The ISZL Story

In 1962, as new families from Kodak, Eastman, and Johnson & Johnson made Zug their new home, the need for English language education grew. Enter Anita and Gwyn Bevan, who arrive as teachers at what was affectionately known as “Willy’s School.”

The 1980s were a transformational period for the school, truly laying the foundation for our future as ISZL. In 1983, while Mr. Bevan stepped down to focus on the financial side of operations, Martin Latter took over as Director, bringing with him a fresh energy and vision for the community. By 1987, under Martin’s leadership, the school was renamed as the “International School of Zug” (ISOZ).

Martin also founded the first “Field Week,” what we now know and love as “Personal Development Week (PDW),” which was held in various Swiss locales such as Leysin.

In early 1997, the Catholic boarding school in Walterswil, Baar, closed its doors due to low enrolment.

Owned by the Don Bosco Foundation, the site, with its spacious grounds and pastoral setting, caught the eye of Martin Latter, who saw it as a perfect new home for the International School of Zug. Reflecting on his 24 years at the school, Mr. Latter often spoke of its “Facets of a Diamond,” with each unique angle contributing to its brilliance. One of his favourites? The “birthday stone,” an idea he cherished to celebrate each child’s birthday in a meaningful way.

2010 saw the continued expansion of ISZL’s footprint in Zug with the opening of the Baarburg building, a dedicated space for our Middle School students; and the new Riverside campus in Hünenberg, our home for High School students.

In 2013, we celebrated the completion of our triple-gym at the Riverside campus, which quickly became an activity hub for sports and community events.

The defining feature of the second half of the 2010s was ISZL’s commitment to environmental sustainability, marked by the following initiatives:

— Youth Forum Switzerland, one of the largest student-led summits in the country, was founded in 2016 by three ISZL students
—The aquaponics system was established at the Riverside campus
— In 2018, our “Carbon Credit Fund” was founded by the student-led ISZL Sustainability Initiative, providing a hassle-free way to offset our carbon footprint through support of offsetting projects
— In 2019, 34,500 birch and spruce trees were planted in the south-east of Iceland by 16 students as the first major contribution to ISZL’s carbon neutrality goal; while ISZL’s bus fleet began the transition to electrically powered vehicles.

As ISZL Director Dominic Currer prepared to step down, these ambitious sustainability initiatives called for a leader with a similarly visionary outlook. In 2017, Barry Dequanne took the helm of Director, succeeding Dominic and embracing our commitment to a sustainable and forward-thinking future.