“As a Student, I wasn’t a fan of the hikes, but I look back on them fondly” – A Conversation with Adrian Marmy

Adrian, how did you experience your time at the Ecole as a student?

To be honest, as a teenager, I didn’t fully appreciate everything the Ecole had to offer. Coming from a city, life in the countryside sometimes felt dull to me, the hikes were “oh sooo exhausting”, and some of the rules felt “sooo unfair”.

At the same time, I loved the family evenings, folk dancing, the Singgemeinde, and eating with our Ecole families in the Esssaal (dining hall)  — not to mention many of my morning and afternoon classes. And now, funnily enough, some of my most treasured memories are actually of the hikes! But what truly stands out is the strong sense of community at the Ecole, which, I believe, is what binds so many students to this school on a deep emotional level. That was certainly the case for me.

What path did you take after leaving the Ecole?

I left too early, simply because I missed my friends and family back home. Looking back, I regret that I didn’t stay for the Matura program. Afterward, I attended a Diplommittelschule (a secondary school focused on vocational preparation) without a clear idea of what I wanted to do next.

How did your career develop?

The idea of choosing one career for life (,as I thought at the time,) put a lot of pressure on me, making the “right” decision actually even harder. In the end, I sort of stumbled into a job in the restaurant industry, where, to my surprise, I was quite happy for several years.

During that time, I started volunteering for a nonprofit organization (NPO) and became increasingly interested in digital marketing, which was still in its early stages. Eventually, that same organization hired me as a full-stack marketer. I quickly adapted to the role and stayed with them for about six years. Later, I joined a marketing agency in Basel, where I gained extensive experience in web development and search engine optimization (SEO).

In the spring of 2024, a friend pointed me to a job posting from the Ecole. I applied immediately — and successfully. Since June 2024, I’ve been working here, mostly remotely from Basel. But this month, I’m finally moving to Hasliberg, and I’m excited to experience the Ecole up close again.

What makes the Ecole special to you?

The outdoor activities and creative freedom are definitely great features. I also think the progressive approach to education is far superior in quality to conventional teaching methods.

But what truly sets the Ecole apart for me is, again, the community. I believe, that’s what makes the Ecole a second home for the students.

Oh, and of course, the gong instead of a school bell. That’s definitely special, too. ;-)

What advice would you give to current students?

I’d find it a bit presumptuous to give advice to this generation of students or to any students really, considering how drastically the world has changed in the last 30 years and how different their challenges are from the ones I faced. But perhaps I’ll share this quote, which is often attributed to Paulo Coelho:

“What other people think of you is not your problem.”

Then again, that’s probably something you’ll learn at the Ecole anyway.