' Kids
Who
Could
Teach
Nations
Solemn youngsters from Finland take fchool seriously. Children from nine nations attend classes in German.
I N the rolling hills of Switzerland's Can
ton Appenzell, there is a cluster
of 18 houses that comprise a unique
community of children. Here some 200
youngsters from nine nations are grow
ing up in a spirit of interdependence
while still keeping the customs and
language of their mother countries.
Begun in 1945 as a community of war
orphans, the Pestalozzi Village (named
after Swiss educator Heinrich Pestalozzi)
today is a refuge for needy children
from all over the world. It is supported
entirely by private contributions,
largely from Swiss citizens.
To keep roots in their native culture,
each nationality group lives in a
separate chalet where house parents
conduct primary school in the mother
tongue. German also is taught in the early
grades and is the official language of
the children's village. Secondary school,
conducted in German, is attended by
all the youngsters.
But there is a communications system in
the village that is common to young
sters everywhere. It is the high-pitched
squeals of girls playing in a meadow,
the laughter of boys climbing over a water
trough, and the squeak of a musical
instrument in the hands of a young
virtuoso. It is this unofficial language that
helps make the Pestalozzi Village a
true United Nations of the young.
UJv-
" 1..
CI
it-
Sweet music resounds over the valley as a group of pipers takes to the great open spaces for their lessor.
An old favorite, ring-around-a-rosy wins international favor. House parents Join their charges for dinner.
Family Weekly, November 30, 1958 25 -