Tonight we marked a classic Geneva tradition in the House, the Marmite de l’Escalade.
As always, we followed the custom of having our youngest and oldest students break the chocolate pot together. Marco took the role of the youngest, and Matthew represented the oldest in the House.
It was a small moment, but a nice way to pause, share a bit of local culture, and bring everyone together before the holidays. And of course… nothing unites a boarding house faster than Swiss chocolate.
Our latest house competition took a festive turn this week with the challenge of building a gingerbread house. Some houses across campus went for architectural masterpieces, others for perfect icing work… and then there was Olympus, approaching the task with enthusiasm, creativity and a sense of humour.
Our final creation may not win any awards for elegance, but the effort behind it told a better story. William and Fede took the lead, fully embracing the challenge and giving the rest of the house something to cheer for. From balancing collapsing walls to negotiating icing that had a mind of its own, they kept the mood light and the energy high.
What mattered most wasn’t the result but the spirit in the room. The boys worked together, laughed through the mishaps and enjoyed the chance to do something a bit different. It was another reminder that competitions aren’t only about winning; they’re about showing up, taking part and having fun as a community.
This month CDL Talks gave us a moment to be genuinely proud of one of our own. Ronan, a House Parent from Champ des Bois took the stage to speak about resilience, a theme that sits at the heart of what we try to build in Olympus and across boarding life.
His talk was calm, thoughtful and grounded in real experience. He spoke about resilience not as a dramatic, heroic quality, but as something that grows day by day, in how young people respond to challenges, manage their emotions and learn to trust their own abilities. It was a message that felt both practical and hopeful, and it landed well with the students who attended.
In many ways, Ronan’s talk echoed what we see in the house. Resilience doesn’t appear in big leaps. It forms quietly through routines, supportive relationships and moments where students push themselves a little further than they did the day before. This is the environment we work to create: a place where students feel safe enough to take risks, steady enough to practise new habits and supported enough to try again when things don’t go to plan.
Seeing one of our staff speak so clearly about these ideas was a reminder of how fortunate we are to have role models who not only guide our students but also live the values we hope to instil.
A huge thank you to Ronan for representing Boarding so well and for giving our community something meaningful to reflect on.
It was a rather quiet weekend in Olympus, by our usually busy standards. Boys utilised the time to recharge for the last two weeks before the holidays; However our boys were well represented in Art club, Climbing club and Horse Riding, affording them to show off their creativity and get out in nature. It is fantastic to see boys participating in their hobbies and watching them interact with other students who share hobbies, as well as enabling them to share their passions with staff.
Sunday brought the Escalade race, a staple of the Geneva calendar and well supported by the people of Geneva. It is a race around the Old Town of Geneva, in which Olympus had two representatives, William and Oscar. Both braved the rain to post impressive times and more importantly they had fun.
Finally, Sunday night brought about another great CDL competition – The Gingerbread House Competition. William took the initiative to design it and was ably assisted by Federico and Pierre.
Although we offer a wide range of activities for the boys to sign up for, Olympus is still a home. And just like any home, not every moment is filled with something big or elaborate. We also encourage a sense of normality and comfort in the house. It’s often in these quieter, unstructured moments that conversations flow more easily and relationships grow.
Whether they’re playing pool or table football, watching a film together, cooking, fixing something around the house or putting up decorations, these simple moments matter. It’s easy to overlook them, but they’re often where the real connection happens.
Decorations are up in Olympus!!!
@thatboardingvibe We are ready! #thatboardingvibe #schoolchristmas #christmasdecorations #boardingschool #olympus ♬ sonido original – Aztinay𓇼
Our theme this week is Excellence, and it’s been a good chance to remind the boys that it isn’t only found on a podium or in a spotlight. We’ve already celebrated one of our students for his remarkable performance on the volleyball court, but excellence shows up in many quieter ways throughout the week and we make sure to highlight those too.
Every time a student scores above 90 % on a test, they earn a spin on our Win Wheel. It’s a small moment, but it recognises effort, consistency and pride in their work.
At our weekly House Meeting, we also take time to acknowledge anyone who had zero lates the week before, the cleanest room of the week, any positive ISAMS entries or encouraging emails from teachers, and anyone who represented Olympus or CDL on a team. These little milestones matter. They show the boys that excellence is often built from simple, repeatable habits.
Once the announcements are done, we wrap things up with our traditional end-of-meeting game. Each week it’s something different, and we draw random names from the box to decide who gets to play. The atmosphere is always electric with the rest of the house cheering, laughing, and urging on whoever is up next. It’s a light moment, but it keeps our community connected.
Excellence doesn’t appear out of nowhere. It grows in spaces like this: where hard work is noticed, good habits are encouraged, and everyone gets the chance to take part.
To celebrate CDL’s ‘Excellence week’ we wanted to share with you some of the excellent sporting achievements of our students. Over the weekend Daniyal represented Collège du Léman in the Nord Anglia U19 European Volleyball Tournament, where the school took home first place in both the girls and boys competition. In his short time at CDL Daniyal has proven himself quite the athlete and we hope his excellence inspires other boys to strive for their best in sports or even try a new sport!
Additionally, the CDL Climbing Cup took place over the weekend, with Olympus being represented by Marco and Maxim. Maxim displayed his climbing talents by finishing runner-up in the competition, Well done Maxim! Marco also performed excellently placing in tenth. Two fine performances by Olympus boys.
We hope this excellence is infectious through the House and encourages others to do their best.
As part of a homework task for AP Geography, boys in the class were asked to cook a dish from their home country. William showed himself to be quite the chef in the kitchen, aided by his sous-chef and roommate Santiago. They cooked the famous Nigerian and West African, staple dish of Jollof rice. A dish known for its powerful punch of flavour and colour, with chillies, onions, tomatoes and other spices really giving it a kick of flavour that leaves you wanting more! Once cooked, William was kind enough to give the boys and staff a try, with it receiving glowing praise for its tastiness! In Olympus we hope to see this sort of tradition continue as it builds a nice sense of community and camaraderie in the House.
The days grow shorter and the mornings become more crisp, it is a sure-fire sign of one thing and one thing only, that winter is here! Students will have begun to notice the changes over the last few weeks, needing to add more and more layers to battle the cold. Now we are starting to have the visual and meteorological confirmation of this with the overnight temperature hitting zero degrees Celsius. The freezing temperatures left their mark over the football fields of the College with students waking up to seeing them covered in thick frost. Moreover, the temperatures are promising to plunge into the negatives later in the week, potentially bring the first bit of snow for the winter – anyone up for building a snowman? It is important that students wrap up and keep warm to ensure they don’t get sick and can enjoy the winter.
