Au sein de Collège Champittet, reading is recognized as a fundamental pillar of education that extends far beyond academic achievement. The school understands that a consistent reading habit profoundly enriches students' lives by expanding their worldview, shaping original thought processes, and enhancing both mental and physical wellbeing. The benefits are multifaceted, including building emotional intelligence, aiding sleep, reducing stress, and forging new neural pathways. To actively instil a genuine love for reading, the school has implemented several targeted initiatives. For primary students, parents are encouraged to subscribe to Maximax, a service that delivers a new fiction book to each child every month. This approach transforms reading into an exciting, anticipated event, fostering a habit of reading for pure pleasure from a young age. Furthermore, the curriculum is thoughtfully designed to integrate and support reading. A notable example is a Grade 6 teacher who dedicates time each month to take his class to the library, ensuring every student can personally select a book that captures their interest.
The learning journey continues beyond book selection. Students at Collège Champittet are tasked with writing a summary for each book they complete. The process is designed to be dynamic and engaging; the first three summaries are written traditionally, while subsequent books are transformed into creative digital presentations using iMovie. This innovative method allows students to blend their French language skills with digital expertise, incorporating music and special effects to share their unique reading journey. Beyond the classroom, the school provides exceptional literary experiences, most notably as a proud sponsor of the Le livre sur les quais literary festival in Morges. This sponsorship offers students in Grades 7, 11, and 14 an invaluable opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of literature. They can browse countless bookstands and, more importantly, engage directly with authors like Sorj Chalandon and Thibert Colin. These interactions provide thrilling insights into the writing process, making the connection between the text and its creator tangible. As the school librarian Gallia Chevalier observed, these encounters ignite students' curiosity and love for reading, allowing them to see themselves in the stories and testimonies shared.
