Lycée International de Saint Germain en Laye

History

The history of the school to date can be described by three distinct phases:

1951–1965

In 1951, the then-recently established NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation), a grouping of 15 countries, created Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) with the aim of ensuring peace and security in the North Atlantic region, and promising European members the support of the United States in the event of any future aggression.

SHAPE was installed at Rocquencourt, and Saint Germain-en-Laye was chosen as the place of residence for the serving officers and their families. The SHAPE Village Project was built in the grounds of the Château d'Hennemont to accommodate 1,500 officers and soldiers from 13 nationalities, and their families.

In January 1952, the SHAPE village school was set up in the chateau under the direction of René Tallard. By the end of the school year, 400 children were on the register, including 200 French children, half of them inhabitants of the town. Two years later, in 1954, the school was officially renamed the NATO International School (l’Ecole Internationale de l’OTAN).

Funding from SHAPE provided the school with equipment and accommodation, including a new flagship building completed in 1960. From 1961, senior students prepared for the Diplôme des Ecoles Internationales and the following year, the school was renamed the NATO International Lycée (Lycée International de l’OTAN). The founding proviseur, René Tallard, retired in 1965.

1965–1989

Not only did 1965 mark the retirement of the much respected M Tallard, it was also the year in which President de Gaulle decided to pull France out of NATO’s military operations. NATO, and SHAPE, were forced to find a new European base, in Belgium, and the Lycée International de l’OTAN lost two thirds of its pupils at a stroke. It was an immediate challenge for the new proviseur, Edgar Scherer. His was the delicate task of working with the remaining two sections – the German and the Dutch – to persuade the educational authorities, both in France and overseas, to rebuild the life of the school which, would from now on need to count on the support of "economic expatriates" to replace those of the original military community.

By 1968, under Scherer’s leadership and direction, the school was building up strength with six sections – German, Dutch, British, American, Danish and Italian.

1989–present

Scherer’s successor, Jean Pierre Maillard, had a different challenge: modernising the infrastructure of a school, which had been expanding again over more than twenty years. Replacing pre-fabricated buildings with more lasting structures was now a priority.

Thanks to state funding, the result was a new campus, including a fine new primary building. Under Maillard, other projects advanced too: the development of the network of partner schools, the drafting of a "projet d’établissement", the creation of the Japanese section in 1993; the embracing of the Option Internationale du Baccalauréat as the final exam for senior Lycée students, and the renovation of the chateau.

In 1997, Maillard handed the baton on to Patrick Charpeil, who focused attention on the administrative complexities of the school, clarifying the legal basis of the Lycée and its component parts. Charpeil continued to oversee the restoration of the chateau and successfully liaised and lobbied with the supervising educational authorities to advance important projects concerning security, major improvements and maintenance.

Yves Lemaire took over the helm in September 2001 until September 2012. The challenges were as stimulating as ever: the final stages of renovation and the future use of the chateau; the pressure for increasing the number of classes at Lycée level; nationwide administration of the OIB; the creation of the Polish section at Collège and Lycée level (in 2002/3) and the consolidation of the legal status of the school via a new decree.

In September 2012, Mr. Joel Bianco officially took office as the new proviseur (headmaster).

Academics

The curriculum at the Lycée International combines the French national curriculum with the curriculum of one of the national sections. French staff teach subjects to French national standards and foreign teachers – employed in one of the system’s thirteen national sections – are given the freedom and responsibility to teach literature, language and history to their own national standards. These additional classes in the national sections provide (on a weekly basis):

Six hours of language class in the primary school

Four hours of literature/language and two hours of history in the middle school

Four hours of literature/language and four hours of history in the high school**

(**the 'American Section' is an exception to this rule, receiving five hours of literature/language and three hours of history; the 'Polish Section' is an exception to this rule as well, having five hours of literature/language, two hours of History and one hour of Geography; as for the 'Japanese Section', it has six hours of literature/language and two hours of history/geography))

Since the French curriculum requires learning at least one foreign language, many students who graduate from the Lycée International are fluent in three languages.

Students who do not speak French are placed in a French immersion program called Français Spécial. After two years, they are expected to be fluent in French and are required to follow the standard French curriculum along with the rest of the student population.

Most students opt to take the international variation on the baccalauréat, called the OIB (Option Internationale du baccalauréat), in order to take advantage of their language skills. Students who sit for the baccalauréat choose one of three streams (termed séries) in their last two lycée years. Each stream results in a specialization and carries different weights (coefficients) associated with each subject.

Baccalaureat results at the Lycée International de Saint Germain-en-Laye have traditionally fluctuated between 99% and 100%.

Sections

The school has fourteen national sections which are, essentially, schools within a school. Students are taught the relevant national curriculum alongside the standard French curriculum. Foreign teachers in each of the national sections give the students lessons in literature, geography and history (generally from six to eight hours a week according to the grade) in their native tongue. However, all other disciplines of the official program are taught in French.

American Section [8]

The American Section Program starts in Pre-Kindergarten and goes through 12th grade, enrolling approximately 690 students. About 60 percent of its students are U.S. citizens; of these many hold both French and American citizenship. Most of the remaining 40 percent are French citizens who have spent considerable time in the United States or have had American schooling. The American Section provides an international education within the context of the Lycee International. Students from nursery to college preparatory level experience a hybrid of American and French curricula with an emphasis on language, math, and science skills. The American Section provides an American educational and cultural experience, allowing students to maintain strong links with their American culture while developing a consciousness as global citizens. The American Section pursues its mission through an American curriculum which culminates in the French Baccalaureate with International Option, as well as through a broad and enriching co-curricular program including such activities as drama, music, community service, sports and student publications. The Ecole Schnapper and the Collège Marcel Roby, also located in St. Germain en Laye, are American Section partner schools. Approximately 65 students in grades K-5 (CP-CM2) attend the Ecole Schnapper, and 160 students in grades 6-9 (6è-3è) the Collège Marcel Roby. Students enrolled in these two schools receive the same American Section education as their peers on the Lycée International campus.

British Section [9]

Danish Section [10]

Dutch Section [11]

German Section [12]

Italian Section [13]

Japanese Section [14]

The Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) lists that program in its group of European hoshuko (part-time Japanese educational programmes).

Norwegian Section [15]

Polish Section [16]

Portuguese Section

Russian Section

Spanish Section

Swedish Section [17]

Chinese Section [18]