Forty years old and still young at heart

I am 40 years old but my average age is 4. Who am I? The answer is the CERN nursery school, located near Gate A on the Meyrin site. This year's traditional end-of-year party on 24 June was a lot more lively than usual. To mark the school's fortieth birthday in style, the teachers dressed up in pretty, floating costumes, a clown on stilts was in attendance, to the delight of a fascinated crowd of children, and balloons were released into the sky.


Dozens of balloons were released into the sky to mark the CERN nursery school's 40th Anniversary.



Standing on stilts and performing a juggling act, the clown was the highlight of the evening.




In 1965, when it was created on the initiative of a group of parents, the nursery school consisted of a single class that was open in the mornings only and was held in a room located outside the CERN site. The Staff Association took up the reins right from the start and is still running the school today. The school went from strength to strength. "Even at the beginning, there was a long waiting list for places", says Brigitte Pillionnel, who is currently in charge of the school. "But in spite of its many advantages, it would not have survived for so long without the unfailing support of the Staff Association".

In 1977 the school moved from buildings near Gate C to its current premises, which were previously occupied by the Tortella restaurant (today's Restaurant No. 2). Around a hundred children attended the school's six classes at the time. It has been full ever since and this year boasted 175 children in nine classes and twenty-two teachers and assistants (including a trainee).

The CERN nursery school owes its success not only to its convenience for parents working at CERN but also to the welcome it gives the children and the quality of the teaching. There is a limit on the number of children in each class, as laid down by the child welfare services of the Canton of Geneva. The style of teaching encourages children to be responsible and also respects their individuality. "We use the active teaching method, which allows children to shape their own ideas and thoughts. The aim is to make them independent and encourage them to learn through play", explains Mrs Pillionnel. "In playing, children are not only physically active but are also able to learn, discover their environment, gain confidence and satisfy their natural curiosity".

Above all, what makes the nursery school so charming is its role as a mini-CERN, where children of all nationalities play together and communicate without necessarily speaking the same language. This openness towards others makes the school one of a kind.


Almost all of the CERN nursery school's teaching and support staff, in pretty festive apparel, standing beneath a huge shiny number forty.