La Châtaigneraie (school)

Geschichte

La Châtaigneraie is a private, international, coeducational day school. It is part of the Foundation of the International School of Geneva and offers a comprehensive education in English or French for students from age 4 to 18. Founded in 1908, La Châtaigneraie is located in Founex, Switzerland.HistoryÉcole Nouvelle La ChâtaigneraieIn 1908, Ernest Schwartz-Buys founded the Ecole Nouvelle du Léman, a coeducational school to be based upon German and English institutions. It opened its doors to girls and boys between 7 and 18 years of age, with a probable enrollment of six students in the 1908–09 school year.Le Collège Protestant Romand (1954–71)In the aftermath of the Second World War, between c. 1948–49, a group of pedagogues and pastors, led by the pastor Charles Bergier, decided that the Lake Geneva area needed a Protestant school. The official request for the establishment of such a school was filed on 10 April 1953 at the Office of Education in Lausanne. The following month the "Foundation for the creation of a Romand Protestant College" purchased the site of La Châtaigneraie from Mr Schwartz. The inaugural ceremony for this new school was held on 1 May 1954, and in September of that year the school began its first official school year as the Collège Protestant Romand. Its first director was Yves de Saussure, who led the school until 1958. La Châtaigneraie's founder, Mr Schwartz, lived for ten more years following his retirement. Neptune, the school newspaper at the time, announced in its 58th edition that Mr Schwartz died on 5 July 1964, at age 84.Initially, the new school was boys-only and boarding. It was only under the direction of Director Yves le Pin (who led the school from 1958 to 1968) that girls could attend, and then only as day students. The majority of the Collège students were Swiss — in 1969 there were 42 students who were Swiss out of a 115 overall.