12 September, 2025

From summiting the majestic Dents du Midi, to the community events of The Gathering and the Aiglon Beckwith Challenge, this week we have all challenged ourselves to step out of our comfort zone. 

At the beginning of each academic year, students participate in ‘Challenge Week’, one of Aiglon’s thematic focus weeks designed to deepen our understanding and embrace our Guiding Principles. Through special events and assemblies, Challenge Week centres our community on the transformative power of embracing challenges, setting the tone for an inspiring start to the academic year. 

Aiglon College was founded on a distinctive ethos: the balanced development of mind, body and spirit. We achieve this through: Challenge, Respect, Responsibility, Diversity and Service. 

This philosophy underpins everything we do at Aiglon, both inside and outside the classroom.

Dents du Midi: Reaching New Heights

One of the first things that will take your breath away when visiting Aiglon is the view – this includes the majestic profile of the Dent du Midi. Standing proud at 3,257 meters, it is part of the Aiglon landscape as it is on the horizon from campus. All generations of students at Aiglon can name this mountain.  

The centrepiece of the Aiglon Skyline Award, inspires students to progress towards its summit. Climbing the mountain requires resilience, skill and a collaborative team effort, not to mention a stroke of good luck with the conditions. 

Last weekend, a group of 13 students from Years 11-13 embarked on a challenging two-day Skyline High Expedition. Skyline Expeditions represent Aiglon’s most challenging mountain experiences. For some, it was the second attempt to reach the top of the Haute Cime, the highest point. The conditions were perfect, with sunshine, clear skies and a full moon eclipsed during a ‘Blood Moon’ total lunar eclipse. 

The ascent takes two days with students climbing for up to 12 hours on technical terrain. They slept in the Auberge de Salanfe before they set off as the sun rose at 6am. The changing terrain and views are spectacular along the way. It is more than just a climb, it is a journey that fully embodies the Aiglon Guiding Principles. 

With the support of expert local guides, the students reached the summit and could peer across the Rhone Valley to try and locate the school’s campus — a view that not many of their peers can claim to have experienced before.

The Gathering 

The whole school gathered at the beginning of the academic year for ‘The Gathering’. This event, an annual Aiglon tradition since 2022, sees student performances highlight Aiglon’s creative and artistic spirit, while an alum is invited to speak, reinforcing the school’s heritage.

Our School Director, Nicola Sparrow, provided the opening and closing address. She reminded us that this is one of the rare moments of the school year when we are all gathered together, and that we are part of something bigger than ourselves. Her address focused on ‘Challenge’. “The truth is, we do not all see challenges that each other face.” She continued, “Challenge is both visible and invisible. And because of this, we need to treat one another with compassion and understanding. Here at Aiglon, we believe that challenge is not something to be feared, but to be embraced. It is through challenges that we grow: mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally. But growth is not meant to happen alone – we are a community, and being part of a community means that we simply do not climb our own mountain, we help others up theirs as well.” 

The School Guardians introduced the event and shared some of their own recent challenges. Ranging from last weekend’s Dents du Midi climb, to adjusting to the post-summer routine of 7am daily wake-up calls. 

Aiglon alumnus, Simon Kidston (Alpina, 1985, British classic car dealer, collector, commentator and entrepreneur) provided the keynote address. He closed his speech by stating: “If there’s a thought I can leave with you, some of the brightest talents in the world if you’re lucky enough to be at Aiglon, it’s this: choose something you’re passionate about and do it to the very best of your ability. Don’t worry if you don’t know what that is yet, sometimes you just need to live life a bit more to find out. I’ve told my own children, who are now in their 20s, that if you love something you’ll work hard at it, if you work hard at it you’ll become good at it, and if you’re the best at it somehow you’ll make a living from it.” 

A highlight of the programme was singing as an entire school community, rousing renditions of Lean on Me (Bill Withers) and Wake Me Up (Avicii).

Bear Grylls: ‘Never Give Up’ 

Adventurer and explorer Bear Grylls and his Bear Grylls Survival Academy team were back on campus to share life experiences and survival tips. 

On the first day of the visit, the Year 3 – 11 students headed to the Moghadam Campus Hub, Auditorium, to be immersed in the ‘Never Give Up’ show. This was an unforgettable afternoon of stories, survival, and inspiration – a fun, thrilling, and family-friendly live show for adventurers of all ages. Bear shared his most incredible life: from hosting hit TV series like You vs. Wild, Man vs. Wild and Running Wild, sharing survival tips with some of the world’s most recognisable figures – including Barack Obama in the Alaskan wilderness, we heard about gripping stories, and amazing images from his biggest adventures. Plus heartwarming tales of perseverance, courage, and kindness, including his dramatic recovery from a near-fatal parachuting accident and the challenges he’s faced in the wild.

At the end of the show, two junior school students were recognised with the ‘Unsung Hero Award’. This prestigious award recognises and celebrates young people who have shown exceptional courage, kindness, resilience, or have gone above and beyond for their community.

The next morning, following the traditional two-minutes of silence, Bear Grylls led the school for morning meditation in the Auditorium. “Life at any age can be a rollercoaster,” he began. “One day you are on top, riding high, everything going your way. And then the next, you feel that you are wrestling with it all. You’ve got stress, doubt, feeling lost, maybe at times feeling a little terrified. But that is okay. Life is a jungle, and it’s designed to be scary, but life is also about showing up”. During the 5 minutes of his talk he provided inspirational insights about the ‘secret powers within us’ and that ‘storms always pass’. To conclude he stated “The strongest people are not the ones who never struggle, they are the ones who keep moving when it hurts the most. So stay on course. Eyes on the prize, and never ever give up.” 

In February 2024, Aiglon announced the partnership with the Bear Grylls Survival Academy (BGSA) to create a value-driven outdoor education programme filled with adventure and challenge: Aiglon Mountain School. This summer we also hosted the first ‘Adventure’ programme at the Aiglon Summer Camp, in collaboration with the team from BGSA

The Aiglon Beckwith Challenge: the Journey is as Important as the Destination 

The Aiglon Beckwith Challenge serves as an integral part of ‘Challenge Week’. It is a long standing tradition that brings together all the students and staff and helps to mark the beginning of the academic year.

Four hundred and eight students from the junior and senior school, along with staff, participated in this community-wide event. The course for the seniors is approximately 6km with 650m of elevation gain. The Years 3-4 junior school students departed from Les Bouquetins, whilst the Years 5-8 students left from Col du Soud. They then finish together with the rest of the senior students at the Col de Bretaye. 

The weather conditions were ideal: slightly overcast, but no rain and sunrays peaking through the clouds from time to time. 

In what is often simply called ‘The Challenge’, this remains a time-honoured tradition where students and staff alike unite to hike or run up the local mountain trails, culminating in a finish at Bretaye, a place that embodies our mountain environment. While the Challenge is often seen as a physical test, it is more than just that; it is a celebration of community, perseverance, and the spirit of Aiglon.

The first students to cross the finish line were from Years 3-4. Accompanied by their teachers, whether walking or running, they focused on reaching the finish line with smiles and camaraderie. 

The first place went to a senior school student from Year 10, representing Delaware. He completed the course in 40mins 01 seconds. This is the first time that a Year 10 student has won the Challenge. He was followed closely by an Alpina boy and in third place a Year 10 girl representing Clairmont. Her time was 36 seconds off first place and the second fastest girls time since the Aiglon records in the last four years.  

The best moment of the Aiglon Beckwith Challenge for James Dyson (Head of Physical Education and Sport) was “When our Sudanese scholar completed the course in 2 hrs 30. We offered to take the train down, but she was determined to cross the finish line. She kept on going until she completed the course. It is the furthest she has ever run or walked – and at the highest altitude. That was an epic accomplishment!.” 

The one boarding house to have all students complete the course is Le Trient. With over 30 students from Years 10 to 13, this is an accomplishment to be proud of. 

The most important part of this event is: participation. Congratulations to all the students and staff who participated. This was a milestone moment to start the year. 

Aiglon Society of the Arts 

And to conclude the week, Aiglon is hosting the inaugural Aiglon Society of the Arts event. Seven highly talented music students have been rehearsing with 37 musicians from the Chambre d’Orchestre de Genève for a performance of lifetime. In the lead up to the performance, taking place on Saturday 13 September, these students have stepped out of their comfort zone to play with this distinguished orchestra, led by artistic director and conductor, Raphaël Merlin, as well as with world renowned violinist, Svetlin Roussev. The students have listened to the expert advice from these musicians and peer mentored one another along the way. This is an experience and challenge that will be embedded as a core lifetime memory.