Our 50th year in Zumikon
As the first international English language school in Zurich, the Inter-Community School holds a place of distinction in our region.
It was during the 1960s that a search commenced for a site where all students could be together on one campus. The Board of Trustees had found a farmer in Zumikon who was willing to sell ICS some of his land. The contract for the purchase was signed in November 1970. After receiving two major loans from Credit Suisse and the Union Bank of Switzerland, ICS was ready to build its own facility. Construction began in November 1971 and was completed in December 1972. The 1973 winter term saw 270 pupils enrolled and together for the first time on one campus!
A reminder to readers, that until the 1980s, ICS students who had completed Grade 7 had to leave to attend classes at what was then the American high school in Kilchberg, ZH. Sensing the need for more international High School facilities, ICS grew its learning programmes by adding Secondary Grades up to Grade 10 and introduced the International General Certificate of Secondary Education. In 1977, additional land was purchased in Zumikon, and extensions to the Primary School building were carried out in 1979 and 1982. Shortly thereafter in 1985, a library and kindergarten were built. In 1987, after plans were formulated by the Board of Trustees, the first pavilion was erected as the first Secondary School classroom.
In the 1990s, ICS added classes up to Grade 12 and a new Secondary School building was constructed on the Zumikon campus. Since 1993, ICS has been an International Baccalaureate World School, seeing the first Grade 12 classmates take their IB Diploma Exams in May of 1996 here in Zumikon. Currently, ICS is the only educational institution in the Zurich region offering all three IB programmes: the Primary Years Programme; Middle Years Programme; the Diploma Programme (and the Bilingual Diploma).
For the past couple of years, our school has expanded its pedagogy to offer a Nursery programme that uses elements of the Reggio Emilia approach and IB PYP curricula for children from 18 months of age. Today, approximately 800+ students representing 55 nationalities are enrolled at ICS. Most notably, we recognise and celebrate how our community has helped shape our traditions and culture. Not to be forgotten, are our many students who have and continue to take part in Zumikon’s array of music education and sports programmes. This engagement in our local community adds an extra layer of enrichment, along with integration.
Through the years our school has employed quite a few Zumikon residents and hired the services of many local firms. Our annual neighbourhood breakfast has become a well-received event forthose wanting to catch up with their neighbours and hear about local business activities. And it is not just a rumour that neighbourhood Migros and Coop personnel have enquired about the school schedule – to plan their holidays around it!
The ICS Parents’ Association has been an integral component of our school and we applaud them for the countless programmes and fundraising events they have organised over the decades.
In summary, we spend a moment to reflect on our ‘golden anniversary’, the numerous collaborative and enlivening endeavours on and off our wonderful campus, and we look forward to many more in the years ahead. We are thankful to have found a terrific home, here in Zumikon, and appreciate our neighbours for letting our school continue to create welcoming, caring, and creative spaces - environments where children are provided optimal settings to learn.