Page 8 - NJC Magazine_Fall_2018

Visit njc.ch/news to view photos from Bill Boyer’s farewell fête, hosted in Toronto on September 20, 2018.
À la prochaine
Mr. Bill Boyer served a total of twelve years—over two periods—as Neuchâtel Junior College’s Head of School. He joined the NJC community as Head from 1989-1992, and returned to Neuchâtel in the same role from September 2009 until his retirement in July 2018. Proud to have spent a significant part of his career guiding our unique and extraordinary school, he looks forward to maintaining his connections with the NJC community, so, his heartfelt message to us should not be interpreted as, au revoir, but à la prochaine!
When my family first arrived in Neuchâtel in 1989, we really did not know what to expect. It was my first Headship of a school but certainly not my first time living and travelling in Europe, although those experiences were for shorter periods of time and usually in the summer months. Switzerland, and more precisely Neuchâtel, has become a second home for my family and for me. Both of my sons feel very comfortable returning to visit the place they called home in their childhood, and Colleen and I have developed many friends in this community whose
friendships we will cherish for the rest of our lives. Although we are proud Canadians, we certainly have always felt chez nous in Neuchâtel.
Neuchâtel Junior College is very much the same school that I came to nearly 30 years ago, and I am proud to know that it has also continued to progress. The school has changed with the times, but we still believe in the importance of character, personal integrity, respect for others, and the challenge to
do one’s best. This was the hallmark of the school’s ethos that Leonard Wilde expected of our very first students: independence, courage and a sense of adventure.
This philosophy continues, and like our students, NJC has also learned that resilience is essential to building endurance and strength. We have had our challenges as a small school that enrolls an entirely new set of students each year... and on another continent! Nevertheless, we have thrived.
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Neuchâtel Junior College Magazine