Message from the Head of School - April 2022

Dear Champiteans,

The conflict in Ukraine led to reflections and decisions concerning the school's policy: it can be summarised in two parts.

On the one hand, the moral obligation to act in favour of the victims of the war, materialised by the collection of basic necessities in Pully and Nyon, as well as the reception of Ukrainian students who have fled their country, under the status of "humanitarian scholarship", until June at least. This is without forgetting the needy in other countries of the world: the Collège Champittet Foundation continues to finance projects in Madagascar, Lebanon and Thailand.

On the other hand, in the phrase "to build a peaceful world, we need a peaceful school", the affirmation of non-discrimination of any nationality. No member of the Champittet community can be held responsible for events and must continue to find the school a supportive environment for learning and self-development.

Some predict the end of globalisation as we have known it for the last 30 years or so: the return of nationalism, the Covid pandemic, the limitation of free trade and the questioning of post-war universal values would prepare for a new world. No matter: schools must continue to train the leaders and influencers of tomorrow, those who will know how to intelligently fight global warming by decarbonising human activity, and who will know how to defend the fundamental notion of democracy and freedom.