International School Parent Magazine - Spring 2024

we can reimagine education in the digital
age. The discourse surrounding artificial
intelligence (AI) is undeniably intriguing,
presenting us with a unique opportunity
that demands our proactive engagement
instead of outright banning. We have
accepted that young people are going to
use AI and so we need to get the best out
of it. Students will try their hand at using
Chat GPT to do their work, but I think our
classes are small enough and our teachers
know our students well enough to ask
questions when needed.
And, that’s not just within the classroom.
Aiglon has recently stepped into the world
of esports, participating in a Europe-wide
competition organised by Daigon Esports.
In friendly matches, our students faced
teams from Poland in Rocket League and
London in FIFA.
We also have an ambitious campus
master plan. In February 2023, we
completed a brand new boarding house.
Then, in March we broke ground on our
next project, the Moghadam Campus Hub,
which will be unveiled in August 2025.
This project encompasses new dining and
assembly rooms. This is the largest and
most ambitious project in our school’s
history. By keeping the campus and students
in mind, our designs prioritise the unique
needs not just of today’s Aiglon students,
but the next generation.
If we want our students to be ambitious
and to be proactive we need to model this
for them. We try to involve students in the
campus development building process.
They look at the plans and provide input,
particularly for their own boarding houses.
There is nothing more exciting than when a
student makes a suggestion and then sees it
implemented.
You have an exceptional scholarship
programme, could you please tell us a
little about it?
For over 30 years we have been honoured
to welcome scholars. This is again thanks to
our community. In fact, 50% of scholarship
funding comes from philanthropy, while the
remaining half is invested by Aiglon from
its operating surplus since this cause is so
important to us.
Scholarships are awarded to students
of outstanding promise and potential who
would not otherwise have the financial
means to access the world-class education
offered at Aiglon.
“We are well known for skiing and every
student skis twice a week in the winter term.”
Many educational institutions frequently
discuss diversity, often emphasising the
importance of a diverse student body
in terms of nationalities but seldom
is socioeconomic diversity discussed.
Socioeconomic diversity is intrinsic. We
have eighteen scholars this academic year,
and this will grow to twenty scholars next
academic year.
We have links to schools in Bhutan,
Cambodia, Kenya and Somaliland and
an academic programme in Palestine.
However, we have independent scholars as
well. In fact, one of our very first scholars
is now a member of the Aiglon College
Association (ACA) board.
Finding our scholars is a complex process,
and we greatly value the support of our
partner institutions, based across the world
from Asia to Africa, to guide us to the right
candidates.
Aiglon College is a private international boarding school located in Switzerland offering a
distinctive, world class education in a stunning alpine setting. www.aiglon.ch
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT SPRING 2024 | 15