Message from the Head of School - May 2022

Dear Champiteans,

We, educators, sometimes feel that we are working 'blind': unlike most of human history, the modern world is changing faster and faster, to the extent that it is difficult to even predict what our young people will experience a decade from now.

At the heart of this change is technology: artificial intelligence is predicted to produce a tsunami of change. Quantum computing will make current computer security keys obsolete. Democracy, justice and institutions will require reinvention. Other pandemics may arise...

However, there is one very clear challenge for the next 5 to 20 years: decarbonizing human activity and trying to slow down or reverse climate change. Without getting into polemics about the causes of global warming, it seems obvious that fossil fuels will reach the end of their availability in the relatively near future. Our school supports the approach described by its illustrious alumnus Bertrand Piccard (Solar Impulse): fostering innovation and sustainable technologies, rather than reducing activity itself. The focus is therefore on science, creativity and entrepreneurship.

In order to participate in the energy transition, the school is proud to have become a founding partner of the new Villars Institute, whose mission we let you discover by clicking here. In June, 6 selected students will have the opportunity to become Villars Fellows and discuss with experts on strategies and means to move towards a "net zero" human activity.