Five years of School of Tomorrow: An idea that continues to grow

Five years ago, six children walked through the doors of School of Tomorrow for the very first time. Three of them were our founders’ own children. The Augustinerhof campus was still an almost empty space, and at its heart was an ambitious idea: to personalize education. 

Today, more than 120 students are learning at three locations in Zurich and Uster. The once-empty rooms are now filled with children’s voices, questions, ideas, and the unmistakable energy that comes from learning and discovering something new every day. 

But the most valuable thing that has come out of these five years is our community. 

To our families: Thank you for your trust. 

To our colleagues: Thank you for the energy, care, and passion you bring to SOT every day. 

And to our students: Thank you for showing us every day just how valuable an education centered on the individual child is. 

Five years in. So many tomorrows ahead .  

Five years. Five questions. With Diego De Nicola. 

What was the first day at SOT like? 

Day 1 was super exciting. It was a jump into the unknown, and on top of that, we didn't have any furniture yet. It did show us, however, how creative you can be with very little. 

What surprises you most about SOT today? 

One of the most surprising—but also most exciting—things was, on the one hand, how much engagement there can be at a school and how far children can take a project when their interest is truly sparked. That truly blew me away. 

What moment from the past five years stayed with you? 

I knew when we started that we're going to have to learn a lot and that we will make mistakes. 

But one thing I'll never forget is when we installed our “Maker Space.” I had the glorious idea to get microscopes to look at really tiny things and a telescope to observe things that are far away. 

The telescope was never being used. 

So I asked the teachers, “How come you never use the telescope?” They looked at me and said, “Well, we’re never here at night.” 

And that was just one of the lessons we had to learn the hard way. 

What have the children taught you? 

We're used to children asking, "Why?" 

But the question that really stuck with me is when they ask: “Why not?” 

Because several times we got to the end of the road. We thought we couldn't continue and it wasn't feasible. 

And then a child looks you in the eyes and asks, “Why not?” 

And if then you don't have a good answer, you're bound to at least try. 

What do you hope to say for SOT's 10th anniversary? 

The vision is to revolutionize education. To have schools where children love going and where the methodology is individualized to every single one of them. 

So creating a school was actually just the first step along this jounery. 

If, five years from today, we are no longer the exception, then I think we will have truly achieved something remarkable, and hopefully something that will make a difference for every single child around the world.