Marking Period 1 is now over and it’s always surprising to notice how time escapes us here at Collège du Léman. There are always so many things happening and to take care of and the boys in our House have had very hectic weeks!

The end of the Marking Period offers, therefore, a good opportunity to slow down and to take stock of the work done so far and discuss the great achievements, fun memories, difficult moments and aspects that need improvement.

In the specific case of our boys, during our last House assembly of this Marking Period, we simply took the opportunity to let them know how proud they have made their parents and us for being such a great example of diligent students. There are indeed countless reasons to praise our kids and it would be impossible to list all their virtues in a blog post. We do want to share a few remarkable traits of their personalities which have left us astonished on many occasions.

One of the most sensitive and challenging aspects of our job is to gain the trust of our students and to make sure House rules are followed with a relaxed and positive attitude. The Champ des Bois boys have often proven their remarkable maturity understanding that the rules we have in place are there to provide a sense of order and reassurance, help them with their social skills and keep them safe.

Our kids do not enjoy wasting their money! They are thrifty and wise with their spendings and they clearly do not mistake the satisfaction of their desires with “happiness“… pretty remarkable in a world where children are increasingly regarded as customers, bombarded with commercials, where branding is becoming a religion and where there are endless variety of disposable goods and leisure products designed specifically for them.

Some of them, in particular, have volunteered every single week to participate in our ongoing environmental project, picking litter up around our neighborhood and helping with the recycling of the materials found, embracing with their effort one of our most valued cause. For these kids, community service have simply been part of their weekly routine since the start of the school year and soon we will publish the results of this extraordinary efforts.

For all this and many other reasons, we would like to offer our most heartfelt thanks to our wonderful boys: Arush, Agastya, Aitik, Kevin and Richard!

“Untitled” by Richard Z.