A Piece of Heart Remains in Engelberg!

…Séverine Chardonnens?

After graduating from high school in 2010, Séverine Chardonnens studied health sciences at ETH Zurich, graduating with a Master’s degree in medical technology. Together with a fellow student, she founded the start-up “IDUN Technologies” in 2017 on the basis of an ETH research project. IDUN Technologies is a young, up-and-coming electrode company that has just filed its third patent application and has attracted Sony as an investor. The team develops and produces soft and dry conductive electrodes for biopotential monitoring. The aim is to offer unobtrusive, comfortable and precise skin electrodes for wearables.

Ms. Chardonnens, what had a particular influence on you during your time at the Stiftsschule Engelberg? A particular teacher? A particular subject?
I particularly remember the PAM lessons. I loved Father Leonhard’s lessons, and we had a lot of fun in our small group of students. The theatre performances are also a great memory for me, as is my Matura thesis with Father Eugen, where I learned how to develop black-and-white photos myself. At that time, I spent many hours in the photo lab at the Stiftsschule Engelberg.
In addition to my school subjects, I had a great time with the rowing group. We trained a few times a week for the regatta. Once a week we went to the lake in Stansstaad, and once a week we trained in the gym. It was exhausting, but also a very enjoyable sport and a great group of students.
I was also allowed to learn to play the organ with Father Patrick and have fond memories of that, although I should have been more diligent.
But what the Stiftsschule Engelberg, especially the boarding school, gave me was a calm and peaceful environment in which to develop as a youth and be allowed to go my own way. My relationship with my family improved significantly with the distance, and I was able to concentrate completely on school, sports and music in a positive environment. I still have the friendships I made at the boarding school and at school today, and I value them very much.

Apart from school, what do you remember most about your time as a boarding school student?
The mountains, the tranquillity of the monastery, the beautiful and intense friendships, and a feeling of freedom (which surprises many people when I talk about a boarding school with strict rules, but the rules are justified, not emotionally defined, and the same for everyone, which gave me a feeling of freedom because I knew exactly what I was allowed to do and what I wasn’t. Which doesn’t mean that I only did what I was allowed to do)!

Is there anything that still connects you to the Stiftsschule Engelberg?
I often visit my partner in Engelberg and occasionally visit Father Eugen in his studio.

What advice would you give a student at Stiftsschule Engelberg?
Take advantage of as many of the school’s offerings as possible (sports, music, theatre, etc.) to continue your education in a fun way and to be bold with your Matura thesis. It is a good opportunity to immerse yourself in a topic and perhaps build something that can be further developed and expanded upon after graduation.

Ms. Chardonnens, thank you very much!

…Sandro Rüegger?

Sandro Rüegger graduated from Stiftsschule in 1988. The certified marketing manager / federally certified marketing planner worked in marketing & PR at Swissair, in management positions in the tourism industry, was self-employed in the insurance sector for several years, and held various management functions in Swiss media companies (Tamedia, Axel Springer Schweiz AG), including as managing director of Weltwoche Verlags AG until 2013. Since 2013, he has been a partner at Roy C. Hitchman AG (Executive Search).
However, he remained in contact with the Stiftsschule. From 2009 to 2016, Sandro Rüegger was a member of the Board of Trustees and worked on the strategic realignment of the Stiftsschule to become an IB World School.

Mr. Rüegger, what particularly shaped you during your time at Stiftsschule Engelberg? A particular teacher? A particular subject?
German teacher Hanspeter Marti had a strong influence at school. He was a strict teacher who was inspired to get his pupils excited about the German language. He succeeded in doing that. I have a lot to thank him for in this respect.

Apart from school, what do you remember most about your time as a boarding school student?
I have fond memories of the extracurricular, sporting and musical activities. I was particularly influenced by the head of the music school, Father Roman sel. He was not only a music teacher, he also directed the choir, conducted the student music and was tuba player with the Mount Angel Seven. I owe my great passion for music to Roman. We stayed in close contact even after my A-levels. For a few years, we conducted the Engelberg Music Society together as a “double conductor”, he married my wife and me and baptized all our children.

Is there anything that you still associate with Stiftsschule Engelberg?
Primarily the wonderful memories of a great and mostly carefree time. Friendships that last a lifetime. Then there are still loose contacts with current or former teachers. And finally, there is a connection through our youngest son, who currently attends grammar school.

What advice would you give a student at Stiftsschule Engelberg?
He/she should be open, curious and interested. Soak up knowledge, get involved in extracurricular activities, enjoy their time in Engelberg, respect the community and – above all – forge bonds for life.

Mr. Rüegger, thank you very much!

…Stefan Estermann?

In his current role as Head of the Sectoral Foreign Policy Division at the FDFA, Stefan Estermann deals with a wide range of policy areas and current issues, all of which have a strong foreign policy dimension: from the economy and finance, to the environment, climate change and sustainability, energy and transport, to health, education and science. He is in close contact with the ‘lead agencies’, i.e. the specialist offices responsible for the relevant content.
His agency is currently also in a state of emergency. The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting all areas of diplomacy, not least the work of international organisations, which is now taking place ‘virtually’ on all kinds of digital platforms.

Mr. Estermann, what had a particular influence on you during your time at the Stiftsschule Engelberg? A particular teacher? A particular subject?
We had some excellent teachers back then, all of whom I remember fondly. I found the wide range of subjects fascinating; I loved the technical and scientific subjects just as much as the literary, linguistic and artistic ones.
As students and young adults, we were unfailingly taken seriously and treated with genuine respect, encouraged to ask questions, and given thoughtful, well-founded answers – answers which, however, remained open enough to invite further reflection. I was impressed by the cosmopolitan spirit at Stiftsschule Engelberg, which certainly contributed to my ultimate interest in diplomacy. As a young person, I was interested in fundamental questions: What holds society together? Why are things the way they are and not different? How are rules created and how are they legitimised? These questions still fascinate me; they are at the heart of politics and government action. My education in Engelberg gave me the necessary foundation to go my own way afterwards.

Apart from school, what do you remember most about your time as a boarding school student?
I fondly remember the music, singing in the Abbey Choir, and the performance of Carl Orff’s ‘Carmina Burana.’ The impressive church organ, the largest in Switzerland, played by Father Norbert Hegner, was particularly memorable: Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor, which he played with particular mastery, always gave me goose bumps. My passion for music, and especially for the piano, has stayed with me to this day and can clearly be traced back to Engelberg. What an enrichment for life!

Is there anything that still connects you to the Stiftsschule Engelberg?
I am very proud that two of my former schoolmates now run the monastery. Today, I have great respect for the monastery’s immense tradition and spiritual wealth. At a certain age, you no longer look only forward, but increasingly also back, and it is fascinating to discover that, as a student at Stiftsschule Engelberg, you were also part of it.

What advice would you give a student at Stiftsschule Engelberg?
As a student: Be curious, ask questions. And for the future: Listen to your inner voice, have self-confidence and approach the world with an open mind.

Mr. Estermann, thank you very much!

…Alexis von Hoensbroech?

Alexis von Hoensbroech was a student at Stiftsschule Engelberg from 1983 to 1987 before returning to Germany. There he studied physics at the University of Bonn and went on to complete a doctorate in astrophysics at the Max Planck Institute. Alexis von Hoensbroech began his career in 1999 at the management consultancy The Boston Consulting Group in Munich and Tokyo. In 2005, the manager moved to the Lufthansa Group, where he worked in various fields and roles. He has been CEO of Austrian Airlines since 2018.

Mr. von Hoensbroech, what had a particular influence on you during your time at the Stiftsschule? A particular teacher? A particular subject?
The years in Engelberg were very formative for me. In particular, the high-quality humanistic and religiously inspired education. Among many other teachers, two stand out in my memory: Father Roman, who drove us to musical excellence with his unbridled passion for music, and Father Leonhard, who recognised and encouraged my interest in science, inspiring me and laying the foundation for my later studies in physics.

Outside of school, what do you particularly remember from your time as a student at Stiftsschule Engelberg?
The magnificent mountain scenery and the opportunity to explore it athletically, hiking in summer and skiing in winter. And the contemplative, deeply religious monastic life, which, with the serenity of its 900-year history, often offered a peaceful counterpoint to the sometimes hectic everyday life of the students.

Is there anything that still connects you to the Stiftsschule Engelberg?
Only the memories of four formative years of my youth, which I was able to vividly refresh during a recent visit after more than 30 years and a meeting with my former teachers Father Thomas (English), Brother Kuno (physics) and Father Leonhard (mathematics).

What advice would you give a student of Stiftsschule Engelberg?
In addition to the excellent education, opening oneself up to all the wonderful things that the Stiftsschule Engelberg has to offer and which are less commonplace in later life. Mountain sports, monastic life, music, theatre and this enchanting place.

Mr. von Hoensbroech, thank you very much!

…Zoë Haas?

For many years, she was one of the best female ski racers in the downhill, giant slalom and super-G disciplines. Another unmistakable trademark is the fried egg on her helmet, created by a fellow student at the Stiftsschule Engelberg.

She won two World Cup races in her career: the downhill in Puy Saint-Vincent in 1984 and the super-G in Lech in 1988. Her best result was a 2nd place in the giant slalom in Berchtesgaden in 1982. At the 1991 World Ski Championships in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, she narrowly missed out on a medal in the Super-G, finishing fourth. In her last World Cup race, the super-G in Crans-Montana, she came 3rd in March 1992.
What is remarkable, however, is not only her sporting career, but also the fact that Zoë Haas managed to combine her Matura with competitive sport at a time when sports promotion was far less sophisticated than it is today.

Zoë Haas was an active competitive athlete from 1978 to 1992, but she remained loyal to skiing even after that. First as a physical education teacher at the Stiftsschule Engelberg, then from 1996 to 2007 as a coach, English teacher and boarding house educator, and finally as head of the boarding school at the Sportmittelschule Engelberg.
She found another passion in teaching. After many years as a physical education teacher at the NW vocational school and simultaneous studies to become a primary school teacher, Zoë Haas is now a class teacher in the ‘Kombinierte Brückenangebot NW’ programme in Stans.

Mrs. Haas, what had a particular influence on you during your time at the Stiftsschule Engelberg? A particular teacher? A particular subject?
The opportunity to pursue an education at the Gymnasium as a competitive athlete. And at an abbey school, no less! The openness of all the teachers to support me, even if some of them couldn’t quite understand it. They were still open to accompanying me on a different path, one that was unusual for them. They were always helpful, and when things got too much for me at times, they had solutions that allowed me to keep going.
What shaped me was my teachers’ willingness to embrace diversity. Perhaps that is why I now teach 10th-year students and support young people who are not following the ‘normal’ path to vocational education.

You passed Matura in 1983. That was right in the middle of your skiing career. How did you manage to juggle everything? Back then, supporting athletes’ careers was certainly not as commonplace and ‘smooth’ as it is today, for example at sports schools.
Father Robert, the then headmaster of Stiftsschule Engelberg was my valuable academic mentor. He enabled me and three other schoolmates to progress from the 2nd or 3rd year of Secondary School to the 1st Year of the Upper Form of the Gymnasium after we had caught up on two and a half years of Latin in six months.
For the four years of the Upper Form of the Gymnasium, my school programme was as follows:
I attended school in August and September, then missed classes until mid-April due to training and competitions, and rejoined my class after the competition season until June. A classmate wrote me scripts during class, which I used to try to keep up. The school year was extended for me until the end of the summer holidays. This gave me time to catch up in all subjects so that I could take annual exams in all subjects before the start of the new school year. If my results were good enough, I could move up to the next class.
The final year of the Matura, proved to be too much of a challenge. Father Robert had the idea of spreading the school year over two years. This was approved by the Obwalden Department of Education. So in the first year, I took the main subjects of German, Latin, French, English, mathematics and philosophy, and passed the Matura exams in June 1982. In the second year, I took the other subjects and completed them in June 1983. In my day, most of the teachers were monks. This was a unique opportunity for me and would be almost impossible today, as I could ring the bell at the monastery gate at any time, even during the holidays, to ask for extra tuition. I mostly needed help with mathematics.
After a few years, Father Robert was responsible for setting up the Sportmittelschule Engelberg. Having enabled me, as a competitive athlete, to obtain my Matura, he knew 12 years later how many school absences he could expect from the Sportmittelschule students. The idea of completing the Matura over two years lives on today: for Sportmittelschule students in higher cadres.

Outside of school, what do you particularly remember from your time as a Stiftsschule student?
Friendships and a good atmosphere in class.
The congratulatory telegram from my class on my first world championship. This was a one-off event due to superstition, as shortly after receiving the telegram I fell down the stairs and injured myself…
Keeping watch outside the boarding school at 4:30 a.m. while my classmates climbed out of the window to go fishing or play tennis together before early lessons. (Tennis only worked once, as the noise level was very loud…)
The feeling of helplessness when caught breaking the rules and, shortly afterwards, feeling appreciated despite the unpleasant consequences.

Is there anything that still connects you to the Stiftsschule?
Chance encounters with former teachers, monks and schoolmates are always nice and bring back fond memories. Walking through the school and boarding school grounds on the way to the village (even though it’s not allowed…). Extensive Matura reunions that transport us to a world where past and present merge.

What advice would you give a student at Stiftsschule Engelberg?
Enjoy Engelberg, school and leisure time!

Mrs. Haas, thank you very much!