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September 2025
September 2025
From starting a new school year and settling into classes to discovering new friendships and exploring beautiful Ticino, we take a photo-driven look at the past month at TASIS.
This Month at TASIS
Sliding into the School Year
On September 1, the beginning of the first full week of classes, pre-Kindergarten students enjoyed some fun outdoors while adjusting to life in Al Focolare, TASIS’s Early Childhood Center.
Mind at Work
Michelle Johnson’s Kindergarten students spent math class on September 1 counting and experimenting with shapes. See more photos of a morning in TASIS’s Early Childhood Center.
Building Out the Hill
With significant progress made on The Donald MacDermid Hall and Music Center during the month of September, one can begin to see how the upper campus will look upon completion of the TASIS Global Village Building Campaign.
A Creative Space
On September 2, IB Visual Arts seniors settled into their personal workspaces within the Ferit Şahenk Fine Arts Center and began developing their portfolios. See more photos of student artists at work.
The Supreme Poet
Grade 10 students in Dr. Chris Love’s Honors World Literature course circled up in the outdoor theater to discuss Dante’s Inferno on September 3.
Preparing for the Future
TASIS welcomed admissions experts from University of Cambridge, University of Southern California, and ESADE Business and Law School—along with Dr. Eleanor Parker, a Student Transitions and Inclusion Specialist from the University of Oxford—to campus on September 3 to offer a range of workshops and question-and-answer sessions for 12th-grade students and their parents. The event was spearheaded by the TASIS College Counseling team, which is always looking for ways to connect High School students with admissions representatives both on and off campus. Learn more.
Learning from Recent Alumni
University Day concluded with an alumni panel in which three recent TASIS graduates discussed their post-secondary journeys and answered questions from the current TASIS students. See more photos.
Boat Dance Ready
High School students dressed up and enjoyed a wonderful boat dance on Lake Lugano on the evening of September 5. See more photos.
40 Years in the Making
Many members of the Class of 1985 were back on campus for their 40th anniversary reunion on September 5. The close-knit group met in the Palmer Cultural Center, toured campus, and enjoyed an aperitivo and dinner in the Casa Fleming Garden. Learn more.
Experiencing Switzerland
On September 6, boarding students and dorm parents from each of TASIS’s eight High School dormitories traveled to beautiful destinations throughout Ticino to spend the night in alpine huts. See more photos.
Becoming Family
Each dormitory grew closer as a group through shared outdoor adventures that included hiking to waterfalls, mountain passes, and viewpoints; swimming in alpine lakes; mountain biking; archery; and more. See more photos.
Friendly Faculty
Rob Schlesinger checked in with some of his IB Biology seniors while they studied outdoors on September 11.
Sharing a Laugh
Grade 6 students in Matthew Frazier-Smith’s Theater Arts class practiced the art of improvisation in the Palmer Cultural Center on September 11.
Stepping Up to High School
On September 11, Carolyn Rosenberger introduced her grade 9 students to what High School faculty expect of a High School writer while discussing their summer reading of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451.
In Sync
Grade 5 students concluded Rachelle Hugg’s music class on September 11 by coming together to play a song on marimbas and glockenspiels.
Strengthening the TASIS Family of Schools
From September 11–14, representatives from all four TASIS schools—Lugano, England, Dorado (Puerto Rico), and Portugal—met in Tuscany to discuss the successes and challenges at each school, collectively plan for the future, and define the distinctives that are unique to the TASIS family of schools.Two of the biggest highlights from the retreat included inspiring presentations from Fernando Gonzalez (TASIS Foundation Board member, TASIS England Board member, and the founder of both TASIS Dorado and TASIS Portugal) and Bill Eichner (Director of Institutional Advancement at TASIS Lugano), who have worked tirelessly on behalf of TASIS since 1972 and 1983, respectively.
Flyby
The Patrouille Suisse, the acrobatic flight demonstration team of the Swiss Air Force, graced campus with a surprise performance on September 12 as the pilots prepared to participate in the Lugano Vola airshow the next day.
S’Mores
High School boarding students enjoyed roasted marshmallows in the outdoor theater as night fell on September 12.
A Return to Competition
TASIS’s High School athletics teams competed in their first tournaments of the season on September 13. See more photos of the ISSL Girls Varsity Soccer Championship hosted by the Tigers.
ISSL Champions
On September 13, the Varsity Boys Volleyball team won the ISSL Championship in Zurich while the Varsity Girls Soccer and Varsity Girls Volleyball teams finished third at their ISSL tournaments in Gentilino and Basel. See more photos of the Tigers in action.
The Thrill of Victory
On the evening of September 13, a group of High School boarding students gathered to collaborate, compete, and connect while taking on a series of challenges organized by new High School German Teacher Joe Welch in Convivio. See more photos.
Worldwide Service
On September 17, student veterans and faculty leaders of Opsahl Global Service Program (GSP) trips to Cambodia, India, Kenya, Moldova, Nepal, Thailand, and Zambia made themselves available to answer questions at the annual GSP Fair for all grade 11 and new grade 12 students. The leaders shared their experiences with the eager attendees, who will soon be divided into groups that will meet regularly throughout the year to prepare for their service trips. See more photos.
Dining with the Headmaster
Headmaster Christopher Nikoloff joined Laura Pearsall’s 3rd-grade class for a special lunch in Casa Fleming on September 17. Each fall, Mr. Nikoloff dines with every homeroom class in grades 2–5 to chat about the Elementary School and connect with some of TASIS’s youngest students.
Beauty Abounds
High School students in Meg Pendleton’s Drawing and Painting class drew inspiration from campus while sketching thumbnail prints on September 17. See more photos.
Learning to Read and Write
Julia Ann Davis led her second-grade class in a phonics lesson while teaching literacy on September 18. See more photos.
Working Together
Students in Aly Conway’s Grade 8 Math class teamed up to tackle math puzzles on September 18. See more photos.
Peace Day
In recognition of the International Day of Peace, a United Nations-sanctioned holiday that is centered on the theme of “Act Now for a Peaceful World” this year, TASIS students wore white shirts as a symbol of peace and unity, discussed the significance of the day in classrooms and advisor meetings, created artwork to display on campus, and participated in activities designed to promote kindness and underscore the importance of living together peacefully as a global community. See more photos.
TASIS Speedsters
On September 20, TASIS’s Elementary School, Middle School, and High School cross country teams traveled to Zurich to compete in the Swiss Group of International Schools (SGIS) Championships. The Tigers, representing all three divisions at TASIS, raced their way to three third-place, one second-place, and one first-place (Girls Category A) team finishes. The Tigers were led by a handful of individual podium finishers: Sébastien Lill ’33 (first in Category E Boys), Sophie Gallen-Kallela-Siren ’28 (second in Category A Girls), Yasmine Al Askar ’28 (third in Category B Girls), Levi Gras ’27 (third in Category A Boys), and Coresta Schmidt ’27 (third in Category A Girls). See more photos.
Preparing for Greatness
In advance of their SGIS Tournament, the Varsity Girls Volleyball team played a friendly tune-up match with American School of Milan on September 23 in the Palestra. See more photos.
Finding Inspiration
IB Visual Arts Year 2 students traveled to Basel over the weekend of September 26 for a special two-day Academic Travel trip full of museum visits, art workshops, and time spent painting en plein air on the Rhine River. The seven students and two faculty chaperones also met with fellow IB students and teachers from a number of Swiss schools and returned to campus inspired to work toward their own IB Art Exhibition that will be held on campus in March. See more photos.
Home-Court Advantage
TASIS’s Varsity Girls Volleyball team finished undefeated in group play and advanced to the championship match en route to an impressive second-place finish at the SGIS Tournament hosted by TASIS in the Palestra on September 27. See more photos.