Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz
Encyclopedia
Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz is a private preparatory school
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...

 and international boarding school located in the village of Zuoz
Zuoz
Zuoz is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.-History:Zuoz is first mentioned about 840 as Zuzes. Historically, Zuoz was the political center of the upper Engadin. It was the seat of the local bishop. But, it has long ago been supplanted by other Engadin...

 in the Engadin
Engadin
The Engadin or Engadine is a long valley in the Swiss Alps located in the canton of Graubünden in southeast Switzerland. It follows the route of the Inn River from its headwaters at Maloja Pass running northeast until the Inn flows into Austria one hundred kilometers downstream...

 valley in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

. Since its founding in 1904, it has catered to an international student body. Currently 40% of its students come from Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

, 35% Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 and 25% abroad. As the schools slogan "Mens Sana in Corpore Sano" suggests, it strives for high physical and mental fitness through sports.

An International Education

In 1997, the Lyceum launched a challenging, two-year program in English which leads to an International Baccalaureate Diploma - a diploma that is recognized by the best universities throughout the world. In order to facilitate admittance to this program, which is conducted entirely in English, the Lyceum offers a "Pre-IB" course.

The academic program of the International Baccalaureate is a demanding two year preparation for a high school diploma
High school diploma
A high school diploma is a diploma awarded for the completion of high school. In the United States and Canada, it is considered the minimum education required for government jobs and higher education. An equivalent is the GED.-Past diploma styles:...

 that is recognized by the best universities throughout the world. Lessons are conducted entirely in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

. Contrary to the Swiss Matura and the German Abitur, students attending the IB choose their subjects from six subject groups, as described below. At least three subjects at the "higher level" must be taken and three at the "standard level".

Requirements for graduation from this program include: students must produce an extended essay, their own research project, successfully complete the "Theory of Knowledge" course, and take part in the Creativity - Action - Service program. The CAS program infuses art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....

, sports, and community service
Community service
Community service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....

 into the students’ education.

In addition to the various school languages, it is possible to choose one’s own mother tongue as a subject (language A1), even if it is not taught at the Lyceum. This can be studied independently as a "self-taught language", with teacher supervision.
The Pre-IB:
In preparation for the IB course, a pre-IB course is offered in the previous year (usually in the 10th school year). The main goal of this preparatory year is to acquire a basic knowledge of German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

 as a school language, and to provide an intensive study of English to assure that the student’s command of the English language is sufficient to participate in the IB program. It also provides preliminary lessons in the basic subjects (mathematics, economics, biology), as well as instructing the students in the development of good study habits.

Arts and Athletics: Hand in Hand

By tradition, sports play a particularly significant role in the curriculum at the Lyceum Alpinum. The Lyceum boasts the most comprehensive sports and games facility of any educational institution in its class. Athletic activity provides a meaningful balance to conventional studies while, at the same time, promoting good health, stamina, and skill. Team sports develop and strengthen camaraderie, sense of duty, and loyalty. In addition, the school also offers a variety of opportunities for creative expression through painting, handicrafts, cooking, stage plays, film, photography, singing, and musical instrument instruction. Also in these fields, students are individually guided and encouraged by qualified and dedicated instructors.

Education in the Swiss Alps

Zuoz is located in the Engadine Valley of the Swiss Alps
Swiss Alps
The Swiss Alps are the portion of the Alps mountain range that lies within Switzerland. Because of their central position within the entire Alpine range, they are also known as the Central Alps....

 at an altitude of 1750 meters (5800 feet) above sea level, not far from St.Moritz. The exhilarating climate in this valley, famous for its sunshine and pure mountain air, is surely a benefit to the well-being of every youngster during these years of growth and maturing. Far from the influences of large cities, the students are able to concentrate on their studies, and own personal development. Through numerous outdoor activities and sports in both summer and winter, the Lyceum maximizes the advantages of its unique location to the benefit of its students.
Whether in the field of formal education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...

, organized leisure activities, or aspects of personal growth, the Lyceum Alpinum places high priority on individual counseling and guidance
Guidance
Guidance may refer to:*Guidance *Guidance system*Guidance Solutions, an eCommerce development company*"Guidance", an episode of Death Note...

.

The Zuoz Club

The "Zuoz
Zuoz
Zuoz is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.-History:Zuoz is first mentioned about 840 as Zuzes. Historically, Zuoz was the political center of the upper Engadin. It was the seat of the local bishop. But, it has long ago been supplanted by other Engadin...

 Club", the Alumni Association of the Lyceum Alpinum, provides a far-reaching network of relationships and contacts among the school’s former graduates. As the alumni are spread throughout the world, this Association acts as a lever for success in today’s global community that continues even beyond the actual student years in Zuoz. Both young and older get together at the various events, meets, and seminars which are organized annually: purposeful and fun-filled gatherings for the enjoyment and benefit of all who take part.

Educational Programs; School Programs; School Types

- Elementary school (5th & 6th grades)
- High school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

 with emphasis on
- languages
- natural sciences
- economics and law
- arts & drawing
- Business School
- English-speaking program: International Baccalaureate (IB)
Diplomas at the Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz:

Swiss Matura

The Swiss Matura ("Schweizer Maturität") examination takes place at the end of the 12th school year. Successful completion of this program satisfies admittance requirements to universities throughout Switzerland, as well as most universities abroad. There is no additional entrance examination to most Swiss universities.

German Abitur

After the 12th school year and upon successful completion of all required examinations ("Deutsche Reifeprüfung"), students are qualified to further their education at universities throughout Germany and the European Community. Other foreign universities also accept the German Abitur ("Deutsches Abitur") as admittance requirement.

International Baccalaureate

Normally, this examination takes place at the end of the 12th school year. Successful completion of this program opens the doors of universities throughout the world, as it is currently recognized in 65 countries. Certain restrictions still exist, however, in the German-speaking regions of Switzerland.

Swiss Business School Diploma ("Schweizer Handelsdiplom")

This Swiss Business School Diploma is equivalent to a commercial training apprenticeship examination and is recognized by a number of higher education schools. It enables access to the Eidgenössische Berufsmatura (Federal Vocational Matura).

Swiss Vocational School Diploma ("Schweizer Berufsmatura")

This diploma allows entrance to specific colleges of higher education without taking an additional entrance exam.

Midterm Diploma ("Mittlere Reife; Fachhochschulreife"):
Successful completion of the 10th grade at the Lyceum is recognized in Germany as an equivalent to the "Mittlere Reife
Mittlere Reife
The Mittlere Reife is a school leaving certificate in Germany that is roughly comparable with the American high school diploma. It is regularly awarded after ten years of schooling....

". Entrance to colleges of higher education in Germany is possible only after completion of 12 school years.

All of final examinations are conducted by teachers from the Lyceum, and are recognized by the Swiss Federation, as well as throughout Europe and the world.

International Summer Camps

Every August, the Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz stages an International Summer Camp
Summer camp
Summer camp is a supervised program for children or teenagers conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers....

 for youngsters between the ages of 11 and 15. The program includes either English or German language lessons, as well as a wide variety of leisure activities in the beautiful natural environment of the Engadine Valley. The students live on the spacious Lyceum Alpinum campus, and are cared for around the clock by experienced, qualified instructors and professional supervisors.

Additional information

- Athletics, and sports facilities:
The Lyceum has its own sports field stretching over 70,000 square meters. It includes a driving range with chip and pitch equipment, an ice rink, tennis courts, soccer field, a mountain climbing tower, a cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...

 and field hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...

 field, Eton Fives
Eton Fives
Eton Fives, one derivative of the British game of Fives, is a hand-ball game, similar to Rugby Fives, played as doubles in a three-sided court. The object is to force the other team to fail to hit the ball 'up' off the front wall, using any variety of wall or ledge combinations as long as the ball...

 courts, field and track facility, and a triple-chamber gym with a fitness room.

By tradition, sports play a particularly significant role in the curriculum at the Lyceum Alpinum. There’s a wide variety of athletic activities, including exchange matches with English boarding schools in Eton Fives and cricket, tennis, horseback riding, swimming, windsurfing, mountain climbing, field hockey, soccer, handball, volleyball, basketball, skiing, snowboarding, cross country skiing, ice hockey, figure skating, weight lifting and body building.

- Private tutoring and supplementary courses:
Pupils experiencing learning difficulties or setbacks in a particular subject are offered private tutoring, support and development classes in addition to their regular lessons.

- Optional courses:
The Lyceum Alpinum offers pupils a large number of optional subjects, which provide interesting and stimulating supplements to the compulsory school subjects.

- Some of the optional courses available:
Italian, Latin, Spanish, English conversation, French conversation, current affairs, laboratory practice in biology, chemistry and physics, philosophy, art history and art contemplation, drawing, music, choir and song, rhetoric, school drama, musical instrument lessons, school orchestra, and handicrafts.

- Basic Training in Computer Technology:
All pupils are offered the opportunity to attain basic knowledge of computer technology through a wide range of courses (computer text work, word processing, working with spread-sheets, databank management), which are optional at the junior and middle grammar school levels. Basic knowledge of computer technology is a prerequisite for attending the senior level of the high school or the IB department.

- Cultural Events, Adult Education Classes:
The Lyceum Alpinum is an important cultural vehicle in the Engadine
Engadin
The Engadin or Engadine is a long valley in the Swiss Alps located in the canton of Graubünden in southeast Switzerland. It follows the route of the Inn River from its headwaters at Maloja Pass running northeast until the Inn flows into Austria one hundred kilometers downstream...

. It organizes concerts, stage productions and literary readings for its students and the general public. Reputable personalities often debate current affairs in the Zuoz
Zuoz
Zuoz is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.-History:Zuoz is first mentioned about 840 as Zuzes. Historically, Zuoz was the political center of the upper Engadin. It was the seat of the local bishop. But, it has long ago been supplanted by other Engadin...

Speakers Club.

The Lyceum also offers a vast number of adult education classes, such as language studies, computer technology, sports training, hobbies and handicrafts for the benefit of the local residents.

Location

Sunny, high-altitude alpine climate, 1750 meters above sea level.

Zuoz is a small, peaceful village with 1000 inhabitants. Its origins date back to the 12th century: it is well-preserved and picturesque, with impressive examples of traditional Engadine architecture. It’s situated in the middle of the Upper Engadine Valley, a most spectacular winter and summer resort region not far from St.Moritz.

Distances from
St. Moritz: 20 km (12.4 mi)
Chur: 90 km (55.9 mi)
Zurich: 200 km (124.3 mi)
Munich: 280 km (174 mi)
Salzburg: 400 km (248.5 mi)
Samedan airport: 13 km (8.1 mi)
Zurich Intl. Airport 220 km (136.7 mi)

External links

  • http://www.lyceum-alpinum.ch
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