The new academic year, our 35th, started a couple of weeks ago with the return of the 11th and 12th graders, the arrival of the Canadian exchange students, and the arrival of the new 10th graders with the visiting summer students from Japan. In the past, the new students arriving from Japan would usually reach Leysin at almost midnight and would not be able to see their new surroundings until they drew back the curtains the next morning. This year, they reached KLAS in the afternoon, so they were able to see the beauty of their host country and host town during the whole journey from Geneva to Leysin, if they were able to stay awake.
A new school year brings change for all students of all grades. They have new teachers, new classes, new classmates, new books, new dorm rooms and new roommates. This can be both exciting and nerve-wracking as they get used to the new people around them. For the Canadian students, who are in the unique situation of finding themselves in a Japanese community on a mountain in French-speaking Switzerland, it must be especially unusual.
These changes and new experiences enable students to grow, both academically and spiritually, as they learn more and more about the people and cultures around them. Just as importantly, they learn more and more about themselves. As was mentioned in a recent assembly, recognising, understanding and accepting differences is essential for students, not only for living in this community, but for their future roles and situations as well.
The increasing number of visits by graduates, and we have already had several this year, shows what a special place KLAS and Leysin have in students’ hearts after spending up to three formative years here. Quite simply, the KLAS journey, with its ups and downs that mirror the landscape around us, is something rather special, and we look forward to the journey ahead of us that is just starting.
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