Collège Champittet is the Swiss school open to the world – and part of that openness means taking our students beyond the classroom to experience new cultural treasures, new places and new ways of thinking. In this spirit, we’ve already kicked off our annual cultural trips – an eagerly awaited occasion for our students to strengthen ties as they explore destinations across Switzerland and Europe.
From Grades 9 to 14, each group of our secondary students set off on a cultural trip with their classmates. In Switzerland, destinations included Lucerne, Zurich, Basel and Bellinzona. Our young travellers also crossed the border to visit Bologna and Rome, in Italy; Paris, France; and The Hague, in the Netherlands. Apart from flying to The Hague, most of our transportation was overland by train, giving our students an opportunity to enjoy the changing scenery while engaging in more sustainable travel.
Our trips gave students a chance to dive deep into the cultural fabric of each city through a mixture of tailored visits and hands-on activities. Our travellers joined guided city tours, took boat trips, explored museums and universities, went on nature walks and visited local zoos. They also discovered fun new experiences, like cooking workshops, escape room challenges and high ropes courses, up between the trees.
Each city opens doors to discovering something new. For example, in Zurich, our students learned about the process of cocoa cultivation and chocolate production at the Lindt Home of Chocolate, then explored the history of football at the FIFA Museum. Meanwhile, our cultural trip to Basel included visits to the world-famous Vitra Campus and the Kunstmuseum, home of the world’s oldest public art collection. Accompanied by a guide, our students contemplated the role of fashion in art over the ages, then proceeded to work on their own multimedia art projects inspired by different quotes and themes.
As one of our staff members observed, “These cultural trips were very enriching. The general knowledge of the people accompanying us really added to the trip.”
Reflecting on their trip to Bologna, the 13th grade International Baccalaureate students shared : “This trip was a great experience where we discovered Bologna and made memories together as a class.
”Our Champittet travellers returned to the classroom with fresh energy, newfound knowledge and a renewed desire to keep learning more about the world around us!
