. Recognizing the important role of reading in language acquisition, we ensure students have access to diverse reading materials to support their linguistic development. We prioritize the development of students' mother tongues while encouraging the acquisition of new languages, ensuring that they feel supported and empowered throughout their language-learning journey.

At LAS, we offer the English Language Acquisition (ELA) program, courses designed to help multilingual students succeed in their preparation for university. The program has a dual focus on developing students’ academic and social language in reading, writing, speaking, and listening, as well as their content knowledge in all academic subjects. While learning English remains an important goal for LAS students as the global language, LAS aims to support students' continued development of their mother languages, known as additive bilingualism.

When leaving Leysin, students frequently regard the highlight of their LAS experience as the multicultural exchange of languages and cultures. We feel immensely proud to celebrate and represent so many nationalities, and we are always excited to see our students progressing, whether that's in English or the range of languages we offer as part of our curriculum!