Behind Joshua’s successful journey
Student Life
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1926
May 3rd - a new school
The school on the Zugerberg was founded by Dr Max Husmann, graduate of the ETH, gifted teacher and passionate advocate for world peace. Husmann had the belief that, if young people of many nationalities went to school together, learning to respect different cultural backgrounds, and if they were taught to think clearly, they would grow up to be tolerant and fair-minded. War would be history. He found his ideal location when an old hotel on the Zugerberg was for sale. He transformed it into a school.
Innovative education
Through the 1920s and 30s the school grew rapidly, offering a rich programme that included learning languages and the fundamentals (Husmann was a mathematician) as well as business and technical skills for the modern world. It was an innovative school – students’ happiness was recognised as essential for successful learning, and teachers and students were friends. Classrooms moved outside in the summer.
1926
1939-1945
During WWII
The school never closed throughout WWII, although student numbers reduced massively and most of the buildings were requisitioned for military purposes. Max Husmann played a leading role in Operation Sunrise, the secret negotiations in Switzerland that culminated in the surrender of German troops in northern Italy.
1939
1946
Max Husmann Foundation
After the war, Husmann created the Foundation Max Husmann Montana Zugerberg. Its statutes require it to safeguard the values on which the school was founded. So, international mindedness, care for the individual student, and the integration of the community, were established as the school's lasting mission. He transferred ownership of the entire school to the Foundation and appointed Dr Josef Ostermayer as Director. The school quickly repaired the war damage and continued to grow. Dr Ostermayer and his wife Elisabeth lived with their family on the campus and were the heart and soul of the school until their retirement in 1980.
1946
1980s
The world is changing
After Ostermayer’s retirement, leadership of the school passed through different hands. A core group of memorable teachers steered the school and initiated some important developments.
One of these was co-education. Ostermayer's daughter, Verena, was a pupil from 1948-1959 (a very unusual step in a boys' school). She was followed by other daughters of teachers, such as Miriam Rosset, whose father taught French at Montana for 35 years. By the early 1980s, there was a small group - 11 in 1984. Everything progressed rapidly and Montana has been a fully integrated community for many years.
1980
1987
International Baccalaureate
Another change was the curriculum. When the school began, there was no such thing as an international curriculum and students studied for the diplomas from a range of different countries. In 1987, Insitut Montana joined the International Baccalaureate Organisation. Thus developed the system, still in place today, of offering students a choice between Swiss and international academic paths.
1987
1990s
The Spirit of Montana
In the mid-1990s, the school faced a financial crisis. This followed a period when numbers declined and internal tensions increased. Finances became critical and closure was threatened. However, what came to be called the Spirit of Montana won through. The school creates strong bonds, and a concerted effort by loyal family and friends of the school, including eminent alumni, resolved the crisis. Financial stability was restored and perpetuated by changes in the ownership structure with the Foundation Max Husmann Montana Zugerberg as the largest stakeholder. It exists solely for the benefit of the school and its future.
1995
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2011
New Chairman
Subsequent to the crisis, the school was in a strong position to continue but was unsure of its direction. Although the Swiss and international sections were individually successful, they were operating almost as separate schools. This changed in 2011 when former student Alexander Biner became Chairman of the Board of Directors of Institut Montana. He embarked on a series of reunification initiatives that further developed after he became Director in 2018. The original values on which Max Husmann founded the school were found to provide a clear path for the future. Student numbers grew and a programme of exciting educational developments re-established Montana as an outstanding international school.
2011
2020
Covid pandemic
Insitut Montana never closed during the pandemic. It remained a safe haven for boarders who could not return home. It ensured continuity of learning with rapidly and effectively implemented virtual teaching which had the agility to move to hybrid learning over the following waves of restrictions. With a concerted effort from the whole community and careful respect for all safety protocols, the school continued learning.
2020
2024
Present day
The school has continued to develop and to innovate. Significant investment has already transformed our traditional Swiss chalet into a hub for 21st century learning. Further campus improvements are being planned subsequent to opportunities created by the recent re-zoning of the Zugerberg.
2024
Towards 2026
We look forward to the school’s 100th birthday, moving forward as an outstanding international school on the mountain that has been our home since 1926.
2026