Photo By Dale Eisinger

It’s all a part of the “international mindedness” students are expected to learn at Léman.

“International mindedness means you are aware of the problems and ready to be involved in the solutions,” said Drew Alexander, head of the school. “It means you truly believe in community service as it relates to your own world and other parts of the world.”

Léman, a research-based school, has been a part of the Meritas international family of schools since last year, and the upper campus opened two years ago. This year, Léman has their first senior graduating class, and first exchange student program this year. Students regularly exchange with other Meritas students across the world via Skype in a program called Touchpoint, to discuss global issues, says Alexander.

“We want our students to see themselves as participants in global discourse,” says Emily Khan, the head of the English department at the upper school.

The Léman campus is impressive, with two pools, two gyms and a cafeteria staffed by classically trained chefs. The lobby of the school is a horseshoe-shaped room lined floor to ceiling in glass that overlooks the New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty. The view, Khan says, is meant to inspire the visual arts students.

As part of the Meritas group, Léman high school students can have the opportunity to study philosophy for two weeks abroad in August at Oxford. As a growing school, students have access to an increasing number of clubs on campus including sports, robotics, fencing and music. Each lower-school student is required to take piano.

In the Léman classroom itself, class sizes range from 10-18 students, and teachers do not take on the “typical” teaching methodology, Khan says.

“We are student-centered, so we avoid lecturing in front of the classroom,” Khan says. “The students work together and achieve independence.”

Léman teachers try to take learning outside of the classroom as well. Khan recalls one instance this year when the class was studying gravestone epitaphs, and one of the students suggested visiting Trinity Church to look at the gravestones there, and they did.

Many of the learning experiences at Léman come from mixing cultures, and introducing the international students to the American lifestyle. This year, many of the exchange students celebrated their first Halloween, says Alexander. For the school’s Halloween party, the international students were excited and bought costumes.

“For them to experience that for the first time with students who grew up with Halloween, it is really an interesting moment,” Alexander says. “But at Léman, it happens every day.”

Seared Tuna with Pickled Watermelon and Spring Onion

16 Hors D’oeuvres 

INGREDIENTS

For the Pickled Watermelon, Mustard Seeds, and Peppers

Pickling Liquid, divided:

-2 cups water

-1 cup apple cider vinegar

-1/3 cup mirin

-1/3 cup sugar

-4  teaspoons salt

1 baby seedless watermelon, cut into 1 inch cubes

½ cup mustard seeds

2 serrano peppers, very thinly sliced

For the Spring Onion Puree

1 bunch of spring onions

Olive oil

Kosher salt

2 tablespoons butter

For the Tuna

6 oz bigeye tuna steak

½ teaspoon fennel pollen

½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

Grapeseed oil

To Finish

Coarse sea salt

Cilantro leaves

For the Pickles:

1. Heat the pickling liquid in a stockpot until it comes to a boil. Cool pickling liquid until

room temperature.

2. Combine ½ cup of mustard seeds and 1 cup of the pickling liquid in a small stockpot.

Simmer over low heat until the mustard seeds are tender and the liquid is mostly

absorbed. Set aside to cool and refrigerate.

3. In a small ramekin, place the sliced Serrano peppers and add pickling liquid to just cover.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

4. Take cubed watermelon and place in a shallow dish. Pour the remainder of the pickling

liquid over the watermelon. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours.

For the Spring Onions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

2. Meanwhile, trim the roots from your onions and rinse thoroughly. Separate the greens

from the white bulbs. Chop the green portion into ½ inch pieces. Blanch the greens in

boiling water for approximately 1 minute and shock in an ice bath. Remove greens once

cooled and dry off with a kitchen towel. Process in the blender with olive oil until

smooth, strain through a fine mesh strainer, discarding what does not pass through.

Season to taste with salt and set aside.

3. Thinly slice the white portion of the spring onions. In a medium pan over medium heat,

melt the butter. Add the onions and sauté until very tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Process in the blender until smooth, season with salt, and set aside. If the mixture is dry,

slowly drizzle in olive oil until smooth.

For the Tuna:

1. Slice the tuna steak into 1-inch wide strips. Mix together the fennel pollen, ginger, salt &

pepper. Coat all four sides of the tuna steak with mixture and set aside.

2. Heat a large pan on high heat. When hot, coat the bottom of the pan with grapeseed oil.

Sear all four sides of your tuna strips fairly quickly, for about 10 seconds per side.

Immediately remove from the heat and refrigerate.

3. When cool, slice crosswise into at least 16 pieces. The width of the tuna and

watermelon should be approximately the same size. Set aside.

To Finish & Assemble:

1. On your serving dish, place 16 cubes of pickled watermelon. Place a small dollop of the

white spring onion puree on top of the watermelon. Gently place one slice of tuna.

Spoon on some of green spring onion puree. Top with a bit of the pickled mustard

seeds, one slice of Serrano pepper, and one cilantro leaf. Repeat with remaining

watermelon and tuna. Finish with coarse sea salt and serve immediately.