3 October 2025
Our Alma Mater and the essence of belonging ICS
Our earliest school years often leave the deepest imprint on who we become. It is not only the place and time where we learn to read, write, and calculate; it is where we first experience community, friendship, and the feeling of belonging. These formative moments enrich a lifetime, shaping confidence, resilience, and identity.
This truth came to life vividly during last Saturday 27 September’s alumni reunion. We were honoured by the presence of seven alumni from 1960, when ICS was founded; their Alma Mater 65 years ago. Coming to the gathering from all over the world after six decades, they reflected on the beginnings of their journeys and the way in which those early days continue to resonate.
Two of the alumni spoke of the powerful sense of belonging they felt upon joining the school. One recalled his move from a Swiss public school, where he was labeled as a foreigner, left-handed, and dyslexic — traits that marked him as different. When joining our Community, everything changed. Dyslexia was already understood by educators. Being left-handed was no longer considered a defect to be corrected. And within the international community, being “foreign” became a source of connection, not exclusion. What once felt like disadvantages transformed into enablers. In his own words: “When joining ICS, I felt the essence of belonging that I had not felt before. And I feel like this still exists here. I feel the ghosts of my teachers in this room. I still feel how it was to be accepted, and understood.”
Another alumnus remembered arriving with little English, the language of instruction. Instead of being turned away, he was admitted and supported. The headmaster himself offered English lessons, while at the same time attempting to learn words of the student’s own mother tongue, Swedish — a gesture of respect and reciprocity that remains deeply moving.
Their memories also evoked the school’s modest but spirited beginnings. In its very first year, classes took place at the Hotel Rigiblick in Zürich, before moving to Seefeldquai after a year, by the lake of Zurich, in the buildings of former Turkish consulate.
Student life was also filled with laughter and creativity: one alumnus recalled performing in a play as a teacher named “Gottfried Stutz,” a name he still remembered with a smile, and very much embedded in our Community. Sport quickly became a cornerstone too; the students soon started playing football against other schools and earned success on the field, building pride and camaraderie that extended beyond the classroom.
The stories shared at the reunion were more than nostalgia. They were testimonials to the lasting impact of an Alma Mater ICS that embraced diversity, nurtured potential, and created an enduring sense of belonging. As we celebrate 65 years, we honour not only the institution, but also the countless teachers, leaders, and staff — past and present — whose commitment made such stories possible.
Our Alma Mater is more than a school. It is a place where lives are shaped, and where the feeling of belonging remains, even after a lifetime.
In Partnership,
Cristian García
CFO
Interim Head of Administration