Award-Winning Geography Department at Aiglon Connects the Dots

Crunching across the Moiry Glacier in crampons—weather permitting—Aiglon’s Year 13 students see climate change in action as they feel it underfoot. This year was no different: “It was snowing as we came onto the ice, and suddenly you could see the evidence of retreat in front of you,” says Emilia (Year 13). “I knew glaciers were shrinking, but standing there made it real.”

That field trip coincided with global recognition. This autumn, Aiglon was awarded the Secondary Geography Quality Mark and named a Centre of Excellence by the UK’s Geographical Association for 2025–2028. Steven Saunders, Head of Geography, says the recognition highlights the school’s strong fieldwork provision, a central part of the department’s teaching.

Linking the Classroom to the World

For Mr Saunders, geography is a facilitating subject that connects climate, politics, economics and culture. “It gives you a language for making sense of the world,” he explains. His colleague, environmental systems and societies teacher, Karen Boyle, brings a systems focus that brings this idea clearly into perspective. She encourages students to stop seeing issues in isolation, to think about how people adapt in different or extreme environments, and to explore how themes overlap—from the water–food–energy nexus to the impact of disruptive technologies.

That philosophy shapes the curriculum. Younger students complete campus-based projects such as litter surveys, microclimate mapping and field sketches of the mountains. By the time they reach Year 13, they are modelling urban growth, tracking tourism impacts and even hiking onto glaciers. Fieldwork, says Mr Saunders, is not an add-on but the core of what the department does.

Mr Saunders, who studied at University of Staffordshire and has taught in the UK and Switzerland for three decades, describes geography as “a crossover subject” that thrives on interdisciplinarity. His team includes Mrs Karen Boyle, Mr Rory Kilgour and Mr Steve Cook, Director of Character Education and a geography specialist. 

Together, they use Aiglon’s alpine setting as a living laboratory: glaciers, rivers, tourism and energy infrastructure all become case studies. With geography taught from Years 7 to 13, through projects ranging from earth science surveys to tourism studies, the programme prepares students to see global issues from multiple perspectives.

The Glacier as a Classroom

The annual outdoor classroom trip to learn about local glaciers turns these ideas into a lived experience. “Year 13 students are doing glacial processes,” explains Mr Saunders. “The Moiry Glacier and the Val d’Anniviers connect to interdisciplinary themes: the hydroelectric dam, the reservoir fed by a glacial river, 200 megawatts of electricity. The impact of climate change on water and energy security in Switzerland is right there.”

On the ice, lessons were both rigorous and memorable. Mr. Cook, the newest member of the department, illustrated glacial movement with a Mars bar, a demonstration Emilia remembers clearly: “Suddenly it made sense.”

She also admits she had been dreading the expedition with deadlines looming. Yet it became one of the highlights of her time at Aiglon. Walking on the glacier, camping during the river expedition and working alongside friends gave the trips a strong team- building element.

Facing Climate Change Head-On

The department does not shy away from difficult topics. Mrs Boyle stresses that the aim is to avoid a sense of doom, focusing instead on mitigation and responses that show progress is possible. She points to local examples, such as energy- efficient building design and solar installations, which demonstrate that solutions already exist.

Emelia says geography has given her a worldwide view. “You see interglacial periods and demographic changes, and it makes you think differently about the future.” Mr Saunders agrees that climate change must be central to teaching but insists it can be taught in a way that is rigorous and encouraging, giving students both knowledge and agency.

Thinking Ahead

Part of that future is technology. “As a geography teacher the most direct application is in Geographical Information Systems (GIS),” says Mr Saunders. “Hazard forecasting, earthquake prediction - artificial intelligence (AI) is really going to elevate it. You might have ten seconds warning before an earthquake disaster. That’s game-changing.”

He also warns of the environmental costs of technology, pointing to the water and energy demands of data centres and the reopening of fossil fuel stations to power them. These trade-offs, Mr Saunders argues, are exactly the kind of complexity geography equips students to analyse.

Mrs Boyle brings it back to the bigger picture, observing that trips like the Moiry show students how global challenges play out locally. Geography, she argues, reveals the systems that shape daily life and shows students how they fit within them

What Students Carry Forward

For Emilia, the takeaway is straightforward: “Geography is one of the most fun subjects I’ve ever had. At Aiglon, the teachers love it, and it makes a huge difference. Everyone in my class would say the same.”

Mr Saunders sees the award as validation of years of work, but says its true meaning lies in his students. Recognition as a Centre of Excellence confirms that Aiglon’s geographers are prepared to look at the world with curiosity, evidence and hope.