Meet Our Team

Janine Bonadimann

Principal and ADHD specialist

Janine is an experienced educator and school leader with over 20 years in Swiss kindergarten and primary education. She holds a Kindergarten Teaching Diploma from KGS St. Gallen, a CAS in School Leadership from the Pädagogische Hochschule Zürich, and is a certified LEGO Serious Play Facilitator. Having served as both classroom teacher and Co-Schulleiterin, Janine brings a rare combination of teaching warmth and strategic leadership to her role. She is passionate about creating playful, structured learning environments where every child can find their place.

Barbara Eichenberger

Special education teacher and ADHD expert

Barbara is a Schulische Heilpädagogin (special-needs educator) with many years of experience at the kindergarten and lower-primary level. For more than 20 years she has supported children with diverse learning and developmental profiles in their individual development. As an empathetic, creative team player, close collaboration with parents, teachers and specialists matters deeply to her. She is convinced that children are best supported when everyone involved works together with respect and appreciation. Her connection to nature shapes her calm, resource-oriented approach. She holds a Master of Arts in Special Needs Education from the Interkantonale Hochschule für Heilpädagogik Zürich, together with extensive experience in interdisciplinary collaboration. Continuing education in MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction), PNT (Positive Neuroplasticity Training) and Touch for Health I complement her work.

Christine Trachsler

Learning Coach (Lerncoach)

Christine is a Lerncoach (learning coach) with over 30 years of experience in Swiss education — spanning primary school, adult education, and Sek I. She currently leads a primary school in Canton Zurich and brings her coaching and leadership experience to SOLA in the role of Lerncoach. A trained primary and Sek I teacher, she also holds a CAS in Learning Coaching from the FHNW and a CAS in Supervision and School Practice Consulting (ISSVS), complemented by training in Montessori education. At Sek eins Höfe in Pfäffikon SZ she introduced learning coaching and established it as a support offering highly valued by teachers and students alike; as co-author of «Lernjobs» (hep-Verlag) on cross-curricular competencies, she guides learners towards independent, self-assured learning. Her passion for education and for guiding young people is rooted both professionally and personally — grounded in the conviction that every child deserves their own learning path. Christine meets young people with appreciation, warmth, clarity, and humour. Openness and authenticity matter deeply to her in how she relates to others.

Conny Christen

Subject Teacher — German, French and Sport

Conny is a Subject Teacher for German, French and Sport and a qualified secondary teacher with over 30 years of experience in Swiss education. Her secondary teaching diploma from the University of Fribourg covers German, French, English and Sport — subjects she has taught for many years at a range of schools. Alongside her many years of teaching, she brings extensive leadership experience as a school principal at various Swiss schools, including a Montessori school. Languages are her passion — she speaks French, English and Spanish at C2 level. A trained gymnastics and aerobics instructor and keen sportswoman, she brings movement and learning together with energy and joy. Conny’s optimism is infectious, paired with a genuine openness and honesty. She encourages young people to reflect on themselves and the world around them, and helps them grow into a healthy self-confidence.

Ceanna Madden

Award-winning Sek I teacher, gifted and 2e specialist

Ceanna is an award-winning educator and neurodiversity advocate with a background spanning geography, teaching, and technology. She holds a BSc in Physical Geography from Durham University and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education Leadership from Northumbria University (Teach First), and is a UK Qualified Teacher. Rated Outstanding by Teach First, Ceanna has a particular passion for supporting students with invisible disabilities and special educational needs, and brings creative, evidence-based approaches to every classroom.

Fabienne Seunig

Primary Teacher (German)

Fabienne is a Swiss-trained primary school teacher with a Bachelor of Arts from the Pädagogische Hochschule St. Gallen, where she also completed a qualification in Musikalische Grundschule (MGS). She has taught across a range of primary year groups in both state and bilingual school settings, including Lakeside School Horgen, and brings a warm, child-centred approach to her classroom. Fabienne believes deeply in accompanying each child individually on their learning journey, creating a space where curiosity is celebrated, strengths are made visible, and every child feels safe, accepted, and heard.

Arisa Meli

Subject Teacher

Arisa is a qualified pharmacist and licensed natural sciences teacher whose career spans Japan, New Zealand, the UK, France, and Switzerland. She holds a dual degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Education from KINDAI University, Osaka, including a Japanese state licence as a pharmacist and a Gymnasiallehrerdiplom in Natural Sciences. With over a decade of academic coaching experience in Switzerland — and a 100% pass rate for students she has prepared for Matura and university entrance exams — Arisa brings strong MINT expertise, multilingual fluency, and a structured yet empathetic teaching style to every learner she supports.

Elizabete "Betty" Smildzin

Pedagogical Mentor, gifted and 2e specialist

Elizabete (Betty) is a researcher, educator, and movement specialist whose work sits at the intersection of anthropology, wellbeing, and inclusive education. She holds a First-Class BA and a Distinction-level MA in Social Anthropology from Durham University, and is currently completing an ESRC-funded PhD exploring how young people navigate professional employment. A certified Yoga Alliance teacher and aerial circus instructor, Betty brings a holistic perspective to learning, specialising in supporting neurodivergent children through movement, creativity, and individualised mentoring.

Raffaella Rende

Sek I Teacher, History, Geography & Music

Raffaella is a Swiss-trained secondary school teacher currently completing her Master's in Secondary Education (Sek I) at the Pädagogische Hochschule St. Gallen, with a subject profile in History, Geography and Civics (RZG) alongside Music. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History with a minor in Classical Archaeology, as well as a Master of Arts in Archaeological Cultural Studies, both from the University of Zurich. Since August 2024, she has taught Music at the Sek I level at Oberstufe Linth Escher in Niederurnen, including choir and band. Beyond the classroom, Raffaella is an accomplished musician and conductor – directing a choir and a guitar and mandolin orchestra in Uznach and teaching guitar since 2020 – and brings a multilingual, multidisciplinary perspective spanning history, archaeology, and the arts to her teaching.

Sebastian Meli

Subject Teacher

Sebastian is a future secondary school teacher currently completing his Bachelor's in Secondary Education at the Pädagogische Hochschule Luzern, with a strong foundation in the natural sciences from his studies in Pharmaceutical Sciences at ETH Zürich. A native speaker of both Swiss German and Japanese, he has already gained practical classroom experience as a substitute teacher at Sek1March in Lachen. Sebastian brings intellectual curiosity, multilingual versatility, and a calm, structured approach to supporting students on their learning journey.

Kim Borsboom

President of the Association / Co-Founder

Kim is a co-founder of Swiss Open Leaf Academy and the mother of three gifted, neurodiverse children — the direct inspiration behind the school. She brings over 30 years of experience across education, as a tutor, mentor and coach, in university curriculum development, and as a lecturer in developmental and school psychology and in criminology. Over the past five years, shaped closely by her own family’s experience, her focus has turned to gifted education and neurodiversity. Together with Dr. Kuhn, she is eager to share the knowledge they have gathered in these areas over the years with parents and others. Alongside SOLA, she is co-founder and CEO of an EdTech start-up. Aside from today’s technological revolutions, Kim’s favourite era is the Palaeolithic — with palaeontology, psychology and philosophy among her lasting fascinations

Leonardo Fiocchi

Co-Founder / Board Member

Leonardo Fiocchi is a co-founder at SOLA, where he focuses on operations and strategy. He brings a background in strategy consulting and engineering – currently working at McKinsey & Company, where he advises clients on digital transformation and organizational change across Europe. Leonardo holds an MBA from INSEAD and a MSc in Robotics and Automation Engineering from the University of Bologna. Beyond his professional work, Leonardo has spent over a decade as a basketball referee officiating more than 1,000 games and leading a group of 60+ referees. His passion for coaching individuals in their personal and professional growth led him to join SOLA in this journey. In his free time, Leonardo enjoys neo-classical music, learning about Asia (having spent time learning Mandarin and living across the region), and following the EdTech startup space.

Franziska Blindow-Prettl

Co-Founder / Board Member

Dr. Franziska Blindow-Prettl is a co-founder of the Swiss Open Leaf Academy (SOLA). She brings over two decades of experience in private equity and alternative investments – including as a Partner at LGT Capital Partners and Head of the LGT Family Office – alongside many years in her family's impact-investing activities, with a focus on renewable energy and education technology. Today she serves on the board of b2venture, a leading European venture capital firm. Franziska holds a doctorate from the University of St. Gallen (Dr. oec. HSG). A long-standing commitment to nurturing highly gifted children is what led her to help found SOLA. Outside work, she is passionate about physics, philosophy, and consciousness research.

Alexandra Feuerstein

Co-Founder / Head of Administration & Operations

Alexandra Feuerstein is a co-founder of the Swiss Open Leaf Academy (SOLA). Professionally, she brings years of experience in education as well as in international companies — stops along the way that gave her a deep understanding of school organization, families, and the particular needs of learners.

For Alexandra, however, founding SOLA is above all a matter close to her heart. As the mother of a child who did not find a place within the traditional school system, she knows from her own experience how painful it can be when a child is not seen or supported, and how much strength it takes families to find the right path. It is precisely this experience that drives her deepest wish for SOLA: to create a sanctuary — a protected place where not only parents find support, but above all where children themselves are allowed to be exactly as they are, and to grow at their own pace.