Strong Finish

Celebrating 60 years, Surval Montreux’s Principal, Ms Nicola Dudley, shares the school’s heritage and highlights its relevance in tomorrow’s world

At Surval Montreux, now an established international boarding school for girls aged 12-19, we are proud of our heritage as a finishing school. Whilst some might view this concept as outdated and exclusive, I would argue that many of the traditions associated with a finishing school align very well with our commitment to empowering young women for tomorrow’s world.

With our focus on leadership, global perspectives, languages and culture, social enterprise and adventure, a Surval l education empowers girls with the confidence and cultural awareness to walk into a multicultural professional or social environment with poise and self-assurance. Etiquette remains a vital part of this, building personal and professional presence and enabling girls to stand out from the crowd with a quiet assuredness.

There are specific features of etiquette in different settings and cultures which can be conscientiously studied. Surval’s Global Etiquette programme explicitly covers communication, conduct, hospitality, dress, and dining, developing an understanding of etiquette in Switzerland and Europe, whilst also considering etiquette in other global cultures.

However, etiquette is about much more than a course of topics to cover. It underpins our whole manner and approach to interacting with the world about us. In all aspects, etiquette comes down to courtesy, care and consideration - the ‘3 Cs’ put front and centre in our Surval community. Respect for self, for others and for the cultural environment around us, embodies our etiquette ethos. We seek to instil curiosity and openness to different situations, so that students observe what is around them and adjust accordingly, taking the lead from their host environment.

Etiquette is about how we feel and how we make others feel. Girls who own their etiquette, not only feel confident in diverse and unfamiliar situations, but help others to feel the same, instilling ease in others around them.

A Surval education sets girls up to be competitive in tomorrow’s world, through openness to challenge, ownership of their voice and leadership of their journey. Developing global etiquette is key to enabling girls to challenge, own and lead in a multicultural environment. In this regard, we are very much aligned with our school’s heritage whilst empowering women for tomorrow.

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