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CAMPUS AS CLASSROOM
A Round Square Adventure Seven Hackley students and three chaperones departed for England on Sept. 18 to attend the 2022 Round Square International Conference beginning in Oxford and continuing on the Pembrokeshire Coast in Wales. The group completed the trip with a three-day stay in London. Upon their return, the students completed written reflections about key takeaways and their time overseas; those reflections are shared here.
The international trip was part of Hackley’s Global
of their comfort zone during the trip. Every day, we
Education program. Hackley has been a member of
had to challenge ourselves to meet new people, share
Round Square—a consortium of more than 200
personal opinions, and take on new adventures,”
global independent schools that share a commitment
shared Merideth Maddox, K-12 Round Square
to discovering the world and making a difference—
Coordinator.
for more than a decade. The initiatives of the Global Education program at Hackley are supported by the School’s strategic plan—Redefining Excellence: Learning Beyond Boundaries—deepening the focus on creating culturally immersive travel experiences in an effort to promote empathy, wonder, and global citizenship. The theme of this year’s Round Square conference was “Take Less, Be More,” and it focused on sustainability and responsible use of resources. Students engaged in many activities, listened to guest speakers, and worked in groups with others from around the world. “It was my great hope that students would dive into learning, make friends, and push themselves outside
“I was thrilled to see our Hackley students lean in without hesitation. The chaperones and I saw the students in many different environments: they sampled foods made with crickets, took in museums, created a sustainable business plan, navigated the Underground, and did palm readings. Our trip was full of singing as the students belted out ‘Dancing Queen’ on our evening cruise on the Thames, sang along to a ‘London’ Spotify playlist while on the bus, and walked arm-in-arm during our last night belting out songs from the show ‘Six’ after we saw the performance together. When we arrived home, we were exhausted, but also transformed and renewed, singing the praises of our experience.”