Ecole D’humanite

Ecole d’Humanité was founded in 1934 by German reformer educator Paul Ghehebomi and his wife Edith Gheheb-Cassirer. Geheb founded the Odenwaldschule boarding school in 1910 in Hesse, Germany, but after the National Socialist Party came to power in 1934, the Geheb family emigrated to Switzerland with some staff and teachers of the school, where they founded a new school - Ecole d ' Humanité. First, the school was located in the canton of Geneva, the town of Versailles, and in 1946 it moved to its current location – Hasliberg Goldern.

The school is located in the mountain village of Hasliberg Goldern in the heart of the Swiss Alps, between Lucerne and Interlaken (which means “inter-lake”), in the German part of Switzerland. The picturesque alpine landscape and the world-famous peaks of Bernese Oberland surround the school.

Today, Ecole d’Humanité is a small family school for 150 students located in the beautiful countryside. Training is conducted in German and English. There is one teacher per 8 students, this ratio makes individual attention and care for each child possible. The German and American sections work, respectively, the training is conducted in German and English. Classes are not numerous, an average of 4-10 students. In every possible way, activity in the lessons and student participation in public life is encouraged.

The school is preparing to pass exams for American High School Diploma and German-speaking Matura.

The school has anout 150 students from 23 countries.

DIRECTORS (stand 2023)

Katja Maike Braun, education - Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen.

Famous school graduates

• Giorgio Gomelsky, musician and producer
• Luca Giuliani, scientist
• Leda Luz Lucen, artist
• Hans Zimmer, composer
• Stefan Asher, musician

KEY FACTORS

• The school is distinguished by an individual approach to each student with an obvious humanitarian bias in the educational plan.
• All children have work responsibilities, each his own. And after breakfast, all students clean the dining room for 15 minutes.
• Credit cards are not allowed at school. Pocket money is the equivalent of $ 30 per month.
• The school does not give grades; instead, teacher comments are used. Today, this type of assessment is accepted by many leading universities. Of course, children who wish to enter such a university must pass SAT tests and AP exams (5 subjects).
• The number of students in the class is 4-10 people, allowing you to pay maximum attention to everyone.
• Teachers use the most effective teaching methods; academic programs are carefully selected and balanced. Lessons are longer than usual - 60-75 minutes, due to which there is a deeper immersion in the topic of the lesson.

PROGRAM

• US High School Diploma
• Advanced Placement (AP) program (internationally recognized)
• Advanced Placement International Diploma (APID)
• Preparation for SAT and ACT exams
• College and University counseling
• Preparation for English language tests such as IELTS, TOEFL, and London Test of English
• Swiss secondary (Sekundar) and comprehensive (Real) school programs
• Swiss 10th school year (orientation year) with preparation for apprenticeship applications and/or exams for further schools such as Fachmittelschulen FMS, Berufsmittelschulen BMS, and cantonal Gymnasia
• Swiss Federal Matura exam (tests taken externally)
• Career pathway tests such as Multi and Basic Checks

ACCOMMODATION

The school campus consists of 20 houses and a chalet. Students and teachers live in a large and friendly family. Some school staff and students live outside the school, in neighbouring towns.

Students live in rooms of 2 people. Each new student falls into the so-called “family” - a group of 8 students and 2 adults. Each such family lives in a separate house, has lunch and dinner in the same dining room. A family day is held on Wednesdays - students from the same family spend an evening together, play or work on projects.

SPORT

Skiing, snowboarding, mountaineering, volleyball, basketball, tai chi, hiking, field hockey.

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES

After academic studies, in the afternoon, students attend sports and creative classes. Each student independently plans a program and class schedule, based on their interests.

The list of additional events is large: courses in art (painting, ceramics), music (instruments, vocals), dancing. The school pays great attention to theatre and sports: there are sections of volleyball, basketball, tai chi, field hockey, winter skiing or snowboarding, mountain trips are regularly organized, children are taught the basics of mountain climbing.

The school has very interesting sections: blacksmithing, ukulele assembly, stone and wood carving. Many students are happy to master agriculture: they learn to milk goats, study breeding and livestock production, make cheese, learn to manage a kiosk and a store selling finished products.

COST, 2023-2024

CHF 66,000 - 73,000 per year (depending on age).

Included in cost

• Teaching
• Accommodation and meals

Extra paid

• Registration fee - CHF 1,000
• Deposit - CHF 5,000
• Add. expenses - CHF 1,800 per year
• Flights
• Transfers to / from the airport
• Visa
• Services of the company "Paradise"

SERVICES OF THE EDUCATIONAL COMPANY INCLUDE:

• Selection of 5-6 schools that best meet the individual characteristics of the child, further goals, talents, with the desired environment. Help in the correct interpretation of school ratings, an explanation of why the school occupies one place or another. Help in obtaining reliable information about schools that are not included in the ratings, with an explanation of the reasons for non-participation in it.
• Admission to 1-3 schools, selected from the proposed. Which includes the preparation of the necessary documents, school reports, characteristics, recommendations. Selection and submission of tests to prepare the student for exam testing, assistance in preparing essays. Preparation for an interview with the teacher / principal, registration for the exam. The necessary list of recommendations when attending school for passing entrance examinations. Correspondence with the school (not all schools enter into correspondence with foreign parents, treat them with caution, trust only a trusted agent).
• Assistance in paying registration fees, deposits, bills. Clarification of school rules, including disciplinary and legal aspects.
• Filling out the required medical forms.

Student supervision during the first month of training is provided as a gift: assistance in resolving issues related to resettlement, billing, informing parents about the child’s health status, assistance with understanding of academic programs, organization of ext. classes for the child in a particular subject, help in choosing the program most suitable for the child, transfer to another class, etc.