TASIS Global Village Building Campaign: Collina Alta Phase
The Next Stage of the TASIS Global Village
The TASIS campus puts students at the heart: the way they move through and around beautiful buildings as their days progress; the heights they can achieve with state-of-the-art classrooms and equipment; and the comfort and inspiration they find in the many places where they work, play, and rest. We are committed to creating spaces and buildings that inspire and connect our community.
It is now time to complete the upper campus, Collina Alta. This next phase will include a major renovation of Belvedere to serve as the Elementary School Center and the construction of three magnificent buildings: MacDermid Hall (classrooms, student bedrooms, faculty apartments, and common spaces), MacDermid Music Center (music classrooms and practice studios), and Le Pergole (Elementary School classrooms and terraces with science lab and greenhouse below).
Will you help our students reach new heights as we complete Collina Alta? Will you support TASIS with a donation to the Global Village Building Campaign?
There's No Standing Still
Thanks to our Founder M. Crist Fleming’s indomitable spirit in the face of countless obstacles, having the courage to dream big has been woven into the fabric of TASIS since the beginning. Complacency has never been an option at TASIS—“It’s either forward or backwards, there’s no standing still,” said Mrs. Fleming famously—and after staring down the extraordinary challenges of the past few years, we are once again moving forward.
Why is now the time to embark on the most ambitious stage of our Global Village yet? The answer is simple: it’s what our students deserve. The resilience they’ve shown us through these difficult times has been an inspiration. They have never stopped moving forward or looking upward. Alexia Dochnal, our 2022 Valedictorian, had every reason to complain about the manner in which her final three years of High School were compromised by circumstances beyond her control but instead left TASIS with this parting remark: “Our school’s commitment to truth, goodness, and beauty inspires students to strive toward academic and personal growth and improvement whenever possible, a goal I hope to carry with me forever.”
To carry with me forever. Our alumni have long understood that the value of a TASIS education extends well beyond the moment they receive their diploma. The experiences our students have here—the vibrant interactions with first-rate teachers and advisors, the exposure to an unparalleled international community, and the myriad opportunities to serve
For the students of yesterday, today, and tomorrow, we remain committed to creating spaces and buildings that inspire and connect our community. We are determined to finish the Global Village we’ve dreamt about for decades, but we cannot do so alone. If you feel a strong connection to TASIS—if the school helped shape you into who you are today—will you move us forward? Will you look upward and envision what the completion of Collina Alta will mean for the future of TASIS?
It's either forward or backward: there's no standing still.
TASIS Founder M. Crist Fleming
A Lasting Legacy
In 2019, Donald (pictured to the right with Lynn Fleming Aeschliman) became one of the School’s most generous donors. His legacy gift will fund a major portion of the Donald MacDermid Music Center and the Donald MacDermid Residential Hall while also establishing the Donald MacDermid Endowment Fund for the Fine and Performing Arts.
Global Village Capital Campaign for Collina Alta - Upper Campus
To complete Collina Alta, the total funds needed were CHF 22,000,000 to build the Upper Campus Complex of four buildings.
Major Expenses:
|
A. The MacDermid Hall for Academics & Residence |
CHF 7,400,000 |
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A1. The MacDermid Music Center |
CHF 2,800,000 |
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B. The Annie Bezikian Elementary School Center |
CHF 2,800,000 |
|
C. Le Pergole Elementary School Classrooms |
CHF 3,000,000 |
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Preliminary work: construction road and ramp, removal of Ca' Gioia & Alba, excavation, hill-support structure, landscaping, and installation of six temporary classrooms |
CHF 4,000,000 |
|
Furnishings, classroom equipment, dormitory facilities, security, and technology |
CHF 2,000,000 |
|
Total Funds Needed |
CHF 22,000,000 |
Fundraising Efforts:
| Total Funds Raised and Pledged | CHF 8,000,000 |
| Extraordinary TPA Spring Gala | CHF 4,500,000 |
| Campus Enhancement Fund | CHF 3,500,000 |
| Mortgage | CHF 5,000,000 |
| Total Financing to Date | CHF 21,000,000 |
| STILL TO RAISE | CHF 1,000,000 |
|
We are grateful to our generous donors, in particular to Donald MacDermid ’61 for his CHF 3,000,000 legacy gift to build the MacDermid Hall and Music Center and to the TASIS Parents Association for the extraordinary success of the Spring Gala that raised CHF 4,500,000, with a particularly generous parent who donated for the Annie Bezikian Elementary School Center. Please note that the sum raised and pledged includes all funds that were previously raised for the Elementary School building Valzonico and for a new playing field, key components of our Master Plan prior to the pandemic. Our updated plan focuses on establishing dynamic ES, MS, and HS centers on the main part of campus, which we believe will enhance community, collaboration, and efficiency. |
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Naming Opportunities
A
MacDermid Hall
27 double student rooms
2 faculty apartments
3 student common rooms
4 classrooms
Raised and Pledged:
- Donald MacDermid ’61 legacy gift: CHF 2,000,000
- TASIS Parent Association (Gala) gift for 4 large classrooms: CHF 800,000
- Nicholas Major PG ’68 legacy gift for the Major Wing with
8 student rooms: CHF 430,000 - Curtis Webster ’75 gift for the Webster Wing with
8 student rooms: CHF 400,000 - Edward E. Lynch Terrace: CHF 200,000
- TASIS Parent Association (Gala) gift for entrance foyer: CHF 100,000
Still To Name:
| Wing with 11 double rooms | CHF 500,000 |
| 11 double bedrooms | CHF 50,000 (each) |
| 2 faculty apartments | CHF 100,000 (each) |
| 3 common rooms | CHF 100,000 (each) |
| 3 kitchenettes | CHF 10,000 (each) |
Floor Plans
(Click to enlarge)
MacDermid Hall - Piano Terreno (PT)
MacDermid Hall - First Floor (1P)
MacDermid Hall - Second and Third Floor (P2 + P3)
MacDermid Hall (View from South)
A1
MacDermid Music Center
2 music classrooms, 6 practice rooms, piazza with fountain
Raised and Pledged:
-
Donald MacDermid ’61 legacy gift: CHF 1,000,000
-
Edith K. Lynch Piazza with fountain: CHF 250,000
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Najedah Tamer ’22 Gallery: CHF 100,000
-
Caroline Odjfell Titland ‘24 Music Classroom:
CHF 150,000 -
Anonymous Gift Music Classroom: CHF 150,000
-
Sofya Sarah Rappoport '22 Practice Room:
CHF 50,000 -
David Yang '84 Practice Room: CHF 50,000
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Chopin Piano Practice Room: CHF 50,000
-
Ala & Viachaslau Loika, Arthur Loika ‘24 Fountain:
CHF 50,000
Still To Name:
| 3 practice rooms | CHF 50,000 (each) |
Floor Plans
(Click to enlarge)
MacDermid Music Center - Lower Level Ground Floor
MacDermid Music Center - First Floor (PT)
B
The Annie Bezikian Elementary School Center
9 classrooms, veranda dining, and playground
Raised and Pledged:
- Zareh Bezikian gift to name the building (in honor of his mother and daughter): CHF 1,500,000
- Sergey Nesterenko Elementary School classroom:
CHF 150,000 - Fartushnyak Family Nadezhda ’21 & Philipp ’28 Elementary School classroom: CHF 105,000
- TASIS Parent Association ’18 Elementary School classroom: CHF 114,000
- TASIS Parent Association:
- Celeste Lo Monaco Piazetta donated by the TPA: CHF 50,000
Still To Name:
| Playground | CHF 300,000 |
| Veranda dining | CHF 200,000 |
| 6 classrooms | CHF 150,000 (each) |
Floor Plans
(Click to enlarge)
Belvedere Classrooms (P0)
Belvedere Classrooms (P1)
Belvedere Classrooms (P2)
C
Le Pergole Elementary School Classrooms
4 classrooms, 2 Pergole terraces, Elementary School science lab, and greenhouse below
Raised and Pledged:
- Ismail Terlemez Elementary School Science Laboratory: CHF 300,000
- Jan Opsahl '68 Greenhouse: CHF 300,000
Still To Name:
| Le Pergole Building | CHF 1,500,000 |
| 4 classrooms | CHF 200,000 (each) |
| 2 Pergole terraces | CHF 100,000 (each) |
Le Pergole - Ground Floor Classrooms (P0)
(Click to enlarge)
Le Pergole - First Floor Classrooms (P1)
(Click to enlarge)
Le Pergole - First Floor Classrooms (P2)
(Click to enlarge)
Coming Soon: Collina Bassa (Phase II)
Raised and Pledged:
- Anonymous Pledge: CHF 1,500,000
- Mark J. Aeschliman Dining Terrace (Gift from Rick Bell PG '05 and Michael Bell '05): CHF 250,000
Ways to Give
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Our Non-Profit Status TASIS The American School in Switzerland is owned by the non-profit TASIS Foundation, and all donations for the TASIS Global Village go toward campus enhancements that directly benefit our students. They cannot be applied toward our operating budget. Our Global Village Building Campaign simply would not be possible without the incredible support we receive from alumni, parents, and friends. Thank you all for your generosity and abiding faith in the important work we do on behalf of our current and future students! |
Check or bank transfer
| US Donors | Non-US Donors |
|
By check: TASIS Foundation, Inc. |
By check: TASIS Development Office |
For wire transfer information, please send an email to giving@tasis.ch.
Online by credit card
U.S. TAXPAYER DONATION FORM
NON-U.S. TAXPAYER DONATION FORM
Other Ways to Give
- Become a member of the M. Crist Fleming Legacy Society. Naming TASIS as a beneficiary in your will provides a future source of support for students, faculty, and programs at no cost to you now and helps sustain and strengthen the School’s outstanding educational program. We also encourage legacy donors to pledge a certain amount from their gift ahead of time in order to name a special place on campus before they pass on.
- Gifts of corporate stock are much appreciated. The tax benefits of giving stock instead of cash can add greatly to the net value of your gift to the School.
- Corporate matching gifts are often available from US and international corporations that match their employees’ contributions to organizations such as TASIS. Your employer’s Human Resources Department can tell you if they offer a match, which can often double the amount of your gift.
- Donors can also contribute to TASIS through life insurance. A donor may contribute an existing life insurance policy or designate the School as the owner and beneficiary of a new policy. In either case, the value of the existing policy (or the amount of the donor’s investment, if less) and annual premium payments are fully deductible as charitable contributions.
- A Charitable Remainder Trust would also benefit TASIS and a U.S. Donor. A CRT is an arrangement in which property or money is donated to a charity, but the donor (or grantor) continues to use the property and/or receive income from it while living. The beneficiaries receive the income, and the charity receives the principal after a specified period of time. The grantor avoids any capital gains tax on the donated assets and also gets an income-tax deduction for the fair market value of the remainder interest that the trust earned. In addition, the asset is removed from the estate, reducing subsequent estate taxes.
- A gift-in-kind is a non-cash gift such as an airline ticket credit from a donor’s accrued frequent-flier mileage account or a camera for the Art Department. Donors who wish to contribute gifts-in-kind to the School should first consult with the Development Office as the value needs to be independently determined for tax- deductibility.
- Time and goodwill are also welcome gifts. Over the years, alumni, parents, and friends have supported TASIS in a variety of ways, spreading the good word about TASIS to prospective families, organizing reunions, or serving as an Alumni Annual Fund Chair, as a Class Agent, or as a member on the Board of Directors. TASIS takes great pride in the support we receive from the broader TASIS family.
TASIS Foundation, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) organization and gifts by U.S. taxpayers are deductible as permitted by law (tax ID#13-6225772). Gifts by Swiss citizens and C Permit holders to TASIS Foundation are tax-deductible within the limits fixed by the donor’s canton and Bern. For other countries, please consult your tax advisor.
If you have any questions or would like to know more about any of the aforementioned ways of giving, please contact Headmaster Christopher Nikoloff at christopher.nikoloff@tasis.ch, Director of Institutional Advancement Bill Eichner at eichner@tasis.ch, or Associate Director of Advancement KC McKee at kc.mckee@tasis.ch.
Donation Registry
It is also possible to donate smaller items and furnishings for the Collina Alta phase of the TASIS Global Village Building Campaign. Follow the link below to access the donation registry form where you can select which items you would like to donate. Donors will be honored by name on each item.
Learn more about the Global Village
In 1996, TASIS engaged classical architect and urban designer David Mayernik to develop a Master Plan for the TASIS campus. The result is a long-term plan that is not only tailored to the needs of the School but also serves as a model for the world as an ideal academic community.