History

Leysin American School(LAS) was founded in 1960 by Sigrid and Fred Ott and is now in its third generation of Ott family leadership under Dr. Marc-Frédéric Ott. For the Otts, LAS is more than a family organization, it’s a labour of love. Case and point, the 2nd generation Otts, Steven and Doris, now affectionately known as “LAS’ grandparents”, still live on campus at age 79 and 82 and meet with each prospective student. 

LAS fits into a unique category of school that I am visiting on Adventure Year, because it’s technically a private co-educational family-owned boarding school. Although it’s not strictly an international school, as soon as I heard about it from my friends Tim Shuman and Dr. Tim Stuart, I knew that I had to visit.   

For generations, international elites have sent their children to the “Magic Mountain” in the Swiss Alps, to attend LAS. Notable alumni include the royal family of Saudi Arabia and the Rockefellers of NYC fame. 

Dynamic Leadership

Gillian Donnelly, Director of Enrollment Management, was the ultimate tour guide, teacher, and sounding board. I enjoyed learning about Gillian’s background in international education and passion for Swiss summer programs. In the professional sphere, people often refer to colleagues as “dynamic”, Gillian is the definition of a dynamic culture building leader. Her interactions with everyone from students and faculty, to kitchen staff and directors were authentic and meaningful. Intentional, present, and caring leaders like Gillian are catalysts for school culture improvement. 

The LAS Difference

LAS is one of the Top 5 most expensive schools in the world, a statistic that I can attest is entirely justified. The campus is certainly one of the most exceptional that I have had the privilege of visiting. LAS has the high-end, high-quality facilities figured out, beautiful pillars, vaulted ceilings, and purposeful spaces for community building spread across 12 buildings in the mountain town of Leysin. I would argue though, that its campus facilities are not its greatest strength. That has to be the exceptional staff and faculty they employ. Though I don’t get the chance to meet everyone when I visit a school, those that I connected with at LAS were superb. 

This gets at THE key differentiating factor for schools, the people. You can have the shiniest purpose-built facilities on the planet, but if your people are selfish, cold, and unmotivated, then you won’t have a great… or even good school culture. On the flip side, if, like LAS, your people are innovative connectors, committed to the mission, and passionate about their work, your school culture will be contagious and your students will flourish. 

The more top schools that I visit around the world, the more I understand that they’re not fairy tale places. They are unique organizations committed to learning, possessing personable leadership, high-level hiring, systematic leadership development, and intentional advancement. 

LASER

One great example of LAS’ commitment to learning is what they call “LASER”, Leysin American School Education Research. Dr. Paul Magnuson and the LASER team have two programs which every school can learn from: 

1) Resident Scholars: Funding and encouraging professional development projects for their staff. In my school culture model, I believe that professional development in the form of furthering education is helpful for strong school culture. The Resident Scholars Program does just that. Each year a number of faculty members are selected to do their own research projects, which are supported by LASER, and are presented to the faculty upon completion.

2) Visiting Scholars: Welcoming and learning from top voices in research, innovation, and art. Yes, this is arguably the more resource intensive of the two programs. It requires people to run the program, time to make connections with potential visitors, money to boost programming, and layers of logistics. But programs like this are absolutely where the benefits outweigh the costs! Consider the learning, encouragement, and connections that your community members will experience as a result. Think outside the box, start small, think big, leverage connections, and make new ones. 

Changemakers Program

In a world continually excited and perplexed by AI, schools have the choice to either fight against it – treating it as an inconvenience; or embrace it and prepare students to be thriving creators in our AI integrated future. LAS has chosen to prepare its students by creating The Changemakers Program which focuses on soft skills and entrepreneurship. This brilliant program for Grade 10-12 students was created by John Gidding and Daryl Hitchcock and involves a partnership with Babson College. I had the chance to stop by John’s classroom and get a glimpse of what his Pre MBA course students are doing this semester. This future-focused, connection forward program is seriously awesome!    

3 Key Takeaways

1. Bring In The Best: Invite the best educators and scholars that you have access to into your school. The value added through “shared aura” will outweigh the work to bring them in. Who in your network can add value to your school this year? 
2. Naturally Nimble: School history is built on nimble decisions rooted in school mission, vision, and values. A school that goes above and beyond to respond to student, family, and staff needs can build a phenomenal legacy. What is one way that you can become a more nimble and purposeful decision maker? 
3. Mission Minded: A school with a clearly communicated mission is able to be united, intentional, and deliver on their promises. Is your mission constantly communicated and are school initiatives strategically connected to it?

Build culture, unlock potential. Visit my Connect Page or send a message on LinkedIn. 

Stay tuned for more international school visits – up next Neuchâtel Junior College!

Peace & Blessings, 

– Josiah 

References

Leysin American School. (2025). Changemarker Program. https://www.las.ch/learning/changemakers-innovation-creativity-and-entrepreneurship

Leysin American School. (2025). LASER. https://www.las.ch/about/educational-research

Medium. (2021). Why Swiss Boarding Schools Are the Best in the World? https://medium.com/the-masterpiece/why-swiss-boarding-schools-are-the-best-in-the-world-45610621b5fa