Nathaniel Atherton, Primary Principal
9 May 2025
As we enter the final stretch of the school year—with just six weeks remaining—transitions are beginning to surface all around us. Some are quiet and routine: students preparing for new grade levels, new teachers, shifting friendships. Others feel bigger: families moving on, colleagues preparing goodbyes. Our Grade 12 students have already stepped into their final phase—having said farewell to classes, they are now immersed in their diploma exams, one last milestone before the closing ritual of graduation on 7 June.
This season of change is something I feel personally as well. For me, these final weeks also mark the beginning of my own transition away from ICS—a school and community that has shaped me in ways that will stay with me.
In international schools, transitions are part of the rhythm of life. When I first arrived at ICS five years ago, I came from a world of international education in Asia, where change was expected—students and educators moved regularly, and communities embraced that flow. ICS is different in meaningful ways. Switzerland encourages people to put down roots, and many families do. With that stability comes deep investment, but also the vulnerability that change can bring—especially for young people navigating friendships, identity, and belonging.
But change, even when it’s hard, is not something to fear. It’s something to learn from. Whether it’s the challenge of starting a new grade without your closest friends, or the stretch of adapting to new expectations or unfamiliar classroom dynamics, these moments—large and small—are opportunities for growth. Resilience, as the Harvard Center on the Developing Child reminds us, isn’t about avoiding adversity; it’s about facing manageable challenges with the right support and learning to bounce forward, not just back. That support lives in our daily work at ICS: in the teacher who checks in, the rituals we use to mark goodbyes, and the small gestures of welcome that echo across the school.
Just this week, I walked a new student into our Primary School. The Grade 1 children were lined up at the door, eager and ready to greet their new classmate. That’s what international schools do at their best: they make room, again and again. They teach children not just how to say hello, but how to say goodbye—with grace, with care, and with the understanding that relationships can endure across time and distance. Technology helps, but so does heart.
As I prepare to leave ICS, I’m reminded of something I’ve come to believe deeply: transitions aren’t just endings. They are part of how we 'become'. And I leave with a deeper resilience, shaped by this community, and with immense gratitude for all that ICS has given me.
Thank you.
Kind regards,
Nathaniel Atherton
Primary Principal