Au Revoir Kansas: Sophomore Caden Crosbie attends boarding school in Switzerland

Sitting in her bedroom, then-freshman Caden Crosbie opens her Notes app — a list of two boarding schools in Europe stares back at her. 

From the rolling mountains of the Alps, peaked with snow, to the bustling chatter of the foreign cities surrounding, she has always dreamed of living in Europe because of its beauty. 

Looking back at her freshman year at East, now sophomore Crosbie realizes that she craved more cultural experiences and memories. 

Needing a change from Kansas, she researched about a country that has always interested her. Sitting between some of Europe’s most iconic countries of France, Austria and Germany, was Switzerland — home of the most prestigious boarding schools in the world and phenomenal skiing opportunities — a sport she’s been in love with since age four. 

It was that moment when she knew where she was going to spend her sophomore year, and she booked her flight to her new home on Aug. 29. 

Crosbie narrowed her list of schools down to Collège Alpin Beau Soleil in Villars-sur-Ollon and Leysin American School. Ultimately, Crosbie decided to attend Leysin American School because of the lenient rules and safety of the town. 

She spent weeks getting in touch with the admissions office, paying the $3,000 fee to apply, taking placement tests, writing essays and getting a student visa. All her hard work paid off when she received a letter in the mail with the word “accepted” starting the sentence. 

“Early one morning in June, my mom woke me up to tell me I’d been accepted into both of the schools I applied to,” Crosbie said. “I was really scared because I didn’t know anyone over there, but overall was excited since I loved the country so much.”

Her next step was telling her friends that she was accepted and planned to move later that summer, which according to Crosbie was one of the hardest steps yet. One of Crosbie’s best friends, sophomore Margot Hawes, didn’t believe Crosbie at first, and it wasn’t until her final days in Prairie Village that the actuality set in. 

“She told us she was accepted and we didn’t really think about it at first and spent the whole summer with her,” Hawes said. “I don’t think it really became reality to any of us until August.”

Hand-written letters from her friends were scattered over Crosbie’s bed as she said her final goodbyes to her best friends with tears in her eyes.

“I wrote her a handwritten letter that was three pages long, and it was about her and our friendship,” Hawes said. “I think for like an hour we cried and hugged each other in our arms.”

A day later, Crosbie landed in Leysin, Switzerland, and began her school year abroad, meeting friends from all over the globe and waking up to views of the Swiss Alps. 

From Honors level classes at East, to International Baccalaureate education, Crosbie has adjusted to her new lifestyle well. Crosbie is currently learning French and continuing Spanish. She enjoys immersing herself in the culture everyday.

A few times each semester, Leysin students travel on culture trips, and Crosbie explored places like France, Spain and Austria.

“Some trips are paid for by the school, but we have to pay extra if we want to do different activities,” Crosbie said. 

On weekends, the students are granted overnight or day travel if grades permit, and Crosbie has seen the neighboring countries with her new friends. Through this, she’s created some of the best memories she’s ever experienced in places like Germany and Montreux, Switzerland. 

“Paris has been my favorite place so far,” Crosbie said. “We took a boat tour around the River Seine and my friends and I went shopping. We kept on saying one more store, and by the time the day was over, we could barely fit the bags in the car.”

Spending her sophomore year in the land of fondue has expanded her love for seeing the world to a whole other level, and she looks forward to exploring the rest of the continent with the freedoms from her new school. 

“I love Switzerland because it’s so beautiful here, and the weather is always nice,” Crosbie said. “I love skiing too and can’t wait to do so. It’s a really safe city and really close to other countries I love to visit as well.”