Mrs Brumleve, parent
Brillantmont organises numerous extra-curricular activities after school, at weekends and during certain holidays. All students, day and boarding, are encouraged to participate as much as possible and to discover and develop new interests.
There are activities to suit everyone – physical, creative or community-service based. Some activities develop debating and discussion skills: Model United Nations involves travelling to Singapore and to The Hague as part of the school delegation to debate against other students from all over the world; Brillantmont also participates in TEDx Conferences with other international schools in the area. Habitat for Humanity works not only to fundraise but also to send a group of students abroad each year to help build housing for families in difficulty (in past years – Botswana, Portugal, Romania, Cambodia, Nepal). Other opportunities for community service exist in Lausanne – visiting the elderly or infirm, sales days for Terre des Hommes, initiatives for other charitable organisations.
Some of the physical activities offered may include : trampoline, football, volleyball, basketball, uni-hockey, swimming, cross-country, tennis, athletics, fitness, yoga, pilates, spinning, climbing, rugby, horse-riding, zumba and dance.
Some of the creative activities offered may include arts and crafts, drawing, photography, cookery, drama, vocal group, rock band, individual musical instruments, Yearbook.
At Brillantmont our students have many opportunities to develop leadership skills that develop their self-confidence, public speaking and critical thinking abilities and set them in good stead for later in life. Small class sizes encourage all students to participate fully and make their voices heard and the climate of trust and mutual respect in this homely school enable everyone to flourish. Other opportunities for leadership include :
We participate in two Model United Nations Conferences per year, in Singapore and The Hague. Student delegates defend the policies of the country they are representing through debate with hundreds of other international school students from across the world. Brillantmont students have also held the highly prestigious and fiercely competitive posts of MUN Student Officer.
The humanitarian organisation, Habitat for Humanity offers an excellent opportunity to develop teamwork skills, since during the preparation and the construction process, students learn to work together in an organised manner. Our students have participated on Habitat for Humanity builds in Romania, Portugal, Botswana, Cambodia and Nepal.
The Brillantmont House system is run by Student Leaders and Advisors, elected by their peers. They receive training in leadership to allow them to develop the skills required to preside the weekly house meetings of around 35 students.
Students have the opportunity to work in the school library, gaining library and classification skills and assisting other students with their research needs.
As captain of a sports team, competing against other international schools, students can develop leadership through coaching and motivating others to success.
Students who have a particular ability in a certain subject can volunteer for subject coaching classes, in which they help and encourage their peers by sharing good study habits and leading by example.
Life at Brillantmont is not just about learning. It is also about discovering the world around us and having new experiences.
Teachers organise many trips throughout the year. For example, last year, a Geography group went to visit the glaciers of Iceland; a Maths and Italian group went to Venice and a History group went to visit First World War Battlefields.
At all times, the security of our students is paramount. Often, it is not necessary to travel out of Switzerland, since there are wonderful opportunities for learning all over the country, whether it be visiting an art exhibition in a leading Swiss gallery or learning about hydro-electrics in the Swiss Alps.
After class and at weekends, we organise numerous cultural trips to the theatre, cinema, rock concerts, opera and ballet. Many of these events are organised in English.
Every weekend boarding and day students can join an activity, which may include: horse-riding day; sailing day; cooking workshop; paintballing; laser game, karting, adventure tree circuit climbing; roller blading; trips to art exhibitions; overnight camping / hiking; trips to thermal baths; trip to Geneva; trip to Lucerne; trip to Bern; trip to Annecy, France; a weekend in Milan, Italy, Europa Park and more.
From January to April, skiing is a highlight of life at Brillantmont. Each weekend, a day trip to a famous ski resort is organised and the students follow classes taught by the Swiss Ski School. We may organise a long ski weekend to a famous resort like Zermatt during that term, which is always great fun.
We want our students to discover and enjoy the city of Lausanne, so we make sure they have some free time to go shopping, to meet up with friends for a coffee in town or simply to stay at school and relax.
The school calendars with term dates are available on our website. In order not to discrupt classes and their child's learning, we kindly ask that families respect these dates and ensure that no holidays are taken outside them.
During the school holidays where the school organises a trip, we strongly encourage day and boarding students to participate, as not only will they have a great time with their friends, they will also get the chance to discover new places and have new experiences. All trips are fully supervised by Brillantmont staff.
During the week-long October break, a trip is organised. Some years, it may be an adventure trip within Switzerland; other years, we may visit a nearby European country. In recent years, we have been to Provence, (France); Barcelona (Spain), Florence and Venice (Italy) and Salzburg and Vienna (Austria). The trips balance cultural discovery, visiting famous sights and free time to discover and get a feel for the place. Of course, at all times during the trip, the students' safety and security is of the utmost importance.
Brillantmont students must vacate the school during the Christmas holidays. We kindly ask parents to respect the school calendar when organising their child's flights.
A week-long ski trip is organised to a Swiss ski resort. Students ski all day, under the supervision of fully qualified ski teachers from the Swiss Ski School. Brillantmont staff take care of the students when the skiing is over and on the full after-ski programme. The trip is extremely popular with both boarding and day students.
Brillantmont students must vacate the school during the Easter holidays. We kindly ask parents to respect the school calendar when organising their child's flights.
From Easter to June, the school does not have any holidays. External examinations take place during this period so many students have heavy workloads. We do however, have a long weekend over the Ascension period and a three/four day trip is organised. Last year, students enjoyed spring skiing in the famous resort of Zermatt.