Choosing Papio College
Indeed, the identity aspect of Papio College is guaranteed by its concern to introduce young people to a knowledge of the world, life and man, in which the spiritual dimension finds its place.
Recurrences such as Christmas and Easter are emphasized with meaningful meetings that help pupils reflect on issues such as solidarity with poor countries, the suffering of warring peoples, etc....
Collegio Papio was founded in 1584 by Cardinal Carlo Borromeo thanks to an inheritance bequest from Bartolomeo Papio, an Ascona patrician living in Rome. The centuries-long history of the College has been very eventful and has seen the succession of numerous managements by different religious orders, the last of which were the Benedictines of Einsiedeln (1924-1964), with whom the long papal period ended. In fact, since 1965 the College passed to the Diocese of Lugano.
The origins of the current approach date back to the 1920s, when the Benedictine fathers of Einsiedeln themselves gave new impetus to the College and succeeded in obtaining the organization of the Federal Baccalaureate Examination in Locarno.
Collegio Papio currently has a parish middle school and a high school that prepares for the Swiss Baccalaureate Examination. For the past few years, it has also offered a Passerella exam preparation course for students who have obtained a Professional Maturity and intend to continue their studies at university. The College also offers a customized curriculum for Talents, whether they are athletes, musicians or others.
The only school in Ticino to offer a campus, both men's and women's, the College has in recent years extended its offerings to include weekends to meet the needs of the growing number of foreign students. In addition to the old part, the Renaissance-era cloister and the 17th-century garden, the College has a modern part equipped with a swimming pool and gymnasium and technologically advanced science classrooms, which internal students can also use.
The College's pedagogical teaching avant-garde is ensured not only by a qualified and continuously training faculty, but also by a good endowment of scientific and computer tools and an exclusive range of offerings: early English in Middle School, language exchanges with private schools in the French- and German-speaking area, international language certificates, participation in study weeks organized by the Science and Youth Foundation, Kangourou math competitions, etc.
Thus, an offer that stimulates talents flanked, however, also by supportive tools such as assisted studies, Introductory Study Hour and Tutor in First High School.
The Papio College Foundation, established in 2008, provides stewardship with prudent financial, marketing and scholarship management, which ensures attendance at the College even for low-income families.
Particular attention is paid to personnel management, which aims with regular one-on-one interviews to enhance the individual and consequently the growth of the group.
Infrastructure is also the focus of the Foundation, which opened the New Wing including canteen and kitchen in early 2021.
