Institut Montana Zugerberg is a Swiss international day and boarding school located on Mt. Zugerberg, overlooking the city of Zug and its lake. It opened in May 3, 1926 and today is a co-ed school that takes around 300 students. Over 40 nationalities are represented on campus as IMZ accepts students aged 6 to 19 from all parts of the world. The school is divided into four sections: a bilingual elementary school offering the , a bilingual secondary school, a Swiss high school which offers the Swiss Matura and an international school which offers the , and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.
History
Institut Montana Zugerberg was founded by Dr Max Husmann who purchased the site in 1925. The next year the school opened with 6 pupils. The campus was extended with the acquisition of the nearby Hotel Felsenegg in 1937 and the construction of laboratories, workshops, sports fields and a swimming pool. The belief that an international education would contribute towards maintaining peace across Europe guided the school's developing pedagogy. World War II devastated pupil numbers, but IMZ kept going. In 1945, Dr Husmann was involved in Operation Sunrise, the secret negotiations that led to the surrender of the German Army in northern Italy. He handed the directorship of the school to Dr Josef Ostermayer in 1946, but maintained in close contact and set up the Max Husmann Foundation to ensure the continuation of the principles on which he founded Institut Montana Zugerberg. In 1995, student enrolment fell to an economically unviable number and the board and senior management announced the school’s imminent closure. However, staff, parents, friends and alumni implemented a rescue plan under the chairmanship of Professor Beat Bernet, and the alumnus :de:François Loeb|François Loeb. Funds of more than CHF3.5 million were raised, ensuring the immediate continuation of the school as well as its sustainable future.
Academics
Between the ages of 6 and 10 pupils attend the bilingual day school. Boarders are accepted from the age of 10. For students from age 12, Institut Montana Zugerberg offers the Swiss Matura or the IB Diploma Programme. Class sizes are kept to a maximum of 15 students and a system of personal mentoring is in place. The site on the pre-alpine Zugerberg is surrounded by meadows and woodland, and an hour away from Zurich. Students between the ages of 6 and 12 attend the Bilingual Elementary School, where a full language immersion programme in English and German is followed. The curriculum is based on the primary curriculum of the Canton of Zug, adapted to prepare children for entry into the International School, with its IB Diploma Programme, or the Swiss Gymnasium for the Swiss Matura. The Swiss Gymnasium at Montana was recognized to award the Swiss Matura by the Canton of Zug in 1936. Students can follow the traditional German or a bilingual course to gain this qualification for entry to Swiss universities. Institut Montana has been an accredited International School since 1952. Students follow the International curriculum through the Foundation Years Programme, study for the IGCSE and then the International Baccalaureate. Montana was the first residential boarding school in Switzerland to become an IB World School in 1987.
Extracurricular activities
Since 2009, Institut Montana Zugerberg has offered a Model United Nations programme, where students meet for political debates in a United Nations context on a weekly basis, and attend international conferences. It hosts its own international MUN conference each year, the IMZMUN. The MUN educates students about global affairs, raises awareness of current issues and enhances their international experience. The MUN programme is also preparation for university, developing students’ skills in presentation, argumentation and debate. Further activities offered are the entrepreneurial society, the science club and several sports activities and teams.
Alumni
Former pupils from Institut Montana Zugerberg are found all over the world filling roles in commerce, politics and the arts. Some names have become famous, including U.S. politician John Kerry, film director Marc Forster, businessman Nicolas Hayek; comic artist :de:Mike van Audenhove|Mike van Audenhove; and Dutch scientist and entrepreneur Willem P.C. Stemmer. U.S. Ambassador Robert P. Jackson taught French and English as a foreign language at Institut Montana Zugerberg in 1982. Spanish Borbón princes Alfonso and Gonzalo had to reluctantly leave the school in 1953 when their father, against the will of their mother, agreed that they were to be brought to Spain to be educated as throne candidates under the guidance of dictator Francisco Franco.
