RS News (March 2014)

ROUND SQUARE NEWS MARCH 2014 - Issue 18

www.roundsquare.org

Round Square International Conferences 2014 - Jordan & India

In 2014 The Sanskaar Valley School, Bhopal, India and King’s Academy, Madaba, Jordan will jointly be hosting the Round Square International Conference.

The Sanskaar Valley School 28th September - 4th October “We may not have it all together… but together, we have it all.”

The theme is based on the idea of learning to live together in peace and harmony. Through this process mutual respect, compassion, social responsibility and tolerance of diversity among individuals and groups are internalized and practiced together to achieve a better future and to work towards a free and democratic society.

Today, interdependence, co-existence and synergy are not just the new mantras … but the lasting solution for existence and development, and capable of turning the course of history. A beginning has to be made, and what can be better than changing and influencing young minds to share this responsibility and take it forward together. It is our dream of touching the world in a positive way through togetherness, so, let us simply embrace it.

“We are confident that this is the forum that can provide both the breeze to carry global cultures, as well as a large share of happiness to the world around

us. Our time is now, but it will take all of us, together, to accomplish this vision.

We must harness the strength of our relationships and our combined energy to culminate into the power of one … and direct it in such a way that the world collectively and each one of us individually will be changed for the better through our efforts - together!”

Speakers - Sanskaar hope to bring together brilliant minds from across varied disciplines who would best substantiate the theme with their work and experience and those who have influenced human affairs in this region. They will post details about the speakers on the website in the near future.

King’s Academy 7th - 13th October The theme of the King’s Academy conference is Al Salamu Alaikum or Peace Be With You. The conference logo is the olive tree, a symbol of peace in the region Olive trees are cherished. They are deep rooted and suited to the region’s somewhat arid climate. “The tree’s branches reach out just as we wish our RSIC to do.”

“We hope that through speakers, barazzas and riikkas, we will all learn to walk together steadily in search of peace. As we confront issues that are

problematic, may we learn to celebrate our differences and grow stronger in the collective wisdom that a RSIC gathers.”

Speakers - King’s Academy speakers are from the region and will be challenging and inspirational.

Visit the RSIC websites for more details: http://www.kingsacademy.edu.jo/rsic2014/theme-and-logo http://www.rsic2014tsvs.org

Contents • General News - Kurt Hahn Award winner continues - Letter of thanks to His Majesty - Welcome New Members - Project Update - From the Chairman - Executive Update

• Regional News

GENERAL NEWS

Kurt Hahn Award winner of 2012 continues to do amazing things Ella McAuliffe was awarded the Kurt Hahn Award in 2012 for her fundraising activities to build classrooms for needy communities.

At the time Ella was 11 years old and had raised $26000 through bike sales, the sale of pot plants, homemade popsicles and other fundraising activities.

At the end of January this year Ella visited Sandoat School which is the second of the schools she have raised funds for. (see photo of the finished school) The new building has three classrooms and the old condemned building was demolished. There was an existing building of three classrooms, so this now means that there are six safe, strong classrooms for the primary aged children of the village commune. Three sessions of school run each day and the school has an enrolment of 638 children over the course of a day.

Ella is a striking example for others to realize that age is not necessarily a barrier to people who want to make a difference!

Ella said “The children were growing some vegetables in front of the new building and obviously making good use of the well that was dug at the same time as the new building work was done.�

New process for membership enquiries Recently there has been a sharp increase in schools enquiring about Round Square Membership. Therefore it has become necessary to look at the current process and to develop a more professional response to applications as well as an efficient and accurate method of managing them which requires tracking the status and communicating to the Regional Directors on an ongoing basis.

Consequently it is imperative that we direct all enquiries through a central office to record, direct and track them.

Please note that this process takes immediate effect so all enquiries from now on are referred to Jane Howison as per the new enquiry email address E-mail: enquire@roundsquare.org All enquires must be directed to this email address.

http://roundsquare.info/index. php?id=748 It is important to note that whilst the process of enquiry and application has been refined, that applications for Round Square Membership are considered and approved at the regional level by the regional committees.

We have developed a complete document that includes the process and includes the internal check list and reference to a mentoring process which is in a developmental stage. Should you wish to see the full document, please feel free to contact me brian@roundsquare.org Brian Dawson, Executive Director

It is essential that all Heads and Reps become familiar with this new process and adopt it as standard protocol for membership enquiries. To read more please see full details on the RS Intranet page under Membership, Application Process.

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Are you following Round Square on Twitter yet?

Keep up to date with News from the Round Square community

We now have over 470 followers https://twitter.com/r0undsquare

GENERAL NEWS

Letter of thanks to His Majesty from award recipient, Sarah McArthur nstantine HM King Co or Square 15 Grosven K 6LD London W1

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GENERAL NEWS

NEW Members European Region: Rockport School, Belfast, Northern Ireland Regional Member http://www.rockportschool.com The Samworth Church Academy, England Regional Member http://samworth.schudio.com Americas Region: Emma Willard School, New York Regional Member http://www.emmawillard.org St. John’s - Kilmarnock, Guelph, Ontario, Canada Regional Member http://www.sjkschool.org St. Mildred’s, Oakville, Ontario, Canada Global Member http://www.smls.on.ca/page South Asia & Gulf Region: Işıkkent Eğitim Kampusü, Turkey Regional Member http://www.isikkent.k12.tr Pinegrove School, India Regional Member http://www.pinegroveschool.com Genesis Global School, India Regional Member http://www.genesisglobalschool.com Wellham Boys’ School, Dehra Dun, India Global Member http://www.welhamboys.org Australasia: UWCSEA East Campus, Singapore Global Member https://www.uwcsea.edu.sg/east-campus

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Project Update RSIS Projects in December 2013 were incredibly successful with five teams travelling around the globe to do some excellent work in our partner communities.

Projects for July 2014 are now all full, and well into the planning stages so we’re really excited to see everything coming together!

We have so much news that it’s all in the RSIS newsletter, so grab a coffee and a biscuit or two, and settle down for a good read! Download from the RS Intranet News Section. http://roundsquare.info/index.php?id=137

GENERAL NEWS

FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES As I write this, the Board of Trustees is preparing to meet for one of its bi-annual meetings which will be held at Ermitage in Maisons-Laffitte. This continues the recent practice established of meeting in Member Schools, where possible.

Part of the Board’s time when they meet will be spent on discussion of the progress regarding the Round Square Strategic Plan. As Members who have been able to attend Regional Meetings over the past few weeks will know, significant progress has been made and the development of a Global Framework is now well-formulated At Regional Meetings during the last two months, Members were able to begin to formulate Regional Objectives and, to support these, the Round Square Management Team have been working on their own objectives designed to support the Regions’ aspirations.

Regional Directors will be reporting to the Board on these Regional Objectives and

shortly after the Board Meeting, work will commence on the initial development of Regional Implementation Plans.

This is an exciting time for Round Square and when we gather in India and Jordan later this year, further updates in regards to this strategic planning process, and in particular the development of Regional Implementation Plans, will be able to be provided to all Members.

In relation to Conferences, extensive planning continues in the lead-up to the inaugural Young Round Square Conference, to be held in South Africa in early May and in relation to the Round Square International Conferences, to be held in India (the Sanskaar Valley School, Bhopal) and Jordan (King’s Academy, Amman) in late September and early October respectively.

I look forward to catching up with Member Schools and many Honorary Members at these Conferences.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR UPDATE As the first quarter of the year is marked off, one can sense huge amounts of excitement as we look forward to the inaugural Young Round Square Conference and the two Global events later in October. Yvette at Dainfern and her team are putting on the finishing touches to their conference. Interest has been exceptional and the event promises to be memorable and set a new dimension for student interaction within the IDEALS of Round Square. Tessa at Kings Academy and Amlan at the Sanskaar Valley School are approaching the detail phase of their respective conferences and the excitement within each school grows on a daily basis. I would like to wish all three organising committees and their host schools, the very best of luck and we look forward to the successful delivery of the conferences.

The Round Square Strategic Plan continues to be shaped by all our stakeholders and we look forward to the presentation of the final version in due course. Again, there has been extensive consultation with our members in this regard and the entire membership will therefore be able to take ownership of the path forward for Round Square as it moves into a new and stimulating phase. This was reinforced at the March Board meeting where Board members not already involved, were able to have input into the strategic planning process.

The December RSIS projects were all concluded on a very successful note and I would like to again extend a personal thanks to Liz and Clare for the ongoing detailed administrative efforts as well as to Liz and Rod Summerton for running another successful Project Leader training workshop.

I would especially like to thank and all those dedicated Project Leaders, Assistant Leaders and Accompanying Adults who make sure that these projects run smoothly and continue to uncover hidden strengths in the participants.

The July projects are well supported and they too promise to be full of excitement and challenges.

Brian Dawson

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Roderick D Fraser Chairman - Round Square Board of Trustees

Editor of RS NEWS Suzanne Cook, Marketing & Communications Manager E-mail: suzanne@roundsquare.org Contributions Please send you news and photos to Suzanne Cook for the next edition.

It will be best if your text is up to 350 words long.

RS NEWS is issued four times a year, normally in March, June, September, & December Past Issues Past issues of the newsletters can be downloaded from the RS Intranet www.roundsqurare.info Click on News, Newsletters

REGIONAL NEWS - AUSTRALASIA

Billanook College Thailand Service Project 2013 For over a decade now, Billanook College in Melbourne, Australia has been sending a cohort of Year 11 students to Northern Thailand for a Service Project as part of its Round Square Program. Students spend the year fundraising to provide much needed facilities and resources for Village Schools in the Mae Hong Son region. Here is a reflection from two students that participated in the 2013 project.

“On the 29th of November 12 excited students and 3 enthusiastic teachers arrived at Tullamarine Airport Melbourne, ready for a midnight flight to Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Everyone including parents were a little apprehensive as many of us had never travelled overseas before.

We started our tour with many common tourist activities such as shopping at local night markets, visiting an elephant rescue park and monk chat at the temple.

Arriving at the Baan Nam Pieng Din School in Mae Hong Son, we finally got to see all the little smiling faces that we had been anticipating all year. Visiting a such a poor region as this really makes you understand why people back home are always telling us to appreciate what we have. The children that we had the privilege of meeting, playing with and teaching were always so happy with the smallest of things. They were some of the happiest and most content little children we have ever seen, and yet they had so little. All the fundraising we ran throughout the year including school dinners, cake stalls and catering was finally all worth it as we knew it was going towards such a wonderful cause. We all divvied up blankets kindly made by a local

Senior Citizens group, soft toys made by students, bracelets made by the group of volunteers as well as toothbrushes and laptops and carried them in our suitcases.

We raised over $10,000 dollars that went towards building supplies and local builders, stationary, sporting goods and new school uniforms.

We spent 9 days in total at the Baan Nam Pieng Din Village School, constructing various buildings. This included extending their canteen, adding onto the kindergarten that was started by the 2013 Billanook Adult Tour Group, as well as a Sepak Tekraw court – a thai sport similar to volleyball – but you use your feet instead of your hands. The weather was very different to what us Australian’s were used to. Working in these hot and humid conditions was very exhausting.

Overall our trip was an experience of a lifetime. Our group bonded really well and new friends were made. The project was heartwarming and changed people’s outlook on life. Giving back to a distant community, who were at a disadvantage, opened our eyes to the harsh reality of the world. Strong connections were made between the Thai kids and Billanook students. Saying goodbye to the children was a difficult task. There wasn’t a dry eye on the bus back to the hotel. Knowing that we had changed the lives of all the current and future children of the school made the goodbye that little bit more sincere. It was an adventure we will never forget.”

Shanya Canavan & Rhiannan McPhee Year 11 Students Billanook College Thailand Service Project 2013

A Renaissance for Round Square The IDEALS week is the highlight of the RoundSquare calendar for Renaissance International School Saigon as all secondary students are given the opportunity to explore new countries, share experiences and try to hit as many of the IDEALS as possible. This year students went to Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and of course, Vietnam.

It’s fair to say that often our students surprise us, by accomplishing the IDEALS in ways we never thought. At Renaissance, students who went the extra mile were rewarded with medals at the end of the day. In what’s becoming quite a tradition, the idea is that maybe we have two ‘Democracy’ medals a week, maybe it’s three ‘Leadership’, but it’s our way of letting them know that they’ve

achieved something, without being asked to.

The focus of many trips is to widen the horizons of our students and in one case our Year 11 class rose to expectations and exceeded them. During the planting of mangroves on Bintan Island, Indonesia, our students noticed that the beach was covered in rubbish, washed up from heavy sea. Even though they had spent an hour planting, they still wanted to clean the beach too. Bags were found and the walk back to the bus was put to good use rubbish collecting. From a teachers point of view it was pretty heartwarming to see them take the initiative. A long morning, but still enough energy for a lively group photo of our boys.

Another project for Year 9 was following the food chain in a single day. In the

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Cameron Highlands, Malaysia, they dug the ground in one area, planted seeds in another, harvested already grown sweet potatoes in a third area, then held a cooking competition in a final show down of agricultural/culinary mastery. They also ticked off the action box in a big way by rafting, zip lining, caving, climbing and trekking all in a single day. Everyone completed every challenge, making their teachers very proud.

REGIONAL NEWS - AUSTRALASIA

BCCSC Service in a nursing home Many students from BCCSC (Beijing Concord College of Sino-Canada) have been doing service in different places during the past 16 years, especially 2013 when we join the Round Square family.

Students from Service Commission of BCCSC Student Round Square Committee go to a nursing home in Songzhuang, Tongzhou District, Beijing, every Wednesday afternoon after school time.

This activity is supported by our Round Square Love and Care Foundation, which is raised by all fund raising activities organized by students on campus. This service program provides a chance for our students to improve their social responsibility and every one promised that they will continue to implement the Round Square IDEALS during their life.

“We are so happy to hear them laugh when we talk about our school life” a student from Service Commission said.

Students go there to spend one hour with the residents. Sometimes students sing for them, sometimes they just sit and chat with them, and sometimes they will do cleaning or laundry works for them.

“It was sad to see them living there by themselves at the beginning, but I am very happy now to see so many smiles on their face when we are there.” a student from Service Commission said. The students from Service Commission know more on how to help people from doing service at the nursing home.

Regents’ Students Tackle the IDEALS on Round Square Week In January and February students at Regents International School Pattaya (Thailand) launched themselves into the school’s two annual Round Square Weeks, one for Secondary Students and one for Primary. Over the course of the two weeks several hundred students aged between 5 and 18 took part in a wide range of activities based on one or more of the IDEALS. One group of secondary students headed off to the island of Krabi to climb limestone cliffs whilst another made the trip to Mae Hon Song to go caving. Others travelled further afield.

Learning to surf and life-save in Bali was unsurprisingly popular, as was the residential trip to Cambodia. Students took in the sights and sounds of Angkor Wat and joined a workshop run by the Phare Cambodian Circus, a charity which delivers art therapy to those affected by the Cambodian genocide.

The students also got involved in a vast range of local community projects, including teaching science to children at the Sanuk Day Care Centre and performing music concerts for the Father Ray Foundation and the Disabled Ladies’ Home.

Paul Crouch, Assistant Principal – Community and Student Enrichment, commented: “Round Square Week is a

Students in Years 5 and 6 (ages 9 and 10) flew to Nepal, where they took on the challenge of a week’s trekking and community service, while some of their classmates travelled to Chiang Mai to learn more about animal conservation at the Elephant Nature Park.

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fantastic opportunity for the students.

It enables them to embrace challenge, push themselves out of their comfort zones and give back to many of our community projects. The experiences and opportunities provided by Regents’ Round Square Week will continue to develop life-long skills that will allow our students to become productive, well rounded global citizens of the future.”

REGIONAL NEWS - AUSTRALASIA

Volunteers in Association for the Handicapped Around 19:00 on 21 December 2013, a group of students from BCCSC (Beijing Concord College of Sino-Canada) back from New year Party with children from Association for the Handicapped in Haidian District, were singing happily and could not stop talking about how great the party was.

At 13:00 on 21 December they went to the Theater of Association for the Handicapped and watched the children’s excellent performance on stage. Their innocent and warm smiles brought the students back to the days they had spent with them.

This is a program that BCCSC has been doing for over ten years. Each month students from Leadership Commission of Round Square go to Association for the handicapped in Haidian District and spend a whole day with those handicapped students. Students from Leadership Commission teach songs and play music

instruments. For different reasons, many of the children there could not hear very well and have to wear hearing aids to listen to people and music. Therefore, students from Leadership Commission chose some easy songs to teach them with great patience. Sometimes they also bring some snacks for children to eat while they are playing games.

This activity is supported by our Round Square Love and Care Foundation, which is raised by all fund raising activities organized by students on campus. Each student from Leadership Commission expressed that they will continue to do this long-term program to carry out the Round Square IDEALS spirits.

Planting Partnerships It is in the spirit of UWCSEA’s Global Concerns programme to follow the old adage ‘Think global, act local,’ and this is certainly the case for the Rainforest Nursery GC. With a mission to tackle the global issue of rainforest loss, the group raises indigenous trees (native to Southeast Asia) from seed for planting locally—on both our campuses and elsewhere in Singapore. With only a tiny fraction of its original primary rainforest remaining, our aim is to play a part in reversing the trend and reforesting the nation. This may seem a tall order given the country’s continued rapid development, but our GC is committed to working with its partners in the government and NGOs to finding new areas for afforestation and regenerating the many degraded forest areas around the island.

To this end, the students involved in the GC have been working hard on several projects. The first is a continuation of planting our own campuses, providing trees for sponsorship events for alumni and parents. Secondly, this year we have extended our planting to partner with neighbouring schools such as Dover Court Prep and are making plans to offer trees to other schools. We have also planted out in the gardens of our families, and we are looking for more opportunities in private gardens or institutions.

It has been extremely fulfilling to be able to share our deep interest in

by Nathan Hunt, Head of TOK, Teacher of Environmental Systems and Societies Teacher of Geography, UWCSEA Dover

conservation with the wider community; we have nurtured these trees on a sometimes precarious journey from seeds and to be able to offer them as gifts and see them flourish in the grounds and gardens of others is especially rewarding.

It seems that getting sweaty and dirty and very close to nature in the process somehow adds to the enjoyment. To date, we have planted out well over 50 of our trees, almost all of them indigenous species. These include species that demonstrate the value and importance of conserving biodiversity such as Callophyllum inophyllum whose coumarin chemical compounds are being tested in anti-retro viral drugs for HIV. We have also recently teamed up with the Grade 12 students who run the Budden Initiative composting project, using the waste from the Dover Campus canteens to fertilize the trees on campus.

Our next project is an exciting venture with the Singapore Botanic Gardens and NParks, who are keen to get students involved in reforestation research by sharing the considerable workload of raising seedlings for large plantings. We are already raising highly endangered Shorea timber species in the nursery and intend to plant these and others in a disused palm oil plantation in the Central Catchment Reserve. If the project proves successful, this trial will be extended to return a large area of Singapore’s degraded forest back to the highly biodiverse primary rainforest it once was. It will be a fascinating turnaround to see a

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palm oil monoculture being replaced by native forest!

Regular updates on these and other environmental initiatives can be found on the student-run Sustainable Campus blog http://uwcseasustainablecampus.blogspot.sg

REGIONAL NEWS - AUSTRALASIA

Because I am a Girl Because I am a Girl (BIAG) is a GC based at UWCSEA East which works to raise awareness about the importance of educating girls. In October 2013 BIAG visited the Ladli centre in Jaipur, a vocational centre set up by I India, an Indian NGO, to provide destitute, teenage girls with education and craft skills in jewellery, card and craft making, to help them earn a sustainable livelihood.

The aim of the trip was to work in a collaborative project with the girls to recycle beads from Singapore into jewellery, which could then be sold in Singapore on their behalf.

By Maria Shah and Wen Yi Lim Grade 11, UWCSEA East Walking into the Ladli workshop five minutes after we arrived, High School teacher and BIAG advisor Ellie Alchin was unable to find the UWCSEA girls. After a moment of slight panic, she realised that this was because we had all assimilated into the sea of Ladli girls. This was the perfect representation of our visit—we weren’t UWCSEA girls and Ladli girls, we weren’t girls with incredibly different backgrounds, those differences simply faded away; throughout our visit, we were all just girls.

We spent three days with the Ladli girls; the first was spent playing icebreakers.

Some of us began the initial discussions with the jewellery designer, about the needs of the market back home. On the second and third day, we split into three teams to make three different kinds of jewellery: wooden-beaded jewellery for

young children, popular simplistic designs for teenagers and one-of-a-kind signature pieces for the adult female market.

Incorporating the ideas presented by the rest of the GC that were not with us, we began to recycle the donated beads and remodel them into new designs.

Through working with the girls to make the jewellery, we began to realise the immense variety of talents these girls possess. Not only were they able to produce amazing pieces of jewellery with much skill, they also made cards and decorations. Their skills also included creating beautiful henna designs and Bollywood dancing. The inspiring fact was that they were able to balance their academic lives with the work at the Ladli vocational centre, maintaining positivity in all circumstances.

that we can be the change we want to see in this world through the unity of our efforts. As Malala Yousafzai said, “If we work together, it is easy for us to achieve our goal. Millions of girls are raising their voices for education,” and Because I Am A Girl is proud to be a part of that global voice.

The staff at Ladli plays a pivotal role in encouraging the girls to attain their goals whilst inculcating values of generosity and optimism in them. The bonds we formed with the Ladli girls strengthened the bonds between us as a GC, putting into perspective the cause that we are working for. Their attitude toward life inspired us and motivated us to work harder whilst being appreciative of the advantages that we take for granted.

Our aims for the future are to maintain the friendships created and revisit the girls to collaborate on a new project. This is only the beginning of our journey, as some of us may return through Project Week.

The core purpose of BIAG GC is to help girls—Ladli girls, UWCSEA girls—realise

You can do more than you think!

A series of adventure activities, held by the Adventure Commission of BCCSC (Beijing Concord College of Sino-Canada) Student Round Square Committee, have attached a lot of attention from students and all participants expressed that those activities are un-comparably beneficial for students.

These activities, which range from bungee jumping, rock climbing, and mountain climbing, to skiing, skating and cycling, have been held during weekends once or twice each month by our students. Students from the Adventure Commission chose different places to organize these activities.

Qinglong Canyon, the location they chose for bungee jumping, is located at Huairou District, Northeast Beijing, and is equipped with the highest bungee stage in Beijing, which is 64 meters high. Houhai, a place full of tourists, was

chosen as a place for the promotion of bicycling.

More than ten students have participated the bungee jumping and have been rewarded the Ultimate Challenge Certificate. They said it was the best and most meaningful challenge they have done in their life and they also shared this with other students: “You can do more than you think!”

Students back from cycling in Houhai added that it was not as easy as they thought to do cycling in a crowed area but it was hilarious for them to experience that. Cycling is a low-cost and more environmental means to travel to work.

They said they would do more cycling to call for people to travel environmentally.

This activity is supported by our Round Square Love and Care Foundation, which is raised by all fund raising activities

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organized by students on campus. Also, this is a joint effort by the Environment Pillar and Adventure Pillar.

REGIONAL NEWS - AFRICA

A Great Exchange Experience My name is Nyaronda Motsi and I study at Brookhouse School in Nairobi, Kenya.

I would like to share my experience as an exchange student to Anglo Columbiano School in Bogota, Columbia, where I spent three months from October 2013.

From the moment I landed, my host family helped me to understand the culture and learn more about the beautiful country that was to become my second home.

As for Colegio Anglo Colombiano, or “The Anglo” as we affectionately referred to it, I was so impressed by the warm, friendly atmosphere. As an exchange student, I never felt out of place. This is also probably due to the fact that there were 11 other exchange students who I got to share this experience with!

My exchange has been the best three months of my life so far. I experienced a

totally different culture, different society and a different learning environment. I believe being in a Round Square school is the best place any student could want

to be; my only hope is that others take up the opportunities that Round Square offers.

Incoming Exchanges to St Cyprian’s School Term 1 of our 2014 year, St Cyprian’s has welcomed two exchanges. One girl from Gordonstoun, Scotland and another from Westover School, Connecticut, USA. Just as almost any foreigner would do on their arrival to South Africa, our two exchange girls were headed to Camps Bay and Clifton beach to take advantage of our summer sun. After speaking to the two girls, it is safe to say that they are extremely excited for their exchange experience in Cape Town and are especially looking forward to experiencing a completely different culture to what they are used to and having the opportunity to make friends from a different background.

St Cyprian’s is a day and boarding school, which allows for the incoming exchanges to stay in the boarding house during the week, and form friendships within the boarding house, while on the weekends they can go home with their host family. St Cyprian’s ensures that all our incoming exchange students experience St Cyprian’s exactly as a full time St Cyprian’s student would. The girls will be departing on a safari to Kagga Kamma Game Reserve, in Ceres, where they will hopefully get to see our big 5.

The girls will be attending our Grade 10 Integrated Programme down the Orange River, as well as a lovely cultural day around Cape Town to learn all about the Cape and South Africa. They will also be hiking up Table Mountain to experience just how hot the African sun really is and have the chance to have a full look over Cape Town.

Both of the exchange students at St Cyprian’s at the moment are on a direct exchange. Their exchange partners, who are the outgoing exchange students from St. Cyprian’s, are at their schools in their hometowns while they are here.

Direct exchange, as one can imagine, can sometimes tend to be more difficult because a student doesn’t have their partner with them and aren’t able to form

Zulma Dunn Westover School, Connecticut

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as strong a friendship. Nonetheless, our two exchange students are handling it exceptionally well and seem to be feeling at home. We are very excited for our exchange students’ time here in Cape Town at St Cyprian’s and to hopefully experience some of their memorable moments with them.

Joanna Monkman Gordonstoun, Scottland

REGIONAL NEWS - AFRICA

What’s in a name?

Brookhouse recently added a new building to the campus and they decided to design a classroom block made entirely of wood...and then to name it ‘The Wangari Maathai Sixth Form Centre’, in honour of the late Professor Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan environmental and political activist and the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for “her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace”. So why would Brookhouse build a centre made of wood and dedicate it to the memory of an environmental conservationist who spent her life planting trees?

Could it be because this new centre is beautiful to look at? Or because when you enter the building you immediately notice the fresh air, as though you are walking through a forest? Is it because class time is really quiet, as the wood absorbs noise? Or because the open plan cafeteria and assorted art pieces that adorn the centre walls make one feel so relaxed and comfortable? All good reasons, but no!

The real answer lies in the importance of demonstrating that ecological conservation isn’t just an idea, but a reality. The Wangari Maathai Sixth Form Centre was designed from an

architectural format imported from Finland. The design company have won numerous awards for environmental sustainability, through their reforestation program and responsible use of the earth’s natural resources. The whole centre demonstrates that you can use wood as a sustainable resource in building as long as you use it properly and so long as responsible reforestation is a key part of the project. 40 containers delivered this unique ecofriendly project from Finland to Kenya and we think the late Prof Wangari Maathai would be proud of the result.

She once said of Kenya, “There’s a general culture in this country to cut all the trees. It makes me so angry because everyone is cutting and no one is planting.”

We hope that the new Wangari Maathai Sixth Form Centre demonstrates that it really depends on how responsibly resources such as trees are utilised to ensure environmental sustainability and to protect nature for the generations to come. This new building at Brookhouse is therefore a kind of tribute to the vision of a great servant leader of our times.

Njoki Muchiri, Head Girl Brookhouse School

S p re a d i n g t h e l o v e On Friday the 14th of February, the whole world celebrates Valentines day, with chocolates and roses and bounteous amounts of love. This year the St Cyprians girls decided to spread their love to others who are less fortunate. We are aloud to wear ordinary clothes on this day in exchange for a donation of R5 that is usually sent to a one of the charities that we support. This year our innovative heads of community, Abbie and Sophie decided that we could make our contribution more personal by addressing the necessity of hygiene.

Each grade was allocated a sanitary item that would be brought to school on Valentines day. These included toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap and a facecloth. The items were collected and sent to Maitland Cottage Children’s Hospital and The Saartie Baartman Centre for Woman and Children. In true Valentines spirit the St Cyprians girls gave generously. These gifts are

more valuable than money and show that there has been thought put into the gifts. Our in house community club girls had also baked delicious biscuits and cupcakes to be taken through to the staff and patients at Boothe Memorial Hospital in hopes of brightening up their day.

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REGIONAL NEWS - AFRICA

Barefoot Day In honor of Human rights day St Cyprians school holds an annual “bare foot day.” This is a day where girls willingly remove their shoes, as a tribute to children in South Africa that don’t have shoes. This puts us in the shoes, or lack there of, of the less fortunate.

This activitgy allows us girls to form a bond with those less fortunate by experiencing just one day without shoes.

to children without shoes. This will help to provide children with protection and comfort for their feet.

Below is a picture of all the shoes donated in the shape of 4664 (Nelson Madelas prison number while being incarcerated on Robben Island) in Honor of Nelson Mandela.

Everyone brought at least one pair of shoes that they no longer use as a donation (shoes that are in good condition of course). It was a huge success with over 1200 pairs of shoes being given

We l co m i n g O r i e n t a t i o n Da y To welcome our newest members of the high school-the grade eights- into the high school “life” the Round Square committee and matric class of 2014 prepared an Orientation day.

and information about Round Square, community initiatives and clubs and societies. The day ended with a evening braai (barbeque) for the grade eights where the mentors got together to build relationships. Each 12 student is a mentor for the younger grade 8 students “older and younger sister.”

The program included a Welcome for the Head Girl, a Chapel service.

“Amazing race photo challenge”. to Anya Bruwer, Head of Round Square familiarize the girls with the important areas in the school, growing their general St Cyprians, Gr 8. Orientation 2014 knowledge of the school, sport activities Cape Town South Africa

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Safari Weekend

On the weekend of February 28th to March 2nd, St Cyprian’s three exchange girls along with our Director of Co-curricular Activities, Mr Carr, set off on a safari to Kagga Kamma Game Reserve in Ceres. This was a chance for the girls to hopefully see South Africa’s Big Five, namely the lion, African elephant, Cape buffalo, leopard and rhinoceros. Unfortunately the girls were not able to see leopard but were lucky enough to see the other four animals of the Big Five. I have received many comments of great appreciation and the girls seem to all be blown away at South Africa’s beautiful natural habitat. One of the girls said, “I have only seen animals in a zoo so I was so excited to go on the safari. We saw some of the big five, zebra, bontebok (a lot) and other African animals. I couldn’t believe that I was there with wild animals in the beautiful nature of Africa. The place where we stayed was so beautiful, especially, at night when there were a lot of stars that I have never seen before.”

We have been taking our incoming exchanges to Kagga Kamma Game Reserve for many years and they without a doubt thoroughly enjoy it every time, as one of the girls told me, “I really want to go on a safari again!” This is a great chance for our exchanges to see Africa’s wildlife and the beautiful nature that they would otherwise not experience in Cape Town where they stay during their exchange experience.

REGIONAL NEWS - AFRICA

RS Africa Regional Service Project in Philippolis “Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity; it is an act of justice. Like Slavery and Apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. Sometimes it falls on a generation to be great. YOU can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom.”

Nelson Mandela During the December, eight of us St Stithians’ Girls joined forces with students, aged 16 - 18, from various parts of Africa. We arrived in the small town of Philippolis, hidden in the heart of the Free State. We were all taken aback by the town’s size, or lack thereof, which consisted of only one main road. Our arrival did not only mark the beginning of our service week aimed at building up the community but it also fell in the Week of Mourning set aside by the world for the late Nelson Mandela. This service project gave us a chance to not only reminisce but live out the dream Madiba had had for the future of South Africa- we got to be ‘that great generation’.

Our group of about 30 was run by Future Nature and the Good Work Foundation.

Our focus for the week was to complete the various projects that previous groups had started which included setting up the two vegetable gardens, erecting a wire fence around the entire site and revamping the community church. Our main project was the completion of the soup kitchen so that the women of the community could provide the even less privileged with food.

got to play with the two tiger cubs! This experience added a new dimension to the service week because it emphasised how every small bit done can make a difference and that we should not turn a blind eye to the problems of the world, whether it be animal extinction or poverty.

I can list the various tasks we completed after the 6th day but the true measure of the impact of our work lies in the faces of the community members. I will never forget driving up to the site before leaving and seeing people cooking in the kitchen we built and planting in the garden we set up. We ended the week with a Christmas party where we got to see the people that we left behind as we moved back to the comforts of civilisation … and what I left behind I am proud to say has made a difference.

by Sunayna Bholah, St Stithians Girls’ College

As the days passed we got to know the people in our groups better. We started off as individuals focused on finishing a specific job but as we neared the completion of the project it was clear that our mentality had changed - we didn’t stop when the 10th bag of cement was mixed (manually), instead we worked until the floor was covered and the walls were plastered. Even when the chance of rain gave the promise of an ‘off day’, there were people who volunteered to go back to the site to carry on working.

The most amazing part was too see how the community members were eager and more than willing to work with us, side by side.

On our off day we got to visit the Charging Tiger which is an animal sanctuary run by John Varty and is home to the only wild tigers in Africa. This attraction is aimed at introducing the tiger to Africa due to Asia’s declining population of this wild cat. We went on a game drive and even

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I had the privilege of accompanying four students from the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls on a community service project to Philippolis.

This week coincided with the passing of Nelson Mandela and so it was fitting that we were able to remember him while engaged on a project. The aim of the project was to carry on with the construction of a soup kitchen and to renovate a church and hall. The students embraced the challenge and work that was thrown at them. Our work took place in the impoverished community of Bergmanshoogte, and we were involved in tasks such as painting, bricklaying, building, plastering and mixing cement. The days were long and hot but dedication and enthusiasm never waned.

The trip was also about meeting and making connections with students who were also taking part in the project.

Other schools included Bridgehouse (Cape Town), Brookhouse (Kenya) and St Stithians (Johannesburg) amongst others. Nights were spent socialising and getting to know one another and this was facilitated by various activities such as braaing, board games and the crafting of Christmas gift packs for the community.

Another highlight of the trip was the visit to world-renowned John Varty’s Tiger Conservation. This was an eye-opening experience for everyone. There was also a fun night in which he organised a singalong and paid tribute to the late Nelson Mandela by sharing his numerous stories that he had with the great man.

The trip was a great success and will certainly be of great benefit to the local community in Bergmanshoogte. It was a privilege to be involved in such a project with a group of talented and dedicated individuals.

by Kieran Duncan, English Educator Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls

REGIONAL NEWS - EUROPE

European Young Round Square Conference ICSZ Switzerland February 6th to 9th, 2014 ICS Zurich recently hosted the Young European Round Square Conference for European schools. A group of nine incredibly motivated and enthusiastic Grade 6 ICS Round Square students warmly welcomed 11 schools from all around Europe. They worked hard to make this event a memorable experience by making new friends and sharing this through one of the Round Square I.D.E.A.L.S. - “Adventure”.

The event was officially opened with an Assembly on Friday morning where every visiting school had the chance to share a little bit about their school and proudly present their flags. Head of School, Ms Mary-Lynn Campbell and Secondary Principal, Ms Rebecca Butterworth also shared their thoughts and invited us to appreciate a great opportunity to learn beyond the classroom walls and make new friends.

The conference’s theme was “Action through Adventure” inspired by one of the Round Square pillars. Our 13 strong Round Square teacher team planned a varied and intense three day programme.

We had the chance to participate in many exciting activities such as a breath-taking 3km sledge run and a picturesque hike in the beautiful Swiss mountains and making snow caves, an engaging curling lesson and thrilling ice skating time. The adventure did not stop there. In the forest we experienced a tough and sometimes frustrating teamwork competition. Making our own fire using only four dry pieces of wood and 4 matches was not as easy as it initially looked. Our visiting teachers certainly proved their patience, and inspired their students to complete the fire-making task to cook tea.

This was followed by a group art project with all 40 delegates, which took us on a very creative artistic journey. We formed groups mixing ourselves among the different schools. It was a great idea as we had to work as a real squad in order to create a concrete, do-able plan to represent the Round Square pillars in the most imaginative and diverse way possible. The project took two sessions and the final installation will be displayed in our Secondary Building shortly.

Another team of teachers then amazed us with a star gazing activity.

On Sunday we took part in a historical Zurich tour and then had to say goodbye to our new friends, promising to keep in touch and reflect on our shared learning.

“During the grade six young European Round Square Conference I had a wonderful experience. I met some amazing friends, built an igloo, went sledding, hiking and curling. The entire conference was so much fun and I hope everyone who was at this conference can come again. All the activities were fun, and I think that everyone enjoyed them. One of my favorite parts of the conference was building a fire with some of my friends. Overall, the conference was super fun, and I wish it went on longer.”

Kathrine Brown

“I thought the Round Square Conference was awesome. It was enthusiastic and it totally showed action through adventure.

I really loved curling because it was a new sport for me and it came out I was a natural talent. Overall, I got new friends and it was nice to communicate with other people. I am prepared for the next conference since I think it is also going to be awesome. Thanks to all the school that came, they were fantastic!”

Luc Schaffer

“The theme of this year’s Young European Round Square Conference was ‘Action Through Adventure’ and lasted from February 6th evening to February 9th afternoon. During the conference, we participated in a variety of activities from sledging and a fire activity to ice skating and curling to igloo building and an art project designed to represent the six IDEALS of Round Square (Internationalism, Democracy, Environment, Adventure, Leadership, and Service). I enjoyed the conference because I was able to meet lots of new people and learn about where they were from. This was my first conference, and I think that I learned a lot from it. I made many new friends, and hope to see some of them at next year’s conference!”

Ayush Premchand

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REGIONAL NEWS - EUROPE

Round Square in a central position within the school The new year has brought with it a new Headmaster at Milton Abbey in Dorset, UK, Mr Magnus Bashaarat. He is keen to see Round Square in a central position within the school and enthusiastic about all the opportunities it provides.

We have also just welcomed our first exchange student, Daria, who comes from the Transylvania College in Romania. She is fully engaged in all our activities and is particularly enjoying our Equine facilities.

Recent events we have organised under the Round Square banner include a Fun Day last June in order to raise funds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

This is a charity close to our hearts as we sadly lost one of our members of staff to this disease and we were really pleased to be able to donate over £3000. We were incredibly lucky with the weather on the day and the students all enjoyed the inflatables, activities and the ice creams.

During the summer break 6 students took up the opportunity to spend 4 weeks in Borneo with Camps International.

Three weeks were spent doing a variety of different project work such as tree planting in the jungle, building a kindergarten and a community centre.

The fourth week was spent trekking through the jungle. It was an amazing experience and one which will remain with them forever.

Ecuador versus Columbia A conflict simulation of the International Court of Justice at Schule Schloss Salem “Aerial spraying [by Colombia] of toxic herbicides at locations near, at and across its border with Ecuador” was a case submitted to the International Court of Justice ICJ) in The Hague, to which Ecuador had turned, in order to have the conflict with Columbia settled by the court. It was a “classic” example of a matter for the Court of Justice where disputes between different countries are negotiated.

The case concerning Ecuador versus Columbia will also be serving as the topic for the simulation of the International Court of Justice, which will be taking place at Schule Schloss Salem from 4.4. to 6.4.2014. Twenty students, acting as lawyers and judges, will have the opportunity to decide on a case themselves and pass judgement. Robert

Stern, a lawyer who has been supervising the sessions of the ICJ at the largest Model United Nations Conference in The Hague for many years, will be preparing and conducting the role play with the students participating. This event is part of the school’s MUN Programme which it has now been offering students who are interested in politics, for over 20 years.

The lawyers and judges will become familiarised with international law and the manner in which the International Court of Justice functions, and thereby acquire a form of active career counselling, so to speak. However, the simulation is not only intended for students who are interested in law and international law; other students who would also like to experience something new are most welcome to apply. The Verein der Förderer der Schule(Friends of Salem) kindly supports this event and has made a very generous donation.

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It was also an incredible time for one of our students to have the chance to go to Ladakh on the Round Square International Service project and his experience has inspired others to look in to doing similar projects in the future.

Johnny said that he will never forget it.

Current developments at Milton Abbey include working towards the Eco Schools Award and trying to make our school environment a more sustainable one.

REGIONAL NEWS - EUROPE

Salem students build playground in India During the last fall vacation, October 2013, a group of Salem students flew to Varanasi in India to build a playground for the Kutumb Village Shelter house. The Kutumb Village, Family for Benares, was founded by Mrs. Nicola Wirkner and Dr. Ashish. It is a home for the children from the slums of Varanasi where they can flee to and have the opportunity to be brought up in a safe and friendly environment.

We spent most of our mornings cleaning the newly built Shelter house, building a playground for the children and decorating the walls surrounding the house. On our first day it rained but during the rest of our stay we experienced some very high temperatures and humidity levels. Leaving work we were muddy, sweaty, exhausted and in desperate need of a shower. In the afternoons we went on trips exploring the most significant cultural places in the area. One of the most memorable places we visited during our stay was the old city center. A friend of Mrs. Wirkner guided us through the cramped alleys filled with new scents, cows and dogs, and lively people.

The most precious moments where those that we spent with the children of the Shelter house. Even though we did not speak their language, we quickly overcame our barrier.

Overall this trip to Varanasi was a

fantastic opportunity to get to know the real India, and was an eye-opener to the real world. All of us students are very thankful to have had this amazing experience and we cannot wait to come back to Varanasi again.

Youth Conference on “Mobility” 14th - 17th November - 2nd SICYC Conference at Salem College The second SIC Youth Conference will be taking place at Salem International College. Seven international schools have been invited to the meeting which has been organised independently by Salem’s Upper School students. In the same way as the Salem students, the majority belong to the Round Square Organisation, a worldwide association founded by Salem, consisting of approximately one hundred schools that have committed themselves to the principles of Kurt Hahn, the founder of the school in Salem.

One of these principles is “environmental awareness”, i.e. the promotion of practice-oriented, environmental awareness. In this context, Salem’s Upper School students will be handling

the topic “Mobility” together with their costudents in Germany and abroad. Divided into groups, they will be discussing specific areas such as technology, communication and transport, and external speakers will be providing the necessary know-how.

SICYC is also a project within the Salem Services: The students in the Round Square Service, the Global Concerns Service and the Sustainability Service have set themselves additional, workintensive preparation for this, alongside their normal everyday school life, and thus we wish them a very interesting and effective conference. http://www.salem-net.de/en/news/news/ news/news-single-view/article/youthconference-on-mobility.html

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REGIONAL NEWS - EUROPE

Marathon of Fund Raising for the Philippines Typhoon Appeal During the course of this week, Windermere School has hosted a series of fund raising events to raise money for the people who have fallen victim to Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. On Saturday, a group of 16 volunteers went to Booths down in Windermere to pack grocery bags in exchange for donations.

The volunteers were split into two groups where each group worked a morning shift and an afternoon shift. Both groups worked hard to raise money as well as awareness to the local community and some went as far as to carry the shopping all the way to the customer’s cars. Despite it being the weekend, all these students gave up their time to help make a difference in the lives of those who most need it. These students managed to raise a significant £1140 in a space of six hours, which is an incredible achievement!

Following the weekend, on Monday the school hosted a famine meal for lunch where many staff and students were in support of participating in. Both students and staff came together for this cause and saw that the famine meal helped us to remember how blessed and fortunate we are to have so much in our lives.

Although some students found it difficult to ignore the rumbles in their tummies, they realized that their sacrifice would lead to helping the victims of the typhoon.

The famine meal not only helped us to raise money for the Philippines but it taught us to appreciate all the privileges’ we have here at Windermere School.

On Tuesday, a group of five students set up a bake sale inside the Dining Hall where all their baked goods were sold out within minutes! The students baked things from cupcakes to cookies and raised a total amount of £108! Along side the bake sale, Fizzy in year 7 was selling her origami swans, which she spent hours the night before making. The origami swans had little messages like “Help the Haiyan Victims” and were a symbol of peace and hope that students could purchase for 20p.

a space of 20 minutes, the entire school had gathered and contributed to the line of coins, which added to a total of over £200!

Over the entire week of fund raising, we have managed to raise a total of £1626 that will help the victims of the typhoon rebuild their lives from the devastation they are currently living in now. This entire week has shown us the great sense of community and compassion that the school has which is an achievement in it.

The school will be donating the money to the Philippines via the ShelterBox foundation where aid will be distributed to those who need immediate attention.

Our final fund raising event was the “Windermere Wave of Coins” that took place during tutor time. Tutor groups were coming up and placing their coins along the line, which ran all the way from Crampton Hall to Ms. Parry’s office. In

Northern Lights over Round Square Gordonstoun School in Moray, Scotland finished off their International Week with a candlelit FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS in Round Square which coincided with the Northern Lights. The students held tea lights and at the appointed time were told to light them.

See video clip on You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnN1dJ_8e8&feature=youtu.be

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Mary Withers

REGIONAL NEWS - AMERICAS

Hotchkiss Remembers Nelson Mandela “A nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost their greatest father, but most important, yesterday the world lost a hero.”

Sarah van Breda On 6 December 2013 Round Square Exchange student Sarah van Breda and her fellow South African exchange students Michael Thomson ‘15 and Kaila Fourie ‘16 paid tribute to Nelson Mandela in the Auditorium.

See video of their tributes at http://www.hotchkiss.org/abouthotchkiss/ hotchkiss-today/hotchkiss-remembersnelson-mandela/index.aspx

There’s no stopping YRS at GNS Glenlyon Norfolk School (GNS) in Victoria, Canada always comes together as a community to help someone else.

Whether they are in our own community, our city, our country, or on the other side of the world, GNS always unites to do their utmost in helping others.

This 2013/14 school year has been spectacular in the Young Round Square department at GNS. Students have showed copious amounts of enthusiasm towards all projects we’ve discussed in Young Round Square meetings. They never shy away from brain-storming their own ideas, and always work their hardest to participate in any service project or fundraiser we have done.

The passion our students have shown to help others in our community is staggering. Upcoming events for the Young Round Square group include a clothing drive for the Mustard Seed, and A Cut-A-Thon for Sarcoma Cancer. For both events, students are working hard to raise awareness and help each other plan the details of these fundraisers.

In October of 2013, we raised money and collected non-perishable food donations for the Mustard Seed, a local food bank.

After a month of rummaging through cabinets, knocking on doors, and talking to relatives, we as a school collected over 2900 lbs of food and raised over $700. This all went to The Mustard Seed, and helped the community of Victoria in their fight against unemployment, homelessness, and drug/alcohol addiction.

But GNS didn’t stop there. In December of last year, a group of Young Round Square students put on a Date Night Meal at the Mustard Seed. This included shopping and cooking a hot meal large enough to feed 120 people, serving it to them, and then sitting down and talking to the people there. This not only allowed the homeless and the working poor in the community the opportunity to sit down and enjoy a nice hot dinner, but it also allowed our students to see and understand the hardships these people have been going through.

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Living the Hackley Life During their summer vacation, the Bourdourian family from Belgrano Day School in Buenos Aires visited Hackley School in New York, enjoying a tour by Hackley’s Round Square Rep, Dr. Adrianne E. Pierce, as well as the chance to meet with students and faculty. Hackley and Belgrano are hoping to begin an ongoing exchange program in the 2015-2016 school year.

A Hackley group had visited Belgrano two summers ago and loved it! Read Fernando Boudourian’s blog post about their visit: http://www.bds.edu. ar/2014/02/07/visita-a-un-colegio-deround-square-en-nueva-york/ Luckily for us, we are currently hosting two students from another South American country – Peru. Angie and Mariano, a sophomore and a senior respectively, are visiting us from Markham College, a Round Square school in the heart of Lima. They are living the Hackley life, studying, dining, and socializing with the student body and faculty. In addition to their exciting experiences, Mariano has taken up work on a physics project with a Hackley science teacher for the International Baccalaureate, while Angie is rehearsing for an upcoming drama production.

Hackley and Green Hills Academy in Kigali are continuing their partnership, supporting exchange as well as collaborating on projects at a rural school, Duha Complex School in the Rwamagana District.

Finally, Hackley students recently returned from their own adventure to Canada to participate in the Round Square Regional Conference of the Americas. Hackley sent two teachers with a group of Middle School students to experience the YMCA Camp Wanakita in Haliburton, Ontario, where they celebrated and lived the pillars of Round Square through myriad outdoor activities, workshops, and conferences.

REGIONAL NEWS - AMERICAS

Round Square Conference Delegation Shares the Experience Pietro Cammalleri was one of the six students that went to the Round Square International Conference and wanted to share with the rest of Hotchkiss the interesting ideas that they were exposed to at the conference, and also some of what this experience helped them realize about Hotchkiss.

“I will start with the first IDEAL, Internationalism.

I am sure you have all heard that Hotchkiss is one of the most global prep schools in New England. Honestly, it’s almost all repetitive! We all know about the flags in the dining hall and the board with the globe next to the library! But in all truth, the knowledge one gains from learning from different cultures and experiencing different points of view is almost impossible to truly comprehend.

We all have the privilege of being at a school that pushes the Global agenda but unfortunately, that doesn’t give us a true sense of internationalism in practice.

While on my trip to the exotic state of Florida (that was sarcasm, by the way), internationalism, an intangible idea, became tangible and was clear for each one of us to grasp.

Close to eight hundred delegates from nearly 40 countries gathered and worked together, discussed topics, and most importantly, were at ease with each other!

There are huge cultural boundaries, I am not denying that, but if a group of more than 700 teenagers can have this

‘ease with the other’ I think, that when times get tough…. the depressing winter days or when we are in exams we, as a community, can help each other out, by staying aware of the wide international community we live among.

The most insightful experience I had was probably the most mundane part about the trip. I was putting on my socks after washing my feet from the beach, while observing people doing the same thing.

I got into a kind of trance, the kind where you become very pensive about what you had just observed. I was seeing before me the manifestation of the goal of Round Square, people from different countries enjoying being with each other. Indians, South Koreans, Jordanians, Canadians, Americans, Japanese and many more nationalities were all trying to wash their feet while laughing and talking about the beach.

One of the things I heard the most about was about the Preconference that Hotchkiss hosted. Each of you that hosted and of each of you that approached our guests and made them feel comfortable, you cannot imagine idea of the impact you had. For a whole week I was nagged with the words of one Indian kid. He was expressing how much he loved Hotchkiss, and asked me over and over if I knew Cam Neely. He would go on to say that Cam Neely is the best! By the end of the week, I could only say to him “You already told me that…” The students from the Punjab

Public School were actually depressed to leave at the end of their visit and wanted to stay at Hotchkiss instead of touring in Manhattan.

All in all, it doesn’t take much to make change. I challenge all of you not to try and make more change because you are all busy enough with demands from your parents, advisors, and yourselves. Instead try and recognize the little things in life and how the little things make such a huge difference. In the words of John Wooden, “It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.”

Pietro Cammalleri All the other speeches and video links can be found at the Hotchkiss website: http://www.hotchkiss.org/abouthotchkiss/ international-programs/2013-roundsquare-international-conference/index. aspx

Special Olympians and Hotchkiss Inaugurate United Fitness Club Walk Hotchkiss’ efforts to support the CT Special Olympics is entering its 19th year: Members of the Special Olympics spent a beautiful September afternoon participating in the inaugural United Fitness Club Walk, in honor of the late Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who began the Special Olympics movement.

Connecticut Special Olympics president Beau Doherty and actress Susan Saint James P’90,’92,’01,’04 accompanied the 50 athletes and their coaches on a twomile walk around campus, along with Hotchkiss students and faculty.

At the end of the fitness walk, Head of School Dr. Kevin Hicks and Ms. Saint James presented the athletes with Hotchkiss pins commemorating the event. Hotchkiss Wellness Coordinator Nancy Vaughan and Lyn Weber from the School’s dining services spoke briefly about fitness and nutrition; and

student musicians entertained the crowd.

The organizer of our efforts is long-time faculty member and boys’ swim coach Keith Moon - he was at the Regent’s School conference. He writes: “With enduring gratitude to the recordbreaking number of swimmers and many donors who participated in November’s 19th annual Hotchkiss Swimathon, I was proud to mail a check for $5500 to the Northwest CT Special Olympics swim team on Friday. In addition, one of our swimmers brought with him a $1500 pledge to Connecticut Special Olympics for use in its general fund. Thank you to everyone.”

The 148 participants swam thousands of laps that day, brought remarkable joy to the Special Olympics team that loves to make the trek to Hotchkiss, and raised $7000 for our friends at Special Olympics.

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REGIONAL NEWS - AMERICAS Markham College and Cate School Conduct Second Collaborative Partnership In late January a delegation from Markham College in Peru traveled to Cate School in southern California to collaborate for ten days with a program focusing on the topics of sustainable watersheds and intercultural understanding. An Australian student from Westminster School on exchange at Cate joined the Cate-Markham team.

Developed by Peter Kvietok at Markham and Jim Masker at Cate, the recent Peaks to Piers program was the second half of the schools’ partnership that began in Peru last July with Surf & Service (described on page 16 of the December 2013 edition of Round Square News).

Peaks to Piers provided an integrated, experiential curriculum of environmental awareness, outdoor adventure, and community service focusing on stewardship and the critical role that healthy watersheds play as sources of clean, plentiful water supplies. With the Governor declaring a state of emergency as California is experiencing its worst drought in 160 years, the topic of watersheds is a particularly timely one to examine.

The team began exploring California’s watersheds and enhancing intercultural understanding by traveling to Mammoth Mountain (3,370 meters) for a weekend of skiing and snowboarding. Upon returning to Cate, students installed bunk beds in their dormitory rooms and hosted their Markham peers. This intimate living arrangement provided ample opportunity for students to learn about each other.

While at Cate Ned Bowler, the school’s Outdoor Program director, organized two ocean-based paddleboarding and surfing adventures that provided the Markham team an opportunity to explore

local marine ecology and to appreciate the recreational importance of the watershed.

For each of the remaining four days, the Markham delegation paired with changing teams of Cate students to meet with a number of government agencies, NGOs, and Cate’s student-led clubs and faculty to learn about the importance of sustainable watersheds, to gather take-home strategies to conserve water, and to see how local governments, NGOs, and Cate School are collaborating to enhance the local watershed for the benefit of the endangered steelhead trout.

One hands-on science activity to gather water quality samples was led by Cate’s Stream Team, a group of students who collect and analyze local water samples for uploading into a State of California database that is used for policy and

program development. Peter Kvietok and the Markham delegation also traveled to Santa Barbara with Jim Masker and his advisees to conduct a riparian planting activity for the City of Santa Barbara during Cate’s Public Service Day, a special day when classes are suspended and all students and faculty travel throughout four cities to conduct over 30 different service projects.

Each night, Markham students met with student leaders from different Cate clubs to share ideas about how each school is addressing issues such as community service, environmental awareness, intercultural understanding, and student government. It was evident during the final farewell gathering sponsored by Cate’s Round Square steering committee that significant friendships had been made and that students from each school had overcome stereotypes they had about each other before the 10-day Peaks to Piers program began…a vital component of building a more humane, sustainable future.

Surf & Service run by Markham last July and Peaks to Piers managed by Cate this January clearly demonstrate the significant opportunity that Round Square provides member schools to collaborate with each other to create partnerships that build bridges of intercultural understanding between their schools’ communities.

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REGIONAL NEWS - SOUTH ASIA & GULF

Fund Raising for Rana Plaza Victims & CRP Walk

The students, teachers and parents of all campuses of Chittagong Grammar School last year raised over Taka 10,00,000/- (US $13,000/-) for the Rana Plaza Collapse Victims through various Community Service and fund raising activities.

Most of these funds were dispersed at the time of the crisis, and the final remaining Taka 2,75,000/- (US $ 3,200) was used for a more sustained support which included purchasing equipment including wheel chairs, computers and incubators and handed over to CRP, Bangladesh (Centre for Rehabilitation of Paralyzed) an NGO which treats and rehabilitates disabled people. About 375 victims of Rana Plaza are getting free treatment for rehabilitation at the CRP facilities.

The participants’ had a walkathon through Gulshan Park together with some of the survivors who continue to receive treatment. On that day CRP and CGS organized a charity walk to raise funds and create awareness. CGS students and Faculty members participated in this walk. Later they handed over the equipment to Ms. Valerie Taylor Founder and Coordinator of CRP on Friday 7th February 2014 at Gulshan Park.

King’s “builds” hope for women in Cambodia To help empower women in Cambodia, King’s Academy joined fellow Round Square members from across the globe in a service project aimed at enabling women to become active members in their society.

Last December King’s Academy Round Square Coordinator Salwa Manaja traveled to the city of Takeo in southern Cambodia where she worked alongside 21 international Round Square representatives to build a weaving center for local women, which will ultimately help provide for these women’s families.

In partnership with A Mine Free World Foundation and the Banyan Learning Tree, the group took on eight challenging days of physical labor to build the center from scratch – making a foundation and setting up metal rods as pillars, mixing cement, laying bricks, constructing windows and putting the finishing touches of rendering and painting.

A small team of local builders helped and guided the volunteers, who also took part in an intensive three-day workshop led by Round Square International

Service (RSIS) Project Manager Liz Gray.

“Cambodia is a very poor country,” Manaja said. “Its history is tragic and sad, but you can see hope. Working with the people makes you see it.”

King’s began its support of the project back in November, when a fundraising luncheon took place on campus to raise money for purchasing bicycles (for Cambodian children to ride to school), mosquito nets and livestock for local Cambodian businesses.

Round Square participants from Pakistan, South Africa, Canada, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Australia, India, Oman, Jordan, Singapore and Thailand joined the cause and collectively generated a total of US $11,111.

According to local project supervisor Lisa McCoy, women at the center wasted no time getting to work and are currently working on scarves – the first 22 are set to be purchased by the Round Square volunteers.

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“Giving these women the chance to be able to earn a living and support their families is very humbling,” Manaja added. “My life has changed; I’m so much more hopeful.”

REGIONAL NEWS - SOUTH ASIA & GULF

King’s RS service project helps revive Jordan’s ecosystem Just before the winter holiday brought the year to an end, King’s Academy led fellow Round Square schools from across the region in its green initiative to make Jordan a more environmentally friendly place.

King’s hosted students from the Daly College (India), the Scindia School (India), the Isikkent High School (Turkey) and the Indian School Al-Ghubra (Oman), who all worked collectively to build a bird hide in Sharhabil Bin Hassneh Ecopark located in the north of Jordan.

Students got their hands dirty compressing and compacting soil into over 4,000 used plastic Pepsi bottles, which served as the foundation for the bird hide. Cement was poured alternately between layers of bottles to secure the structure.

With the help of the regional environmental organization Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME), King’s students continue to research the needs

of Jordan from a green standpoint and plan projects accordingly. In recent years, students established the Good Water Neighbors Project during which they joined forces with students from Palestine and Israel to promote the rehabilitation of the Jordan River.

This is the fifth year King’s Academy has worked with FoEME, which established

the eco park in 2004.

Round Square supervisors Nahid Ajluni and Gertrude Dudley were proud of the effort the students exhibited and the sense of community established.

“The ecosystem is coming back,” Dudley said. “It’s a long way but everyone stood up and realized this was doable.”

Environment Education workshop A workshop on Environment Education was conducted in Rajmata Krishna Kumari Girls’ Public School Jodhpur in February 2014, under the able guidance of Dr. Harshwardhan and Mr. Edward J Mc Crea, President and Co-founder of Environmental Education and Conservation. The faculty of the top schools and colleges attended the workshop with enthusiasm.

Maharaja Gaj Singh Ji, the Chairman of the school and also an eco- activist declared the workshop open. The comprehensive workshop provided the educators with the basic knowledge, skills and abilities needed to deliver high-quality environmental education programs to children and was a true “train-the-trainer” workshop. It aimed to advance and support education efforts to develop an environmentally conscious and responsible public, and to inspire in all individuals a sense of personal responsibility for the care of the environment. The workshop comprised: - What is Environmental Education?

- The environment through the eyes of an individual, teacher and student.

- Seeing the interconnections - Acting for the Environment.

- Education about, through and for the Environment.

- The study of rodents - Bird watching - Extinct and threatened species - Social and religious affinity with the local birds and animals - Activities to integrate the teaching of environment studies - House sparrows- save them!

- The teacher as an environmental role model - The state trees , plants and animals - The bird zones in Jodhpur - Restoring the good health of injured birds and animals.

- Making the Links from single subject to the whole environment.

- Forging the connections between the state of our environment and our daily lives.

- Linking our subjects to our environment.

- Making the connections between our subject and our surroundings.

- Connecting our subject with our surroundings through offering an environmental perspective.

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- Infusing a further environmental perspective: Education for the Environment All teachers received certificates of participation. The workshops was truly beyond the instruction of nature or science content knowledge and provided participants with teaching skills, methods and resources for educating the children in the classroom, in the outdoors and in non formal settings such as nature centres, parks and museums.

REGIONAL NEWS - SOUTH ASIA & GULF

King’s senior repairs Kenyan schools in RSIS project On December 7, Hussam Yaseen ’14 travelled to Nairobi as the only student from Jordan to participate in the Keyna RSIS Project. For three weeks, Yaseen joined students from member schools across the globe who worked collectively to improve the facilities at two severely impoverished elementary schools near the town of Siaya in western Kenya.

– painted walls and mixed cement to refinish floors and help construct walls for two classrooms shared by over 100 students.

Despite his hectic schedule, Yaseen trusted his instincts and seized the opportunity that came his way.

One of the students on the team had personally raised over £1,000 to provide new desks and chairs for the classrooms, and the Round Square logo, and the logo of our local partner Moving Mountains Trust was added to each desk to commemorate the achievement.

Additionally, Yaseen left behind his own trademark for his new friends to remember him by: a Jordanian flag.

Based at the Ulamba orphanage, student delegates were also able to spend time with local children and assist them with their daily chores.

“I knew it was my last chance to participate in something like this,” said Yaseen, who took the SAT exam just hours before flying to Kenya. “It was hard at first, being the only one from Jordan and doing all that hard work. Then I remembered why I was doing this and I realized you’ve got to finish what you start.”

With limited resources, the group – alongside local teachers and students

Due to the dire situation of the classrooms, including a lack of proper ventilation, many of these students have contracted life-threatening illnesses.

“You see kids in these classrooms that are in really bad conditions and you know they’re not getting a full education because of that,” Yaseen added. “It made me appreciate everything that I have.”

Before heading home, delegates enjoyed a cultural evening, saw a variety of wildlife at Hells Gate National Park and took a boat ride on Lake Naivasha,

among other fun activities.

“It feels good to help others,” said Yaseen, who hopes this type of work will help increase the success rate among students inside the classroom. “We felt like a family in the end.”

It’s Hip To Be Round Square At Woodstock: Six Students Selected For Inaugural Exchange Last year Woodstock joined the Round Square association of schools, a worldwide group of schools on five continents sharing unique and ambitious goals.

Round Square, which was set up by the renowned educationalist Kurt Hahn, contains schools with a similar vision to Woodstock, with a strong commitment beyond academic excellence to personal development and responsibility, with a strong emphasis on holistic education through outdoor activities.

The group runs a number of events both internationally and regionally, such as international service projects, student and teacher exchanges between member schools, and a global forum.

Woodstock is a member of the South Asia and Gulf region of Round Square.

Next semester Woodstock will take part in its first student exchange with other Round Square schools. It will not be a typical exchange, as six Grade 9 students will go to other schools while we will not receive any students in return in this first instance.

The six Woodstockers will go to three different schools around the world for

a period of six to ten weeks. Isabella S and Peyang L will be going to Markham College in Lima, Peru; Apoorva T and Vashisht A will be going to St Andrew’s School in Turi, Kenya; and Dhruv M and Taegyeong L to King’s Academy in Madaba, Jordan.

The students will talk about their lives at Woodstock at their host schools during assemblies, which it is hoped will generate interest in their students coming here.

Mark Windsor, head of science at Woodstock and our Round Square representative, is also planning to take four Woodstock students to a Youth Round Square conference in South Africa in May. He will be accompanied by board member Jane Cummings, the Round Square governor from the Woodstock board.

He said the opportunities provided by the Round Square membership would be invaluable for Woodstock students.

“Being part of Round Square opens up an amazing opportunity for our students to experience what it’s like to study in a totally different cultural setting. I have no doubt that our six students are going to come back with some amazing

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experiences and a much larger list of Facebook friends.”

Woodstock Principal Dr Jonathan Long said Round Square was founded on the idea that significant elements of a good education are learnt outside the classroom.

“Round Square will provide opportunities for our young people to experience completely different cultures and approaches to life in schools in countries such as Jordan and Peru.

They will take their experiences to these schools and bring back what they have learnt. The students we will receive on exchanges will also go to increase our diversity.”

Ed Beavan Communications Associate

REGIONAL NEWS - SOUTH ASIA & GULF

FOUNDATION OF THE LEADERS OF TOMORROW Rajmata Krishna Kumari Girl’s Public School in Jodhpur India (RKK) aims to inculcate in its students a strong sense of leadership and integrate within them all the qualities that make a good leader.

Right from the junior level, students are encouraged to develop the leader within them through appointment of class monitors, group leaders during group projects, etc.

The student council, selected in a democratic manner, is the prime representative of the student communitythus, the foundation of the leaders of tomorrow. The students are given various opportunities to organize and co-ordinate functions such as inter house and interschool events, farewell ceremony, etc. Making and heading societies and clubs such as the Debating Society instills in them a sense of commitment and responsibility.

Through initiatives like Debates, Group Discussions, Public Speaking, Moot Parliament, etc. students develop their communication skills which is the mark of a good leader.

RKK leaves no stone unturned in the overall personality development of its students. Interactions with eminent personalities such as Ms. Nandita Das, Late Mr. Farooque Shaikh, ExCAG Mr. Vinod Rai, Mrs. Mun Mun Sen, etc. gives students a chance to develop their persona and interaction with personalities like the Holy Dalai Lama, motivational speakers such as Mr. Pradeep Upadhyaya and Mr. Ajay Pratap Singh widens their horizon and gives them the perspective to be a true leader.

Leading their teams as captains in inter house and inter school sports competitions at various levels boosts up their confidence and enhances their strategic and analytical thinking abilities.

All such sessions build up their thinking and decision-making power and enables them to be more self-critical and thus, preparing them for a better future. RKK truly follows the spirit of leadership by example and aims at transforming young, bubbling girls into confident young ladies, ready to rule the world.

King’s earns Green Flag award In recognition of its commitment to environment protection and sustainability, King’s Academy has earned the environmentally acclaimed Green Flag award.

Last year King’s joined some 50 schools in Jordan as part of the EcoSchools program, an environmental initiative engaging and empowering millions of students across the globe.

Launched in the kingdom by the Royal Marine Conservation Society of Jordan (JREDS), the program aims to implement sustainable development in schools through actively encouraging and involving students to further benefit the environment.

community, applying the three R’s, distributing litter bins throughout campus to separate waste from recyclable materials, minimizing the use of plastic cutlery and composing organic waste for the use of school fertilizer.

“Our mission is to stimulate respect, responsibility and raise awareness about national and global environmental issues,” Eco-Schools supervisor Lara Al-Masri said. “[It] is to encourage environmentally friendly practices … and change the mindset of the school community on environmental issues.”

King’s has introduced a second theme to tackle this year – energy – in order to maintain its green flag status.

As part of the Eco-Schools, King’s adopted a Seven Step process with the goal of reducing carbon emissions under the theme of “waste.”

The Green Mushrifeen – an initiative led by and comprising students who are passionate about the environment – helped launch the “steps,” which included: raising awareness on the three R’s – recycle, reduce and reuse – both on campus and in the local

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REGIONAL NEWS - SOUTH ASIA & GULF

Welfare of Women & Girl Children The Scindia School has committed itself to the welfare of the girl child and women in general, through various means and activities specific to this cause. Here we present brief report on a few of our projects designed specifically to address certain issues. Our driving motto is: “Save the girl child, educate the girl child, honour the girl child, respect the girl child and give them their personal space and privacy.�

Building toilets for women in a village The Scindia School adopted a village in the year 2012. Nathon ka Pura, a village of snake charmers, is situated near the city of Gwalior. With the ban on Snake charming by the Indian Government and the growing awareness of animal welfare, these people have now been driven to menial jobs like wood cutting and unskilled labour and find it even harder to make a living. The Scindia School has been trying to uplift the people of the village. Under the IPSC Service Project hosted by the school, we built 2 toilets to encourage hygienic condition and have given the school in the village a major facelift.

In the village, there was not a single unmarried girl above the age of 13 and girls were also reluctant to go to school as there were no toilets for them nearby.

Therefore the project aimed at building 4 more toilets for the girls so that they can go to school and attain education that is rightly theirs.

The delegates were taken to the Scindia Kanya Vidyalaya to study an initiative to look after the basic well being of women called Project Sankalp. This project created low cost sanitary napkins for women for free distribution throughout the village of Nathon ka Pura. The delegates were involved in making of the napkins and they were distributed in the village the next day.

Supporting education of girl children through Nanhi Kali of KC Mahindra Trust In the year 2011, The Scindia School joined hands with the K. C. Mahindra Education Trust and Naandi Foundation which provide support to disadvantaged girl children to access quality education and material aid which allows them to attend school with dignity through the Nanhi Kali project.

In our school each boarding house has adopted a girl child. Money is collected through contribution of students. Each House pays Rs. 3600/- per year for each girl. Four of our teachers have also adopted a girl child each. This year (2013 -2014) the school has adopted 12 girl children as along with the Senior Houses even the four Junior School Houses decided to participate in this venture.

The Scindia School hosted the Service Project from 15 to 20 December revolving around helping the villagers of this very village. 7 schools, comprising of a total of 63 delegates from South Asia and The Gulf Region participated in this Service Project.

This time the focus was more on the upliftment of the girl child and women.

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Work at Sonsa, a village adopted by The Scindia School It has been over 60 years that The Scindia School adopted the village Sonsa near Gwalior to uplift the quality of life and education of the villagers. All activities in this village are routed through the Social Service League of our school.

Emancipation of women has been on top of our priority. We work constantly with the villagers and local authorities for encouraging the girl children to access education and bringing in facilities such as converting the primary school to secondary school and now, it will soon be converted into a higher secondary school. We have managed to encourage the girl children to participate in sporting activities and take up social issues through their skits instead of going usual entertainment. On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, a cultural programme was put up by the residents of Sonsa village.

The girl students of the village school performed skits protesting against three social evils: (i) Early Marriage of Girls (ii) Withdrawal of Education for Girls and (iii) Female Foeticide We are extremely encouraged by the new found outspokenness and courage of the girls from the village and slow but steady acceptance of the causes by the senior citizens of the village.