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October 2025
From engaging academics inside and outside of the classroom and adventurous travel by land and by sea to Founder’s Day celebrations and autumnal festivities, we take a photo-driven look at the past month at TASIS.
James Skove’s IB Economics 1 students discussed elastic and inelastic goods during class on September 30. See more photos.
On September 30, seniors in Dr. Tom Jenner’s IB Environmental Systems and Societies 2 class examined the effect ocean acidity has on mollusc shells. See more photos.
High School students in Charlotte Zanecchia’s English Grammar and Composition 2 class worked in pairs to write and present alibis they defended against the questioning of their classmates. See more photos.
Middle School students in Holly Wiens’ Grade 6 English class put the finishing touches on their essays before submitting their final drafts on October 1. See more photos.
Grade 5 students and teachers embarked on their annual overnight trip to the Campra Alpine Lodge in the picturesque Blenio Valley on October 2. The trip consisted of a shelter-building activity in the wild, a nature hike in which students learned about orienteering, a number of team challenges, plenty of hot chocolate and delicious food, and lots of fun times with friends in an exciting new environment. See more photos.
On October 3, while 5th-grade students enjoyed a second day of alpine exploration in the Blenio Valley, the rest of TASIS’s Elementary School students went on field trips to a number of beautiful destinations around Ticino: the Bellinzona Castles (grade 4), Ideatorio di Cadro (grade 3), Fattoria Pasqué (grade 2), Monte Bré (grade 1), Swissminiatur (Kindergarten), and Lago d'Origlio (Pre-Kindergarten). See more photos.
With guidance from Meg Pendleton, IB Visual Arts 2 seniors continued work on their final portfolios on October 3.
A group of High School boarding students gathered for a community dog walk on the morning of October 4, taking faculty canines—Rooney, Kimchi, and JD—for a stroll around Montagnola.
Other weekend activities for October 3–5 included a sushi dinner in Ponte Tresa, a movie and pizza night in Convivio, a day trip to Milan, a trivia night in Convivio, a morning walk, a go-karting excursion, a workout session, and a Destination Imagination activity in Convivio. See more photos.
Middle School and High School parents were invited to attend classes with their children on October 9 as part of Family Weekend. The parents met teachers and advisors, participated in science labs and arts lessons, attended lunch and assembly, enjoyed an elegant reception in the Palmer Cultural Center, and more. See more photos.
The first day of Family Weekend was highlighted by a moving Founder's Day celebration that commemorated the incredible life of TASIS founder and international education pioneer M. Crist Fleming. The afternoon assembly included poignant speeches, a video, and musical performances. Watch the assembly.
Members of the TASIS community concluded Founder’s Day celebrations by tossing yellow rose petals into the MCF Fountain. Learn more.
Sailing off the coast of Sardinia, kiteboarding the waters of Sicily, and surfing the waves of Portugal: High School students had the amazing opportunity over the long weekend of October 10–13 to participate in these adventurous water sports as part of TASIS’s robust Academic Travel Program. See more photos.
High School students in Marco Roccato’s United States History class undertook a close reading of the Declaration of Independence on October 14. See more photos.
On October 14, High School students in Rich Cramp’s Modern History class worked in small groups to refine statements connecting the Renaissance and Reformation. See more photos.
IB Visual Arts 1 students took a field trip to Montagnola’s Hermann Hesse Museum on October 14 to sketch in the garden of the acclaimed author and artist. “The new IB Visual Arts Guide has tasked students with ‘situating’ themselves among artists, peers, and predecessors,” said Meg Pendleton. “There is no better place to begin this grounding work than here in Montagnola, with a reflective sketching session in Hermann Hesse’s garden.” See more photos.
Kenzie Kaper’s 3rd-grade students showed off their subtraction with regrouping skills during math class on October 16. See more photos.
International Baccalaureate (IB) Program® seniors tackled a number of tough questions (e.g. In what ways do our values affect our acquisition of knowledge? Should some knowledge not be sought on ethical grounds? What challenges are raised by the communication and dissemination of knowledge?) and presented their findings at the fourth annual TASIS Theory of Knowledge (TOK) Exhibition on the Kay Hamblin Terrace on October 16. See more photos.
Members of the Middle School Choir rehearsed "Dona nobis pacem" with Angela Dusing on October 17.
The cast and crew of this year’s High School fall play, William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, enjoyed a wonderful theater retreat in Piemonte on October 16–19. The group participated in theater workshops, took in a performance of Hamlet at Teatro Stabile, and rehearsed intensively for the show, which they will perform in the Palmer Cultural Center on November 20–23. See more photos.
TASIS’s Cross Country and Soccer teams competed in their Northern International School Sports Association (NISSA) tournaments in mid October. See more photos of the Boys Varsity Soccer Tournament hosted by TASIS on October 19.
After stellar races on Como’s 2.8-kilometer course, the Varsity Girls and Boys Cross Country teams were crowned NISSA champions. See more photos.
Award-winning filmmakers and conservation advocates Sarah Ziegler and Simon Straetker opened the 2025–2026 TASIS Speaker Series with a campus visit on October 20–22. Two of the founders of Wild Europe, a group of individuals passionate about wild places who feel responsible for reconnecting people with nature and encouraging them to explore the natural world, Ms. Ziegler and Mr. Straetker delivered an engaging keynote address to the senior class in the Palmer Cultural Center and met with a number of biology and photography classes over the course of their three days on campus. Learn more.
Members of the Middle School Robotics team have spent the fall designing and programming robots for VEX IQ challenges and competitions. On October 21, the team tested their robots on a competition mat for the first time. See more photos.
First-year Opsahl Global Service Program Director Ania Shields hosted a banquet in the Villa de Nobili salon on the evening of October 21 for all students and faculty members who went on global service trips last year. Ms. Shields opened the evening with a short speech and invited students to share memories and reflections from their service trips to Cambodia, Greece, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Thailand, and Zambia. See more photos.
After learning about hurricanes and other examples of extreme weather, Elementary School students in Laurent Carsana’s 4th-grade science class worked in small groups to film and edit weather reports on October 23. See more photos.
High School students taking AP Art and Design traveled to Paris on October 24–26 to gain inspiration from contemporary art exhibits and to meet with representatives of the Savannah College of Art and Design about art related university programs and careers. See more photos.
TASIS hosted schools from around Switzerland and northern Italy for the ISSL Cross Country Championship on October 25. The High School Varsity teams combined for third place overall while the Middle School teams combined to finish fifth. See more photos of the Middle School races and High School races.
On October 26, TASIS’s Rare Disease Awareness Service Learning group and High School CAS Club teamed up to host a Family Fun Day Fundraiser on campus to benefit the EI Cure Project. The High School students and adult volunteers organized a number of fun games and crafts and raised more than CHF 1,500 for the worthy cause. See more photos.
To celebrate Diwali, the parents of two Elementary School students organized a special rangoli art project for 4th-grade students on October 27. See more photos.
Sunset cast a golden glow on campus on October 28.
Middle School students dressed up and enjoyed delicious treats at a Fall Festival organized by the TPA on October 31. See more photos.
On October 31, Elementary School students dressed up in costumes and paraded around the Gentilino playground (Pre-Kindergarten to grade 1) and across the upper campus (grades 2–5) before snacking on delicious treats prepared by the TPA. See more photos.
