Academic Recognition of the Boarding Community

Tonight all the boarders who have been recognised with honours in the first half of the school year were joined together in the English part of the school in the Eiger auditorium.

We have 28 of our boys with honours in Leman. Congratulations to Domiciano, Cheickna, Yuce, Filippo, Adam, Saif, Bisher, Rui, Aril, Ignacy, Mohammad, Masafumi, Mykhail, Mario, Emad, Enrico, Ayu, Korel, Jinde, Seyed, Dmitry, Yuxiang, Liusen, Antoni, Aydan, Nikita, Iskender and Kristian. We are very happy for you all.

Congratulations to all of you! We are very proud of you.

Happy Lunar New Year!

The Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is the most important traditional Chinese holiday celebrated by Chinese people. It marks the beginning of the lunar new year. People visit temples to pray for good fortune and exchange red envelopes containing money for luck. It means the start of a new year, new beginnings, and the hope for prosperity and good luck in the coming year. – Michael.

High School Music Show Case

Tonight we were able to enjoy the concert organised with the Music students. It started with the Grade 10 and IG2 students opening the concert with the song Bodago Bay by John Montgomery, then other students participated playing different instruments such as the piano, violin, saxophone, even an Oboe. Between these solos, we could see Samuel playing the song Vang Gogh by Virginio Aiello, a real pleasure.

Weekend on Campus

While Grades 11 and 12 were enjoying Crans Montana, Leman’s Grade 10s stayed on Campus and enjoyed some great activities. This weekend they were able to improve their skills in sports such as basketball, tennis and boxing; as well as playing and laughing at the Versoix ice rink.

Ski weekend in Crans Montana

Our dedicated Camps team successfully hosted the highly anticipated annual Mountain Weekend getaway to Crans-Montana.

The boys from Léman enjoyed the exhilarating experience of skiing and snowboarding amidst the stunning Swiss Alps. For those seeking alternative activities, a thoughtfully curated lineup was available, including bowling, snowshoeing, sledging, and other exciting options, ensuring there was something for everyone to enjoy.

With spectacular weather and ideal snow conditions throughout the weekend, the students experienced the perfect blend of adventure, friendship, and the awe-inspiring beauty of the Alps.

This incredible trip left the students with cherished memories that will last a lifetime.

Happy Birthday Asiimwe and Aijuka!

 

Another special day in the Léman House. Asiimwe and Aijuka are now 18 and double birthday means 2 cakes 🙂

We are delighted to see them reaching adulthood, in a funny, balanced and joyful way. We are sure the future holds wonderful things for the two of you.

Happy Birthday boys from all of us in your Léman family.

 

Happy Japanese New Year!

Today we had the first boarding assembly after the holidays and the year 2025. This time in the cultural diversity section we had the opportunity to listen to Masafumi together with two other Japanese students about the typical gastronomy for this celebration, the custom of the new year’s pocket money that the youngest members of the family receive and the traditions surrounding this date.

Happy Japanese New Year!

あけましておめでとう!

WATU Winter Concert 2024

Tonight we had the pleasure of attending WATU’s winter concert. For those who do not know, WATU is a charity working in Tanzania, and as Swahili is spoken in that country, they used the Swahili word for people as the name of the association, WATU.

Samuel and Jason took part in it as G10 students. First they sang Geographical Fugue part one by Ernst Tock. It was unexpected as they were mixed in with the audience and out of nowhere without any introduction they started singing, very entertaining.

Then they did News of The World section, Samuel talked about the Dana of Valencia, while Jason talked about the 25th anniversary of the peoples’ republic of China’s resumption of sovereignty over Macau. Then they played Silent Night with guitars.

Day 17 of Advent

We are celebrating the 17th day of Advent in the Leman boarding house today, with this being the most excited day celebrated so far as the holidays are rapidly approaching! The boys and boarding staff alike remain excited in the lead-up to the festive season, and have been enjoying this tradition!

Breaking boundaries with Antoni

This weekend, to celebrate his 18th Birthday, Antoni travelled from Geneva to Tampa to race in a half-Ironman event. This grueling physical and mental test pushes athletes to their limits as they complete a a 1.2-mile (1.9 km) swim, a 56-mile (90 km) bike ride and a 13.1-mile (21.1 km) run. Athletes train for a considerable period of time in order to accomplish such a feat, and we are proud to report that Antoni’s final time was 07:06:28! This accomplishment represents considerable levels of discipline, fortitude and resilience, qualities that will serve him well in the future. He was encouraged from the sidelines by Ignacy, who also flew to Florida to support his brother. Bravo, Antoni!

Celebrating at the Winter Ball!

Last night, the Léman boys attended the Annual Collège du Léman Winter Ball, dressing up in style to enjoy one of the landmark occasions of the boarding calendar at CDL. Delicious food was served and a great time was had by all! Our boys had fun posing for photos, throwing some shapes on the dance floor and catching up with dear friends from other boarding houses. It was a pleasure to see our boys enjoying themselves in such a beautiful environment with a delightful and special atmosphere!

Special thanks must go to Mr Brinkmeyer for organising this special event, as well as the other members of boarding management who assisted and facilitated in the planning procedures.

The pinnacle of dedication – Excellence week in Léman

As part of the new Excellence Week initiative at Collège du Léman, we would like to give special recognition to Adam, Emad and Apollo for their efforts and achievements both within and outside the school framework.

As well as obtaining some excellent academic achievements, Adam and Apollo have both represented the Genève-Servette under-17 hockey team at matches and tournaments, demonstrating considerable sportsmanship and teamwork. They have both set excellent examples for the other boys in Léman – Congratulations, gents!

Special recognition must also go to Emad, who has demonstrated considerable entrepreneurial and innovative spirit through his attendance at a start-up conference, presenting his company and the app that they are producing – Bravo!

Michael and Liusen – Our Fencing Heroes!

Yesterday, Michael and Liusen had the honour of representing Collège du Léman at a national fencing tournament held here in Geneva. The boys both did amazingly, and were able to represent our boarding house in their boarding achievements. Bravo, gents!

Yesterday I participated with Michael in the national fencing competition that was held in CDL. We met people at different ages, at different levels and from different clubs, for example Martigny and EPFL. For me it felt more like friends having fun together rather than a serious competition. I did quite well in the group stage and lost to Michael in the elimination stage. Although I was sad but at the same time I am very happy for Michael and I know that is also a motivation for me to learn and get better next time. I really enjoyed the tournament in general and I hope I can do better in them next year. – Liusen

Day 15 of Advent

Following the Winter Ball yesterday, our boys were in high spirits as they opened their doors on the Advent calendars today! We hope to continue to develop this new tradition within the boarding house to continue to bring excitement (and chocolate) to the boys in the weeks leading up to the Winter Break.

Day 14 of Advent

As the Winter break draws closer, Adi, Seyed and Mykhail took a break from the excitement of the preparations for our Winter Ball today and opened their doors of the Advent calendars, enjoying their chocolates before the fun of this evening begins! The boys are all looking forward to the upcoming holidays, however continue to enjoy life within the boarding house!

Day 13 of Advent

In keeping with our Advent posts, today Cheickna, Asiimwe and Aijuka opened the calendar to mark the fact that we are now one day closer to Christmas!  As the Winter break is approaching, we are encouraging the boys to reflect on the progress that they have made this term and how they have evolved as individuals.

L’Éscalade – the unassuming power of Soup

In our house assembly this evening, we heard from Mohamed about the inspiring story of L’Éscalade, an occasion celebrated in Geneva every year!

Mohamed gave us some insights into the history of L’Éscalade, and why the day is so important to Swiss people. In 1602, Catholic troops from Savoy were at the walls of Protestant Geneva. In response, the Genevois people banded together, and defeated the Savoyards through courage, cunning and soup. Particularly celebrated is Catherine Cheynel, a lady credited with driving back the Catholic forces through her use of soup as a defensive weapon.

Mohamed shared the story of Cheynel, and the boys made some good memories through the breaking of a chocolate cauldron, a symbol of l’Éscalade. Great fun was had by all!

As the tradition said, the youngest and the oldest of the household break together the marmite symbolising unity.

Day 11 of Advent

Today, three of the Léman boys celebrated Day 11 of Advent, with Domiciano, Nikita and Oscar enjoying their chocolate in recognition of the fact that we are one day closer to Christmas!

The frosted breath of winter paints the skies,
As crystal snowflakes drift on gentle air.
Beneath the silver moon’s watchful eyes,
The earth lies still, in beauty cold and rare.

The trees, now shorn of summer’s verdant grace,
Stand stark against the night, a solemn guard.
Their icy limbs, in frozen lace,
Reveal the season’s hand, both soft and hard.

A quiet peace enwraps the sleeping land,
Its silence deeper than the ocean’s song.
Yet whispers stir where winds caress the sand,
A fleeting hymn where winter’s dreams belong.

Oh, fleeting frost, oh, transient jeweled glow,
In winter’s heart, we find our warmth to grow.

Day 4 of Advent

In Advent there is usually a wreath made of pine branches with 4 candles, which are lighted one by one after each week of Advent. The Advent wreath symbolises the course of the four weeks of Advent. We are now in the first week and the first candle symbolises hope and marks the beginning of the Advent.

The festive season is upon us!

Today is the first of December, marking the period of Advent leading up to Christmas Day. In order to prepare ourselves for the festive times ahead, we are observing the Advent period through our new Advent calendars. Every day, three of the boys will be opening a door on an Advent calendar and receiving a surprise, getting them in a good mindset for the upcoming days of fun and festivities!