International School Parent Magazine - Spring 2022

goals. This was immediately evident soon
after I was appointed as Headmaster, at
the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. The
community rallied together in adopting
sanitary measures and online schooling.
It was heartbreaking to see their sudden
detachment from a place they had grown
to love as a hub for community friendship,
guidance and shared experience. Our
active Parents’ Association is IIL’s main
and longest-standing community partner
in Geneva. The school leadership and the
association work closely on projects that
provide the best opportunities for those
in and around our school community. An
extensive network of volunteers from the
association is responsible for assisting our
new families integration into the school
community, whilst other working groups
focus on humanitarian projects or organise
events, parties and celebrations.
Which philosophies are you bringing into
the school?
In the last 18 months, I have recognised
two areas that stand out as being extremely
valuable to the school and its students. The
first is our bespoke language programme
in Early Years and Primary. Each student
is given a tailor-made pathway, created to
suit their language profile, with progression
opportunities and add-ons to support their
developing skills. This language pathway is
mapped-out in collaboration with parents
during the enrolment process and ensures
that all needs are considered. Because
the programme focuses on competency
acquisition, students can quickly develop
their second or third language skills from
speaking and listening to more technical
skills in reading, writing, and grammar. For
families at our school for 3-5 years, we want
to ensure their children develop enough
language skills to get the most out of living
in Geneva in this relatively short time. On
the other hand, we must challenge students
further to have more choices in secondary
and higher education. Students who develop
advanced competencies in their second or
third language can explore our Bilingual
IB Diploma, Swiss Maturity Diploma or
French Baccalaureate qualifications.
The second valuable area is STEAM.
Our dedicated laboratory, housed in the
original school building, provides students
with the most engaging space for creativity
and problem solving I have seen in my
career to date. In STEAM, students are
encouraged to bring project ideas of their
own, and these often involve elements of
coding, robotics, 3D printing, laser-cutting
and multimedia. I will be honest, a lot of
it goes over the top of my head, and it is
undoubtedly an area of my development
to better understand. However, I know
this area of our school is one of the most
valuable because whenever I visit, I am
always amazed by how passionate, informed
and focused the students are to work on
their projects.
Have you seen the process of new
students arriving, and how do you
manage that – especially now? Do you
think Covid will have a lasting impact on
teaching methods?
The magnitude of change to our admissions
process has been phenomenal over the last
two years, as I am sure has been the case
in most international schools worldwide.
Due to the recent health measures,
international schools, including IIL, have
had to adapt quickly to support prospective
families in their search for a new school.
Irrespective of the ongoing situation, it is
so important for international schools to
get this process right, as finding the most
suitable environment is often the number
one priority for parents. This is even more
significant for parents who are managing a
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