IDEALS in England A Round Square Adventure
- ooiu 123
- Apr 27, 2011
- 2 min read
Selected from thirty-seven applicants, Sidney Cech ’12, David Morales-Miranda ’12, Thomas Cowan ’13, Stefani Kuo ’13, and Holly Taylor ’13 will attend the 2011 Round Square conference at Wellington College in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England.
When asked about the October trip, the newly-selected delegates expressed clear enthusiasm and excitement.
“I am really looking forward to bonding with the people going on the Round Square trip, learning more about other schools, meeting new people, and deepening my understanding of the pillars!” said Kuo.
“Its such an amazing opportunity that I have been given. I have been given the vote of confidence that I am the right person to get to do this, and I really hope that I can live up to it!” added Cech.
Round Square, an organization of over eighty schools on five continents, is based upon the theories of educational philosopher Kurt Hahn, who believed that schools had a greater purpose than just preparing their students for college.
“I hope to learn about different leadership styles and issues concerning the world. I feel that people only hear about the biggest issues, but if people look closely enough, every community has smaller issues that could be resolved,” reflected Morales-Miranda.
It was crucial, Round Square Founder Hahn believed, for young people to be prepared for life by having faced it directly in ways that would demand courage, generosity, imagination, principal and resolution. Round Square looks to instill its IDEALS in those who attend the conferences: Internationalism, Democracy, Environmentalism, Adventure, Leadership and Service.
“From the experience, I hope that I gain a sense of what it means to be a leader, even as a teenager in a world run by adults. I hope that I contribute optimism and approachability, because I get the impression that most serious gatherings in the world these days lack basic friendliness; I’m going to be the kid who smiles back!” Taylor exclaimed, with a smile.
Cowan commented, “I look forward to not only to getting to know the four other DA delegates, but also kids from the nineteen other countries which makes this conference so unique.”
Cech finished, summing up her goals for the conference: “I hope that I can represent Deerfield well and bring not only my own stories and background, but a little bit of Deerfield’s culture to the conference as well.”