30 Years of Educational Innovation
- History of La Découverte
A
to learn
Founded by Catherine Firmenich over 30 years ago, La Découverte was born of passion and dedication to a quality education. The journey began with the opening of a first primary school in Geneva, followed by a second in Mies. From the outset, the school was designed to offer a personalized and deeply human learning experience, placing each student at the heart of the educational experience. Today, led by her son, Nicolas Firmenich, La Découverte continues to grow and evolve while remaining true to its founding values.
By expanding our capacity at the college, we aim to provide an education that respects and values each student individually, cultivating curiosity, self-confidence, and a spirit of innovation in everyone.
- Values
The
of our education
At La Découverte, we firmly believe that our success rests on fundamental pillars that guide our educational approach and shape our school community.
Family-style environment
At La Découverte, every student is recognized, valued and supported in their ideas. We believe optimal learning happens in a setting where each child can give their best, build relationships and thrive within a family-like school.
Active pedagogy
Our teaching methods encourage active engagement and deep understanding. We develop metacognitive and interpersonal skills alongside academic knowledge.
Bilingualism
Bilingual education at Collège La Découverte enables students to excel in an international environment. It strengthens focus and adaptability while boosting linguistic and cognitive skills.
- Message from the Director
Welcome to Collège La Découverte!
La Découverte College offers a family-like, human-scale and bilingual learning environment, highly specialized in active pedagogy. We share the same goals as other Swiss and Geneva schools, but it is our way of achieving those goals that makes all the difference.
We place as much importance on academic success as on the holistic development of our students—cognitive, social, and emotional. Public speaking, questioning information and its sources, navigating diverse social settings, self-confidence, collaboration, leading projects, empathy, and creativity: for us, these skills are just as essential, if not more, than academic knowledge.
In today’s and tomorrow’s world, it is no longer those who can memorize and recite information who will make the difference, but those with good judgment, the ability to think and innovate, and adaptability. This has been our mission for more than 30 years, and we will continue to pursue it as long as it remains relevant.
(primary and secondary)
- La Découverte team
Our
Nicolas Firmenich
General Director
Nicolas Firmenich joined the family enterprise in 2015 and assumed the group’s general management in 2019, succeeding Catherine Firmenich. Under his leadership, the school is committed to fostering critical and creative minds ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow’s world.
Rachel Aver
Director
After experience teaching at the secondary level in England, Rachel Aver joined La Découverte’s teaching team in 2010 before taking on its leadership in 2015. She now oversees the educational direction of La Découverte College and leads its entire educational project.
Xavier Granger
Director
Xavier Granger joined La Découverte in 2019 as Pedagogical Director of the Primary School. Today, as co-director of the Collège, he supports the development of educational projects and the ongoing evolution of the Collège in line with La Découverte’s educational approach.
Julie Morales
Pedagogy
Julie Morales joined La Découverte’s pedagogical team more than 20 years ago. She served as pedagogical director at the Geneva primary school, then took charge of the Mies campus in 2018.
She now works alongside Rachel Aver on the development of the college’s pedagogical project.
Direction
Nicolas Firmenich
General Director
Nicolas Firmenich joined the family enterprise in 2015 and assumed the group’s general management in 2019, succeeding Catherine Firmenich. Under his leadership, the school is committed to fostering critical and creative minds ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow’s world.
Rachel Aver
Director
Xavier Granger
Director
Laura Nicollin
HR & Operations Director
Jérôme Antille
Chief Financial Officer
Teachers
Angela Pinho
German
ALL
Arnaud Serre-Combe
sciences, Coaching
FR
Ceri Britton
History, Geography, No Walls, Coaching
EN
Christopher Green
english, EAL, Coaching
EN
David Millard
English Language Support (EAL)
EN
Fiona Munro
No Walls
EN
Jérôme Gautier
IT
FR
Jonathan Freinberg
english, Coaching
EN
FR
Makrham Sammari
mathematics
Matthew Towlson
sport, Coaching
EN
Océane Médina
french, No Walls, Coaching
FR
Odin Nicolle Lardin
french, Coaching
FR
Parwana Emamzadah
philosophy & citizenship
FR
Rodrigue Favre
art, Coaching
EN
Romain Devauchelle
german
ALL
Administration
Anthony Almeida
administrative assistant
Noa Petit
back office
Taha Hussein
back office
After-school programs, meals & housekeeping
Gabriel Cédille
site manager
Kevin Racine
after-school
Sofiane Lehmici
school life coordinator
Extracurricular activities
Pere Costa
spanish
ESP
Angela Pinho
studies
Antoine Gillespie
ball academy
Giulia Muniz
costume & design workshop
Jérôme Gautier
IT - Pixel & matters
Kevin Racine
cuisine : flavors of the world
Lilou Herrmann
film et cinematography
Mariem M’Baye
ceramics
Rodrigue Favre
street art studio
- FAQ
Frequently asked
Do you have questions about Collège La Découverte? Here you’ll find answers to the most frequently asked questions about our school, our services, and how we operate.
La Découverte is currently led by Nicolas Firmenich, the son of founder Catherine Firmenich. Under his leadership, the school continues to promote a personalized and human-centered education.
Starting in the 2027 school year, Collège La Découverte will move to new premises located in Le Grand-Saconnex, at Ancienne-Route 17A.
These new spaces will support the school’s continued development in an environment better suited to learning, student projects, and everyday school life.
We use modern teaching methods that emphasize personalized support and guidance for each student, ensuring focused attention so that everyone can excel.
We provide a bilingual, inclusive environment; a rich and varied curriculum; and innovative teaching methods to prepare our students to succeed.
La Découverte continuously integrates modern, creative teaching methods into its educational programs, adopting the latest technologies and encouraging students to think innovatively.
For more information, you can contact us directly. We will be happy to answer all your questions and help you discover our school.
A first step towards
Contact us and join our educational community today to discover how we can guide your child toward academic and personal success while meeting their unique needs.