Life at the Boarding School – From the Breakfast Table to the Playing Fields and the Music Room
The crisp mountain air ensures restful sleep. Students in Year 3 of Secondary School and in the Upper Form of Gymnasium (Years 9-12) are accommodated in single rooms. Students in Years 1-2 of Secondary School and in the Lower Form of Gymnasium (Years 7-8) share double rooms. The day that follows is well-organized and structured.
An assortment of breads, butter, margarine, jams, muesli, fresh fruits, and fine cheeses provide a delightful start to the day. Students gather in the dining hall for all daily meals.
The monastery’s kitchen prepares nutritious and well-balanced meals, offering both a meat and a vegetarian option for lunch and supper, with occasional all-vegetarian menus. A selection of fresh salads from the buffet and a variety of fruits are always available. The vegetables are predominantly sourced from the monastery’s own organic production. In the afternoon, a light snack is served.
Sport, creativity, and social activities – the spacious common room offers a billiard table, card and board games. It is an inviting space where students can indulge in music, culinary pursuits, reading, stimulating discussions, and celebratory occasions, in an alcohol-free environment.
For those in need of tranquility, a leisurely walk is a splendid option. Alternatively, one may retreat to the chapel. It is interdenominational and offers an atmosphere of meditative calm.
The school campus is equipped with multiple gyms, a tennis court, two football pitches, volleyball and basketball areas, and a fully equipped fitness suite.
In Engelberg, students can indulge in a wide range of activities, including ice skating, curling, skiing, and snowboarding, as well as golf and both indoor and outdoor tennis. There are ample opportunities for hiking, jogging, indoor and outdoor swimming, biking, skating, and climbing on the climbing wall, or tackling via ferrata routes.
Additionally, the local cable car operators offer our students a special discount on the season pass.
The Engelberg Music School offers the opportunity to learn nearly every instrument. At Stiftsschule Engelberg, students can participate in various ensembles and join the Abbey Choir.
For those with a passion for organ playing, the Abbey Church is home to Switzerland’s largest organ, featuring 9,097 pipes and 137 stops, and beautifully restored in 2018.
Devices such as mobile phones, computers, tablets, and smartwatches are permitted in the boarding school. Students in Years 7-8 are required to hand in their devices during study periods and overnight, while those in Years 9-10 must do so during evening study sessions. Wi-Fi is provided, along with fiber-optic connections for enhanced access.
Students who fall ill receive professional care from our qualified nurse, who works in close collaboration with the three local GP surgeries and a nearby dental practice.
Our Daily Routine – Perennially Consistent, yet Subtly Distinct
While the ideal daily routine may not have been devised by Saint Benedict himself, he undoubtedly recognized its significance over fifteen centuries ago: true achievement flourishes within the framework of a well-ordered day – one marked by regular intervals of rest, and a thoughtful alternation of pursuits.
Structure and Rhythm
Each day is thoughtfully composed, leading students into a harmonious rhythm of concentration and relaxation, effort and ease, activity and rest.
Success and Disposition
Such thoughtful balance does more than shape our days; it shapes our inner lives. Time and again, it uplifts the spirit, fosters quiet confidence, and steadily opens the way to meaningful and enduring success.
Our Daily Routine
Weekends
Students who do not travel home at the weekends can also simply stay here at the boarding school. During this time, they are looked after and even have the opportunity to attend certain classes on Saturday mornings, e.g. German course, support classes.
Basic structure of the weekend offer:
- A supervisor is always in the house
- Joint meals
- Free to go out (with individual registration to the supervisors)
- Possibility for lessons on Saturday morning: 3 lessons
- Saturday afternoon: free or program
- A religious offer is attended within a weekend
Every weekend there is an outside activity on Saturdays and / or Sundays: hiking, skiing day, visiting Swiss cities, visiting major sporting events, etc.
This is always mandatory for the lower grades, for the middle and upper grades in consultation.