Institut Le Rosey (), commonly referred to as Le Rosey or simply Rosey, is a private boarding school in Rolle, Switzerland. Founded in 1880 by Paul-Émile Carnal on the site of the 14th-century Château du Rosey in the town of Rolle in the canton of Vaud, it is among the oldest boarding schools in Switzerland and one of the most prestigious and expensive schools in the world, for which it is known as the "School of Kings".
The school also owns a campus in the ski resort village of Gstaad in the canton of Bern, to where the student body, faculty and staff move during the months of January through March. In 2015, Christophe Gudin, son of the fourth director of Le Rosey, Philippe Gudin, became the fifth director. Kim Kovacevic is the headmaster.
Overview
Le Rosey's philosophy is inspired by what Harvard educationalist Howard Gardner has called "multiple intelligences": "its aim is to develop all Roseans’ talents through academic, sporting and artistic programmes." The school offers a demanding bilingual and bicultural education with the language of instruction being French or English depending on the student's academic program; however, students may take many language classes while at Le Rosey. Students may sit either the International Baccalaureate, the most widely recognized pre-university educational program, or the Francophone-oriented French Baccalaureate. To sustain an international atmosphere at Le Rosey, there exists a quota where no more than 10% of the students may come from a single country. The student body, ages 8 through 18, is composed of pupils from approximately 58 countries, with 60% of the students being European. The school's current enrollment, over 400 pupils, is equally divided between male and female. The majority of students are between the ages of 14 and 18. The student-teacher ratio is 5:1 with the average class size being fewer than 20 students, and the average teacher's length of stay at Le Rosey is over ten years. Students at Le Rosey are nicknamed "Roséens" (in French) or "Roseans" (in English), and former students are labeled "Les Anciens Roséens". The school's campus has of landscaped grounds. The school's sailing center, the "Fleur d'Eau", is situated along 100 meters of shoreline on Lake Geneva. Le Rosey is reportedly the only boarding school in the world to change campuses seasonally. In spring and autumn, classes are held at the Château du Rosey campus in the village of Rolle in the canton of Vaud, located between Geneva and Lausanne in southwestern Switzerland. For the winter months of January through March, the entire student body moves to a group of chalets in the ski resort town of Gstaad in the canton of Berne.
Le Rosey offers a wide range of sports, including: football (soccer), basketball, volleyball, cross country running, sailing, rowing, swimming, and water skiing during the spring and autumn terms. During the winter term, sports options are skiing, snowboarding, ice hockey, curling, and snowshoeing.
History
Château du Rosey, a feudal chateau located on Le Rosey's main campus at Rolle, dates to the Middle Ages and houses the school's central reception area. In 1880, the site of Le Rosey's campus was chosen by the school's founder, Paul-Emile Carnal, "a lover of nature, history and the countryside". The school's campus at Rolle is situated adjacent to the famous Lake Geneva. In 1911, the founder passed the ownership of Le Rosey to his son, Henri-Paul Carnal. In 1917, the school began to go to Gstaad in the German-speaking canton of Berne for the winter months to escape the dense fog that settles in on Lake Geneva.
In 1931, Lucien Brunel, a former member of the International Red Cross and former director of the school of the Grand-Lancy Castle, took on, by demand of M. Henri Carnal, the direction of Rosey until 1949. In 1947, the third generation of directors, Louis Johannot and Helen Schaub, assumed ownership of Le Rosey. Under the same ownership, Le Rosey admitted girls for the first time in 1967 and opened a separate girls' campus. In 1980, the current owners, Philippe and Anne Gudin de la Sablonnière, became the fourth generation of Directors at Le Rosey. Louis Johannot, in an interview with Life Magazine in 1965, made a comment that received considerable attention: "The only reason I always try to meet and know the parents better is because it helps me to forgive their children."