Meet The students: Orion Schönberger

Orion Schönberger (age 18)
(they/them, US System - US 12 / AP Path))

Hi! Please tell us more about yourself, where you’re from, and what brought you to Ecole d'Humanite as a student.

I'm Orion Schönberger, my pronouns are they/them, and I'm in the American program. I'm from Switzerland and spent parts of my childhood here at the Hasliberg with my family. Both of my parents have been or are teachers at the Ecole, and my brother also attended the Ecole, so I came to the Ecole through my family.

Do you remember what your first week was like? What were some of the challenges you faced, and how did your educators and peers help you overcome them?

The first week was nice but also nerve-wracking, since I had always heard things about the Ecole from my family and now got to experience it myself. The previous contact with my helping student made the experience easier since I could ask questions before arriving at the school, which helped me know what to expect. The returning students were all super nice and helped whenever there was a need, like carrying baggage or finding the right classroom.

What makes your chosen program at Ecole d'Humanite unique compared to other schools you’ve attended?

The combination of courses, which are chosen by the students themselves with the help of their advisor, makes the academic part of the day much easier, since you can choose topics that you are interested in. For example, I took an English course about world mythology and one about anarchism, and the teachers and all of the students in the class were passionate about these topics, which made these classes much more interesting and also led to more engagement than if everyone had been forced to be there.

How do the small class sizes and individualized teaching approaches affect your learning experience?

The Ecole has made me actually understand math. I have always struggled to learn math, but since coming to the Ecole, I've learned to actually understand the concepts and why they work. Instead of just having to memorize formulas, I now know and understand the reasons why a certain formula works on a problem. Since the classes are small, the teachers can use different teaching methods than what other schools use, such as having the whole class work on the blackboards or collaborate on a test. This collaboration between students is very helpful because it is a way to find other ways of thinking that may work better for you than the way in which your teacher thinks about it.

Can you share an example of a class or project that particularly inspired you?

The making of my longbow. My first intensive week at the Ecole was bow making; we spent the entire week carving, measuring, and sanding away at one piece of wood, and at the end, we all had a fully functional longbow and some arrows with which we then went to an outdoor 3D parcours. The experience of working so tirelessly on one piece of wood and ending up with such an amazing bow, which is still in use more than a year later, was so rewarding.

What do you think about the narrative feedback system? How has it helped you understand and improve your academic performance?

The narrative feedback is incredible because it tells you exactly what you are doing well and where you can still improve, instead of just giving you a value of how good or bad you did. It is more human than simply giving you a number.

Orion in the darkroom

Which co-curricular activities have you participated in, and how have they influenced your interests and skills?

I have taken silversmithing courses, in which I've made jewelry for myself and others in the exact way that I had envisioned them. It is an amazing experience to have a picture of a pair of earrings in your head and then make them into reality.

How do your teachers help you balance your academics with your Co-curricular interests?

Our teachers, who mostly also teach afternoon (= co-curricular) courses, are advisors and family heads. They value the time we spend on the afternoon courses as much as the academic ones.

Have you been involved in any student-led initiatives or groups? If so, what has that experience been like?

I am a part of the Ecole Cup team, which is a school-internal competition for points, kind of like in Hogwarts with the House Cup. We organize events where the different teams can win points. The competitions range from sport-based things to trivia and sometimes video games such as Mario Kart or Just Dance. It's fun to work with other students to create fun for the entire student body.

If you had to describe the sense of community at Ecole d'Humanite in one word, what would it be and why?

The sense of community at the Ecole is very strong. I think it's because we are our own little bubble of people who think similarly. We eat our meals in our families, and every Wednesday, we spend the evening with our family, cooking and doing a fun activity, which helps to create stronger bonds.

How has your time at Ecole d'Humanite shaped your future academic and career aspirations?

My time at the Ecole has helped me to understand myself more and helped me think of different future paths than what my previous schools have told me I should be aspiring to.

Orion plays the violin in the Singgemeinde ensemble.