The choice of school, therefore, must be a family decision and it is a choice inextricably bound up with the question of location and the value it attaches to children’s learning, their well-being and their prospects for the future. Swiss educationalists were the first to point out that young people learn best when they feel valued and are treated with respect and kindness. Their powerful ideas on holistic education – “head, heart and hand” - have retained their influence until today. Swiss education is based on the conviction that children thrive physically, emotionally and academically when they lead active outdoor lives. HIF Swiss International School and Sports Academy: A campus community in the health-giving environment of the Swiss Alps.
Founded in 1793, HIF is an independent, international boarding school with strong local roots, which caters for the specific needs of students of all cultures. A co-educational secondary school where boys and girls are accommodated in separate houses, it offers a range of programmes recognised by the world’s leading universities. HIF’s spectacular campus is situated at an altitude of 1700 metres in the Engadine, Switzerland. Ftan is a village on the doorstep of the Swiss National Park with its wildlife and its untouched landscape of mountains, forests and rivers.
HIF Swiss International School and Sports Academy: A campus community in the health-giving environment of the Swiss Alps.
HIF is committed to the highest standards of teaching and individual achievement in a school culture based on kindness and understanding. It emphasises the individual’s responsibilities to the community as a local, a national and a global citizen. Our students will study and learn in English, German, French and/or Italian. HIF offers a bilingual programme (English-German) that leads to the Swiss Baccalaureate-Matura. The school is a centre for the Cambridge International General Certificate of Education (IGCSE). HIF is also a candidate school for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme and pursuing authorization as an IB World School in 2020. A core HIF principle is that young people thrive on a sense of connectedness with the natural environment and the joy experienced in outdoor activities and sports. Sports develop team spirit, resilience and ambition – all of the qualities which equip young people for the challenges of university and leadership in the working world. Learning at HIF goes beyond the walls of the classroom. It is about exploring how knowledge and skills learned in academic subjects can be enhanced in the real world. Among the opportunities for enriching learning are excursions in Switzerland and Europe, academic clubs, hiking in the Alps, projects, theatre, and music.
HIF Sports Academy is one of Switzerland’s leading sports schools
HIF Sports Academy is one of Switzerland’s leading sports schools and is an acclaimed Swiss-Ski Regional High-Performance Centre for Alpine and Nordic Skiing, Alpine and Freestyle Snowboarding.
HIF is the school of Olympic and World Champions who made their first attempts on skis or a snowboard on the slopes and cross-country ski tracks of the Engadine. They completed their secondary education at the HIF Sports Academy while training for their next big challenge on the international circuit.
HIF at the Winter Olympics 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea
Dario Cologna: Four-times Olympic Gold Medal Winner in cross-country ski racing.
Nevin Galmarini: Olympic Gold Medal in Snowboard Parallel Slalom and World Cup Winner 2018.
Irene Cadurisch: Two Olympic Diplomas as the most successful Swiss Olympic female Biathlon athlete finishing 6th in the Relay, 8th in the Sprint and 16th in the Pursuit.
Other Olympic participants in 2018: Talina Gantenbein (Ski Cross), Thomas Tumler (Alpine Super-G), Elena Könz, World Champion in snowboard Big Air (10th in Slopestyle and 18th in Big Air).
Interview with Beat Sommer, Director at HIF
What does Hochalpines Institut Ftan (HIF) offer prospective students?
At HIF Swiss International Boarding School and Sports Academy, students from all over the world will find international boarding school education in a spectacular alpine surrounding. Our students thrive on a sense of connectedness with the natural environment and the joy experienced in outdoor activities. Our school with its 225-year history is committed to the highest standards of teaching and individual achievement in a spirit of kindness and understanding.
Please share some relevant details on the boarding facilities at HIF and orientation courses that the school offers its international students when they arrive at the school.
Our students live in one of the 70 bright study bedrooms (single or double) furnished in a modern attractive style. There are lounge areas for meeting with friends, a quiet and inviting learning space in the well-stocked media centre, a computer lab as well as a recess area with billiards table, football and table tennis tables. There is also a TV room and students are welcome to play on the grand piano in the auditorium. Our spectacular gym is equipped with a climbing wall, an athletic trampoline as well as outdoor trampolines. The school grounds have tennis courts and a football pitch where a volleyball net can also be set up. Our outdoor basketball courts, a halfpipe and a nearby downhill-freeride mountain bike parcours are frequently used by our boarders.
New students are guided through the first stages of their stay not only by the caring and welcoming pastoral staff, but also by their assigned student buddies, who will introduce them to all aspects of school and boarding life at HIF.
Please share some details on the Sports Academy and the benefits they provide to students.
Our HIF Sports Academy is open to any student with a passion for sport and strong academic ambitions. They can combine competitive or leisure sports with an international academic programme. A team of teachers, carers and coaches helps them coordinate individual training sessions, competition schedules and study plans. Sport is a core element in the education of all HIF students. It promotes health and well-being but also resilience, self-discipline and team spirit – vital qualities for future leaders.
What are the extracurricular activities that HIF offers students?
Campus life offers golden opportunities to explore and to try something different. School plays, musicals, band, sports, Model United Nations, charity projects, leadership programmes, debating club and many other activities with like-minded colleagues will keep our students busy. The possibilities are virtually limitless – if students are prepared to make things happen.
Please share some details of the HIF International Summer Adventure Camp.
The HIF International Summer Adventure Camp is a two-week learning journey, high above the world at 1700 metres. Our Summer Camp brings together young people from around the world to live and learn together. It will be a summer to remember for the adventure, the friendships, the languages, for the fun and laughter, and for the inspiration, you will take home with you.