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HISTORY OF LEYSIN
AMERICAN SCHOOL
At 1263 meters, Leysin is one of the highest
villages in the French speaking canton de Vaud.
The name "Leysin was originally derived from the
German word "Leissins", the name of the village
in 1232. In 1352, it became known as "Leisins",
in 1355 "Lisin", and finally in 1402, "Leysins",
the final "s" being dropped.
The history of
the area dates back to 515 with the foundation
of the Royal Abbey of St. Maurice in the Rhone
Valley, the oldest abbey in the north-western
part of the Alps. Many years later, the small
village of Leysin was built on a plateau behind
a mountain knob which hid it from the valley. It
is believed that the first settlers went there
to escape the robbers who were pillaging the
valley after the fall of the Roman Empire. Roman
coins have been found in Leysin to back up that
theory.
During the Middle
Ages (around 1100), Leysin belonged to the Duke
Of Savoy, and was attached to the political
district of Aigle. It was considered a parish or
"quartier" of Aigle and paid its taxes there.
The first historical record of its existence
dates back to 1276. This was a communal document
concerning an act of redemption of dues. In
1301, the Duke of Savoy leased the mountain of
A? to his subjects in Leysin, and later in 1333,
the Mayen mountain was also leased to the local
population.
Leysin was
granted permission to build its own church in
1445. It stayed under the jurisdiction of Aigle,
however, and each week a priest came up from the
valley to preach and to bless the cattle for the
farmers. This church is still the main village
church today.
As a result of
the Burgundy Wars in 1475, the canton of Bern
acquired the district of Aigle, and Leysin found
itself under new rulers. The people were freed
from personal servitude in 1485, and hence had
the right to settle freely where they pleased.
Finally, in 1520, they were given the right to
elect their own general council of 12 men, a
lieutenant, two mayors and two advisers.
As Bern had
accepted the Reformation, the church in Leysin
was declared Protestant in 1536, but still
remained a dependency of the church in Aigle. It
became an independent parish only in 1704, and
was entitled to its own pastor at the time.
The residents had
always depended on agriculture and dairy farming
for their existence, and they soon became almost
totally self-sufficient by growing their own
wheat, vegetables and fruit. They even began
making their own wine from the grapes vines
which grew down the side of the mountain to
Aigle. Births and deaths began to be registered
in 1702, and marriages in 1703. Leysin was
becoming more and more an entity of its own.
It did not become
internationally known, however, until 1789, when
Thomas Malthus, a British political economist,
included six pages about Leysin in his book,
"Essay Upon the Principles of Population".
Malthus compared tha average life expectancy of
the people in Leysin (61 years) to that of other
Europeans. The long life expectancy was believed
to be the result of the healthy climate in
Leysin and its isolation. The only wap up from
the valley at the time was a steep 4 km footpath
through Veyges. Thus, Leysin was very much
isolated from the various communicable diseases,
which shortened men's lives in other places.
With the
knowledge that Leysin existed, the village began
to grow, and in 1828, many people from the
valley began sending their children to Leysin to
cure bone and other diseases that were difficult
to heal in the cloudy valley. As more and more
people came, it became evident that an easier
route was necessary. In 1837, a road from the
valley to le S¨¦pey was constructed, and then
carried on to Leysin in 1875. The first
foreigner to come to Leysin arrived in January
of 1873. This was a young German who came for
health reasons. His arrival marked the beginning
of tourism in the small mountain village.
During the
1800's, the social and living conditions in
Leysin were still primitive. For heating
purposes, the wooden houses and their rooms were
kept small, with exception to the kitchens,
which were usually large and contains enormous
fireplace. Cattle barns were attached to the
houses to gain additional heat. The first house
opened as a lodging place for tourists was
Mademoiselle Cullaz's in 1878.
In 1890, the
Climatic Society was founded, and its incentive
caused many clinics to be built. Until 1890,
farming had been the primary source of income
for the local population, but now a different
way of life was evolving. In 1892, the Grand
Hotel was constructed, a clinic large enough to
receive 120 patients.
The necessity for
education was soon felt and brought about a
school, which was built on the western side of
the village in 1896. Leysin was beginning to
step out of its primitive ways. Progress was
even further advanced with the construction of
the cog railway from Aigle to Leysin in 1897,
linking the village to mainland rail lines in
the valley. In 1902, Leysin replaced its general
council, an assembly of all citizens, with a
communal council.
International
fame came with the arrival of Dr. August Rollier
in the winter of 1903. He had ideas of using the
sun as a cure for bone and joint tuberculosis,
and soon became internationally known as the
"Sun Doctor". Dr. Rollier's theory was to
utilize Leysin's unique climate for healing
purposes, and he advocated exposing patients to
the sun as much as possible. He also believed in
work and spiritual therapy, and developed
workshops, handcrafts, special exercises and
sports for his patients. Tuberculosis sufferers
from all over the world flocked to Leysin to be
treated by his revolutionary methods. He become
the physician in charge of 37 clinics. It is
interesting to note today that the reason the
former clinics had such wide doors and balconies
was to wheel hospital beds out into the sun.
What makes
Leysin's climate so unique? First of all the
village is located high on the south side of a
mountain facing the wide Rhone Valley. This
allows it to receive optimum sunshine from early
in the morning until late in the day with no
natural barriers to bar the sun's ray. Moreover,
it is shielded from the cold north winds by the
mountains behind it. The humidity is low and the
air is thin, allowing the sun to penetrate
effectively. During the winter, the sun's rays
are doubly effective due to their reflection off
the snow. The snow usually lasts from November
to April.
And Anne-Marie
Rollier was dedicated to helping the mentally
and physically handicapped. She was the founder
of the first Para Olympics, and involved with
sports for handicapped people, and organise
skiing for the blind.
The idea of
developing Leysin into a winter sports resort
was being discussed as far back as 1903, but
clinics monopolized all facilities of the
village at the time. An attempt was made with
the building of the Chamois Hotel, but it was
soon turned into a clinic as well. Leysin was
growing quickly, however, and evolving from a
sleepy mountain village into a bustling town.
The cog railway was lengthened in 1915 with the
construction of a viaduct of the Grand Hotel,
and in 1923 the Leysin development Association
was founded.
By 1930, there
were 5698 people in Leysin, of which only 244
earned their living through agriculture, and
3000 were tuberculosis patients. This
flourishing era came to an abrupt halt in the
1940's and the end of World War II, with the
discovery of antibiotics. Many of the clinics
were forced to close their doors and were then
left vacant.
However, the
dreams of tourism had not died, and new ideas
began to take shape. In the 1950's, the industry
began to develop in earnest. The opening of the
Leysin Tours Company and the arrival of the
"Club M¨¦diterran¨¦e" in 1956 made Leysin are
renowned winter sports resort and summer holiday
area. In the summer of the same year, the Grand
Hotel was reopened for tourists, and soon other
clinics followed its example. In January of
1957, the A?-Berneuse ski lift was constructed.
The American
School moved to Leysin in 1962, offering
secondary and university education on American
standards to students from all over the world,
and a hotel school was opened some time later.
The Belgian Hotel Reine Fabiola was also a
landmark in Leysin's touristy history. By 1969,
Leysin was able to accommodate about 5000
tourists in its various hotels, pensions,
chalets, apartments, schools and camping area.
This number has
been increased to 7000 today, and Leysin
continues to work to offer more pleasurable
holidays to its guests and a better way of life
to its inhabitants.
1994: Leysin has
now 2'700 inhabitants and half of them are
strangers, (80 different nationalities). In add
to the American School and the Hosta School,
Leysin has now a Japanese School. Several new
construction have considerably strengthen
Leysin's touristy offer like a new multifaceted
sports complex, 2 new 4 stars hotels, one
belonging to an international chain, and a new
revolving restaurant on the top of its original
ski slope, the Berneuse. In high season Leysin
can welcome more than 10000 people.
As you can see,
Leysin's history is a long one, and this is one
of the aspects most appreciated by people who
visit it today. It was not built over night; it
has a rich history, a small community spirit and
a heart. Its inhabitant will all tell you that
life in Leysin is good.
SIS
Overview
Located in the beautiful Alpine resort village
of Leysin, Summer in Switzerland (SIS) is a
program for young people from ages 9 to 19. At
SIS, students learn about the world and
themselves and make friends with others from
different cultures and traditions. Living in the
heart of Europe, students form a supportive
community that promotes academic achievement and
international awareness. Academic challenge,
leadership opportunities, artistic development,
and recreational activities are the core of the
program. Our young people leave Leysin with an
understanding of themselves and a harmonious
vision of their world.
Classes in the mornings challenge to learn,
while the afternoons allow students to try
activities that they may not have experienced
before, such as parapenting, white water
rafting, horseback riding, climbing and hiking
or sports such as soccer, volleyball, and
basketball.Arts activities are also
available.Evenings are reserved for group events
organized by SIS family, dormitory or the
complete student body.On weekends, day
excursions to various Swiss cities are offered.
SIS
has three age groups:
Alpine Adventre (AA, ages 9-12)
Alpine Exploration (AE, ages 13-15)
Alpine Challenge (AC, ages 16-19)
Alpine Exploration (ages 13-15) & Alpine
Challenge (ages 16-19)
Weekday Schedule, Sunday through Thursday:
08:00
Breakfast
08:45
Morning Classes (4 periods)
12:30
Lunch
13:30
Quiet Time
14:45
1st Activity Period
16:00
Free Time
16:30
2nd Activity Period
18:00
Dinner
18:45
Free Time
20:15
Evening Activity
22:15
Time in Dorm for AE
22:45
Time in Dorm for AC
22:30
Lights Out AE
23:00
Lights Out AC
Weekend Schedule, Friday and Saturday:
9:00
Brunch
10:00
All-Day Excursion Leaves
20:00
All-Day Excursion Returns
Alpine Adventure (ages 9-12)
Weekday Schedule, Sunday through Thursday:
08:00
Breakfast
09:00
Morning Classes
12:15
Lunch
13:00
Afternoon Activities or Excursion
18:00
Dinner
18:30
Evening Activities
21:00
In Dorm
21:30
Lights Out
Weekend Schedule, Friday and Saturday:
09:00
Brunch
10:00
All-Day Excursion Leaves
18:00
All-Day Excursion Returns
*All
schedules are subject to change.
English-as-a-Second-Language
Summer in Switzerland provides students a chance
to learn English in an intensive and supportive
environment. Upon arrival, students are assessed
to determine their English language ability. All
English-as-a Second-Language (ESL) morning
classes are small with curriculum designed to
meet individual needs. In the afternoons,
students in the Intensive ESL program join the
rest of the community, interacting closely with
native English speakers. English is the common
language for all students and staff at SIS for
all activities in the afternoons and evenings.
ESL
Daily Schedule:
Mornings - Small classes, special curriculum
Afternoons - Join the General Program for
activities led in English
Evenings - Join the General Program for
Group Activities led in English
Weekends - Join the General Program for
All-Day Excursions
Dyslexia Summer School
-
An intensive low-ratio 3-week program for
students with learning needs focusing on
math, reading, writing and study skills
instruction
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Boarding Program consisting of 5 days a week
of classroom instructions with children from
around the world
-
An IEP (Individualized Education Plan) will
be developed based on students' needs
-
All day Fridays and Saturdays and in the
afternoon and evenings the students
participate in the SIS programs enjoying a
wide range of sporting and cultural
activities
-
Specialized IT learning software and
curriculum will be used according to each
students' needs
Choose from 2 sessions:
24/June/2006 - 14/July/2006
or
22/July/2006 - 11/August/2006
Program
Assistants (ages 18-19)
This
is a highly selective program, with a limited
number of spaces available, for 18-19 year old
students who have demonstrated leadership and
show a desire to learn more about being a staff
member at SIS or at any other camp-like program.
Program Assistants (PAs) have the chance to
develop leadership skills and experience working
with the SIS staff preparing and leading
activities, understanding how the entire SIS
program works, and, of course, helping with hard
work!
Morning Seminars by PA Director:
Supervision techniques
Conflict resolution
Diversity awareness
Camp counseling strategies for dealing with
bullying, scapegoating, homesickness, etc.
Hands-on work with staff and students
Join a General Program class if desired
Afternoons and Evenings:
Hands-on work
Aid recreation staff with activities
Aid preparation of larger all-school activities
Lead an activity
Moving and setting up of supplies and equipment
For more Information click here |
