Harry Reinhardt's 'Open Letter to the Aiglon Board of Governors'
VeronicaCrossan
Veronica Grace Crossan uploaded a new version of Open Letter to Aiglon Board of Governors.pdf.
ATTN AIGLON ALUMNI & ALL AIGLONIANS, I urge you all to read Harry Reinhardt's 'Open Letter to the Aiglon Board of Governors' for an eye-opening reality check of what has happened to our beloved alma mater. Honestly, words cannot express how I feel upon reading this and the issues weigh on me heavily today... I would be interested to hear from anyone with an opinion on the matter.
Open Letter to Aiglon Board of Governors.pdf · version 2
Like · · Unfollow post · 21 August at 14:57
William Holroyd, Penny Doyle O'Neill, Luisa Ancilotto and 29 others like this.
Roopali Misra I want to be proud of my school for many more years. It no longer has the reputation it should...!
Tim Hickler Quite shocking.
John Clegg We all feel the same. Sincerely hope that The Board listen.
Penny Doyle O'Neill Very sad - I too hope that the powers that be will listen and act.
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Steve Tla MacRae The JC Speech from 1973 was recently uploaded.
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Steve Tla MacRae http://www.facebook.com/groups/132393493464080/421672207869539/
Shuja H Jashanmal I've been up to the school a few times in the last year as well as interacted with many alumni and parents recently. Regrettably most of what is written in the letter seems to be true which is extremely upsetting. I trust that this will result in improvements we all seek and return Aiglon back to its former standing.
Adam 'ab' Bonynge I am currently teaching at a private college in Sydney and the changes that have happened there within 12 years are crazy! Some good but many not so good. Unfortunately it is a sign of the times ( now I am sounding like a 'grumpy old man') and between the mighty dollar and the low expertise and dedication of people in many fields, I fear it is going to get worse everywhere. I am sure that most of us have great memories. We were the lucky ones. My 6 years started in 1968, with around 20 or so gorgeous girls! Aiglon has a very special place in my heart. Hopefully the Board will listen......
Tim Hickler So what is the top boarding school these days if you wanted an experience similar to what we had in Aiglon 25 years ago?
Tim Hickler Oops - you are right - more like 32 years... Time flies.
Tipper Davis almost 49 years since my first day there
Jan Slee Try 52 years.......
Bill Swartz What a bunch of old farts!
Gail Powell Hoatson Yeah, what are considered the best boarding schools these days? Curious.
Jan Slee Aiglon still is up there as one of the best, if not the best......we just have to help make sure that a couple of things get fixed.
Rob Dekker If we're one of the best then by now the board should have responded, sofar I've seen nothing ?
Rob Dekker Just recieved a email from the headmaster stating that there is a response coming shortly. We wait.
Veronica Grace Crossan Oh dear...response from the Headmaster himself, you say? I am sitting on the edge of my seat with suspense...Hoo-ha!
Veronica Grace Crossan Not having any hard information available, other that what Shuja Jashanmal tells me, I wonder if this illustrious international Swiss-British boarding school EVER had a strong record of academic achievement, compared to its peers in the UK? This appears to be its greatest failing unless someone can provide me with information that proves otherwise...
How strange, all these years away, forty years in the wilderness (not actually 40), I never dreamt I would be drawn into an extended conversation about the state of, and future for Aiglon College...but it all seems right, guess it took me longer than most to really see the family stamp that is left upon us...wow. And now I actually do care what happens, which I realise because I was so upset at the contents of the letter. Well, they say "you can't choose your family" and by extension we could all say "you can't choose that Aiglon is your family"...Rob Dekker Veronica Grace Crossan, did you bother to mail Aiglon ? All I have is some letter complaining about Aiglon. To me that is not hard evidence therefore I mailed Aiglon for an answer. As I ( they) said it is coming so maybe its better to wait before making ones mind up.
Veronica Grace Crossan Rob, I am operating on the assumption that Harry's letter is substantially accurate as well as my good friend Shuja Jashanmal's account, whose word I consider to be absolutely reliable. Onto this I add my own experience of a mediocre academic culture at the school (1978-82). In addition, I view this through two lenses, first from the POV of a Uk-qualified secondary teacher of Economics working at a high achieving VI college in Cambridge until 2010; second from the POV of an executive search team leader, having been retained by well known City of London Fund Management to recruit senior banking talent (2008). Our firm probably had the CVS on file from half of the senior buy side talent in the City of London and also from the continent; there were ONE OR TWO people who had attended Aiglon.
As far as I can gather, Aiglon produces almost no Oxbridge candidates, almost no candidates for the top ten UK universitIRS, or for the Ivy League for that matter, almost no serious students for maths and sciences, compared to Aiglon's Uk or US peers. To my knowledge, it never has, which is why in professional secondary/boarding/private school circles in the UK, very few senior teachers have HEARD of Aiglon College.
It seems to me JC had some good ideas about education and diet, but the world of education is very different from when he founded the Aiglon in 1949, to say the least...Back then, even until the 1970s perhaps, the cosy world of public schools and employment prospects in the UK could easily, perhaps happily, accommodateAiglon "graduates". Forgive the cliche, but now the vast majority of Aiglon graduates "don't stand a chance" getting into top-ranked or even very good universities, and by extension very little chance of entering serious professions where real science or quant qualifications are a pre-requisite.
In my day, although the sports, skiing, expeditions etc were great fun, I'm not sure they were as "character-building" as they were made out to be. More painfully obvious was the mediocre teaching, mostly, where there was NEVER any sense of urgency whatsoever about academic achievement. Except for one housemaster perhaps, the message was pretty clear that nobody could give a damn if you got high marks or not. There was never any attempt to motivate me, from any of the teaching staff I was instructed by. Has anything changed? I doubt it. You get the impression that this and all the previous headmasters going back to Phillip Parsons had never even heard of league tables....
Hans Hickler Fully support need for answers
Hans Hickler Ranah
Hans Hickler Rana. What say you?
Johanna Barsdorf Schmitt wow sure sounds different than when I was there.....sad.
Hans Hickler Yes Johanna. I agree. I thought the academics were good at the time and frankly JC s principles well presented. I didn't experience mixed signals from the administration and those of us who skirted the rules were equally treated when caught. Teachers like Sutherland, maxwell, Hyde , Roberts and were consistent in their passion to teach us academically and in principles
Tipper Davis Veronica....I believe if you look at the records from the early to late sixties you will get a totally different picture. It saddens me to think that Aiglon went so far downhill.....
John Clegg Aiglon never was solely about academic qualifications. It provided a well balanced culture in which students of all races, religions and nationalities could develop and mature together away from the normal pressures of daily life particularly for kids from privileged backgrounds (although differing levels of family wealth were never a barrier to close friendship in my day). Many of my contemporaries went to high performing schools such as Brown, MIT, Imperial College London and others, so it was possible to achieve academically if you has the brains and the application. The small class sizes combined with some excellent teachers made this possible.
Having educated my two kids at uk private school, the standard in the uk is I believe always going to be better than at the melting pots of society that are known as International Schools. The point is that Aiglon should be among the best of International Schools, sadly it appears it no longer is.
Robert Dunn Does anyone from Aiglon alumni know Veronica Crossan?
Robert Dunn She's from Ugley-Twatt according to her bio page???For real or not??
Johanna Barsdorf Schmitt whether she is real or not she sure got a point across, if all this open letter etc is true. I am so glad I was there when it was a reputable school. because it sure was back then. The times have changed so much, it must be difficult today to run Aiglon the way it was. Such a shame, are the students still allowed to do a long ex to the top of Les Dents du Midi? A memory I will carry with me forever and one of the greatest educational experiences I have ever had. (w JX as leader, it was amazing)
Veronica Grace Crossan Hans Hickler Rana just got married...poor guy deserves a break ;)
Veronica Grace Crossan Maureen Williams I invite you to a close reading of the notes I have posted on my profile for a detailed explanation.
Veronica Grace Crossan Tipper Davis what records, please? Are these accessible from a distance?
Robert Dunn Love her bio,real or not.Great sense of humour.
Veronica Grace Crossan Robert Dunn I'm pretty sure that I am real and not an illusion ;)
Veronica Grace Crossan Robert Dunn without SOH life would be impossible to live...
Veronica Grace Crossan John Clegg perhaps it is true that Aiglon was never about academic qualifications, but I disagree that that any sort of realistic balance was achieved between academic emphasis and other, albeit worthy, activities.
Hans Hickler Veronica. It likely depends when you were there. When we're you there.
Veronica Grace Crossan I thought I mentioned in my previous posts Sept 1978-June 1982
Johanna Barsdorf Schmitt Academics were very important, I know Timothy Stunt had me in his office getting after me when my grades slacked off. And I did leave with great marks, including A level french and got into a good college in the US directly from Aiglon. And the house masters back then were families with children and they were in their roles for a while. I felt very safe with the staff we had at Aiglon at that time, including Mr. and Mrs. Parsons (Bibi and Psquared as we called them!!)who were my surrogate parents at the time, and readily available to me when I needed them. Who can say that about a boarding school headmaster?
Johanna Barsdorf Schmitt And one thing is for sure, there were many famous names doing laps on saturdays, did not matter who you were!
Tipper Davis Veronica....I can only speak of Aiglon thru thru the perspective of my years there, 1963-1967. Remember it was an all boys, smaller school at the time. I thank every day of my life for the great experiences, the good teaching from excellent and dedicated staff, the lifelong friends I made.
I believe the academics was very good; we were taught well in an outstanding environment, we were pushed to excel, we came away knowing how to study, to appreciate reading and how to write well. I suffered, and still suffer from severe dyslexia, a condition not even understood at the time, yet I was able to be accepted to several top notch universities, attend the school of my choice and graduate cum laude with a Fine Arts degree. Of the eight members of my graduating class that went to american universities at least half that I know went on to PHD degrees. I did not, choosing to take another path in life, building a 58 foot schooner from scratch, mostly by myself, and sailing for 30 years, something I never would have undertaken, nor been able to finish without my Aiglon experience. Education is far more than the classroom, and The Aiglon Experience of physical endurance and grit taught me lot. It taught me to be able to reach inside of my self, no matter the circumstance and deal with LIFE.
If the present state of affairs at Aiglon does not measure up, there is some serious soul searching to be done at the school.Sunday at 18:41 · Edited · 3
Bill Swartz Tipper, I concur completely. If it is that bad at the school now, it is truly a shame and should be rectified as soon as possible. It does not sound like our school at all. I was not a particularly good student, but I have found in my later life that my time at Aiglon could not have stood me better and I am now very thankful for that experience and for those that made it so, both faculty and friends.
Rob Dekker I've looked at your profile Veronica Grace Crossan and there is nothing I see confirming you where at Aiglon so like Robert Dunn I would like a in depended confirmation you actually was at Aiglon
Veronica Grace Crossan Perhaps security settings too strict? Set to friends of friends. Why don't I post a list of all my FB-Aiglon colleagues and you can contact them directly. List forthcoming Mr Dekker...
Angela Raymonde Cutler This all makes for fascinating reading, keep it up!
Veronica Grace Crossan Rob Dekker, Robert Dunn you might contact some of the following to veify: Antonio Jocson, Mary Heidrich, Pushpa Jashanmal, Peter Wisniewski, Henrietta Fiddian-Green 'Hutley', Rana Sahni, Saskia Marina, Beata von Oelreich, Patrick Trancu, Guido Maria Isolabella, Rita Herring Luque, George Kfouri, Michael Sasso, Luisa Ancilotto, Penny Doyle O'Neill...
Veronica Grace Crossan Rob Dekker Robert Dunn I have changed security settings so more info should be visible...but don't take my word for it!
Rob Dekker O.K.
Robert Dunn I've just been informed that Veronica was previously known as Pierce Crossan.This info is on her bio.I didn't see that part.Mystery solved.
Cosimo Leipold Thems some pretty serious accusations
Mr Dekker, Mr Dunn if you truly really were at Aiglon and imbibed all the great things it stood for you would do your homework regarding Veronica's alma mater prior to posting on her thread on an Aiglon College group. Luckily at my time th...See more
Robert Dunn This info was emailed to me yesterday from the school itself and also mentioned that this info is all on her site according to the person responsible for this at Aiglon.This isn't new news apparently but it is for those who weren't aware.As Veronica mentioned,one needs a SOH these days.Hello??
Rob Dekker Said o'k' all ready didn't I
Robert Dunn This was for Roopali Misra ,Rob.
Rob Dekker I only wanted to make sure. Thing with facebook is that once in a while a troll passes along and I do not wish a matter so close to our hearts be interfered with by it. ( Troll is somebody posting just to get reactions and trying to steer a topic in the wrong direction). To Veronica Grace Crossan sorry if I upset you.
Patrick Roberts Surely Peter Crossan (not Pierce). Peter graduated from Aiglon in 1982 as stated.
John Dennison Be assured, all participants here and AAngels are vetted. CC: Marc A Borrelli
Sharon Blane Wow. Physical violence at Aiglon? Knives? I thought we were out there when Exeter stormed Alpina with yogurt and sour milk. And we were punished for this; no one in authority laughed. If true, the Head Master/Board of Directors situation stinks.
I think this has gotten
a little of track. Yes Veronica was there as Peter, no further
need to be said on that point.
As to the school, I think we
all view it through our own lenses, but my perspective of it now
looking back is that:
(i) ...See more
Truthfully, I never heard of anything like you describe. (Mind you, my memory isn't what it once was.) Maybe I was utterly out of the loop, though Aiglon was too tiny for that. Sure, there was mild hazing at Belvedere (we could see it fr...See more
Hans Hickler Sharon. I agree 100%. Never saw anything like that. In fact, one of my best memories is of the absence of intolerance
17 hours ago via · 3
Marc A Borrelli Sharon I agree with you. I believe the stuff mentioned by Cosimo reflects the loss of direction by the school.
Cosimo Leipold Mind you, I'm in my mid thirties, so my experiences are hardly "recent". I've deleted the post in the interest of not further inciting anything.
Sharon, Marc, Rob, Veronica et al. We are straying from Harry's points. It seems Aiglon is now more about fees than it is about education in the widest sense. The thing that made the school ( and most of us ) different from the rest was the...See more
Louise Aird Wow.
Louise Aird Dare I say it, I'm thinking new headmaster, new board.
Francis Lambert Hard to believe! This is not the school I went to! Someone has obviously been sleeping at the wheel! Better change drivers before it's too late.
Veronica Grace Crossan Patrick Roberts and Marc Borelli: thank you for setting the record straight, wondered how long it would take ;-):$
I'm pretty far removed from this, but I can tell you Tipper was right on the pulse. The Aiglon of the 1960's was hardcore and completely focused on building the man (before the ladies came on board) . Academics were paramount and so was the...See more
Patrick. That's how I
remember it too. Including le rosey being for pussies. Veronica,
you got a great, important message string going. Rama, thanks for
posting the letter but it's clear a lot has slipped from the
AIGLON we loved and lived
...See more
Whether driven by the organization or by the executive, executive coaching and a...See more
Hans Hickler We said cleggy
15 hours ago via
15 hours ago via · 1
Page 1 of the response
AIGLON BOARD RESPONSE TO HARRY REINHARDT E-MAIL DATED 15TH
AUGUST 2012
The Board has carefully studied the assertions
made in this e-mail. These are serious and provocative accusations
and so far 25 people have fel...See more
Louise Aird Those are steps in the right direction. Unfortunately, they are very much after the fact. The 'Oops' factor should be absent here.
Page 2
2. The
Board of Governors have extended the term of the Chairman from 3
terms of 3 years each for an Additional Term of 3 years or his 4th
term.
Without reference to any specific example, the term of
office of governors has been ext...See more
Page 3
• We
do have the challenge that some of our parents do not impose the
school’s policies during holidays
• Staff members do patrol
Villars on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday evenings; not to do
so would open the school to criticis...See more
Page 4
Last
page and I finally got to grips with the technology!
It is
very important to emphasise that the academic course workload for
an IB student exceeds that of A level students, and early
indications are that this cohort, despite ...See more
John Dennison Before I begin studying the response to Mr. Reinhardt's letter of concern, I just would like to say that this whole exchange is - to my knowledge - unprecedented, and would have been unfathomable a few short years ago. Bravo to all! Carry on.
Chef Patrick McDonnell Curious as to who wrote the actual response from Aiglon?
John Clegg Email received from Mark Elliot
Chef Patrick McDonnell John; Sorry - As I said before, I'm a long way from all of this. Who is Mark Elliot?
Tipper Davis John...thank you very much for such an depth response.
Chef Patrick McDonnell Tipper - are you in Beaufort Thursday?
Louise Aird Email?
Louise Aird This thing re drugs, alcohol etc. It's kind of a no-brainer (that loads of parents fail to grasp) that kids with no cash can't buy drugs. When I was at Aiglon, if I recall correctly, if I wanted something, I had to ask for cash. And I had to say what I wanted it for. I gather that they've changed that procedure. Evidently, they shouldn't have.
John Clegg Mark Elliott is Chairman of the board of governors. He has responded to those of us who agreed with Harry's concern and emailed the board. I post his reply verbatim for reference, balance and comment.
Cosimo Leipold Surprisingly decent reply (though I stand by the fact that the school absolutely has never taken bullying seriously). I dont know that I would have pointed to the colleges he did either... that list is hardly impressive.
Veronica Grace Crossan Here's an idea: would anyone like to volunteer to be a contributor/editor to the Wikipedia entry for Aiglon College?
Louise Aird I think that's best left up to the staff, don't you?
Rob Dekker Haven't studied the whole response from the board yet but a few remarks caught my eye;
Rob Dekker "the disciplinary........ and periodically it can appear that justice has been unevenly applied. This holds true in most legal justice systems designed to dispense equitable justice" NO IT CERTAINLY DOES NOT ! As for the rest they assure us it is very normal "all other schools are doing it" Well we are NOT discussing OTHER schools are we ? It AIGLON for f@# sake ! Aiglon sets the standards and other schools can copy us !