 |
| |
History
The school project was born in the early 90s, from the personal desire of a mother attentive to the quality of education offered to children. Around a core comprising parents, teachers, pedagogues, psychologists and administrative staff, an association was created, and the first premises were found.
The beginnings were hectic! Even before the classes were arranged, we improvised a presentation of the future school to a group of parents attracted by an insert in the press. In September 1992, we opened two classes with thirteen children in a space of 100 m2. We finished the school year with twenty kids. The first year, parents took turns to prepare and serve lunch. At the beginning of next school year forty-five children were enrolled, which we divided into three classes. We were already cramped and, despite the rent of 50 additional square meters, the English classes, introduced with three quarters of an hour a week, were given sitting on the floor in the corridor!
La Découverte began with children aged from 3 to 5 years. Over the years, parents have expressed a desire to see their son or daughter to continue in the school and we were able to open a degree each year. The initial educational project was to involve, in parallel, two teachers per class: one French speaking and one English speaking, both employed full-time. In reality, we gradually introduced teaching of English; from three-quarters of an hour per week, we went to half a day, then a full day in 1996. In 1997, we opened a fourth class, and the fourth degree. In 2000, the first flight of students (five) left school at the end of the primary curriculum - some had done all their schooling at La Découverte.
In 2001, we introduced two days per week of English for children aged 3. Young children are not disturbed in any way: when they see Ana, they say "Bonjour Ana!” and when the see Sara, they say" Hello Sara!” This option continued to show it’s value and is important to us, so we expanded it gradually.
Currently endorsed by many discussions with specialists and linguists, we are proud to say that we are a bilingual school from the perspective of the organization of instructional time. However, the basis of education remains French as, being located in Geneva, we follow the Geneva official school program.
The problems of space became the price of our success. We needed to expand, but the real estate market of Geneva offered nothing that matched our requirements: an area of 1000 m2, with a playground for children. Motivated (by the very principles we seek to instill in our students) to create the appropriate responses to our questions, we were able to unearth the talents and finances to build from the ground a new school building designed to the exact needs of La Découverte.
So in September 2006 we moved into our new (and current) premises, at 11, avenue de Sécheron. This great adventure has not finished developing.
The small group of people who supported it from the beginning, those who have then fed it with their enthusiasm, as well as the teaching team, relentlessly motivated, welcome the parents and children in this space "tailored to their needs ".
• The tradition is that every student who graduates from La Découverte at the end of the cursus receives a certificate describing in a humorous way the memory that the child will leave with us. The children are still waiting for that diploma with great anticipation.
In summary, some important dates:
• 1992 - creation of the Association Ecole La Découverte by Catherine Firmenich, Irene Gautier and Etiennette Vellas, and the opening of the school at 5, ch. Colombettes in the district of the United Nations.
• 2000 - creation of Discovery SA with members of the Board are:
Jean-Claude Bres, referring teacher and secretary, Michel Firmenich, Treasurer and Catherine Firmenich, President
• 2002 - December : La Découverte celebrates 10 years
• 2006 - September: moving of the school to the current location, 11, av. Sécheron
• 2012 … the school will celebrate its 20th anniversary
|
| |
|
|
