Roedean Joins Round Square

Each Roedean girl will be encouraged to participate meaningfully in the Round Square ideals of:

• International understanding
• Democracy
• Environmental awareness
• Adventure
• Leadership, and
• Service

Senior boys and girls from Saint Stithians College, and the Saint Stithians Girls’ College Round Square Director, Mrs Christine Ashton, visited Roedean in February to welcome Roedean to Round Square.

Round Square is a world-wide association of more than 80 schools on five continents sharing unique and ambitious goals. Students attending Round Square schools make a strong commitment, beyond academic excellence, to personal development and responsibility. This is achieved by participating in community service, work projects, exchange programmes and adventuring, which can, and often does, take students half way around the world.

Round Square is based on the theories of experiential educational philosopher Kurt Hahn. Dr. Hahn, one of the twentieth century’s foremost revolutionaries in education, believed that schools should have a greater purpose beyond preparing students for college and university.

He believed that it was crucial for young people to prepare for life by having them face it directly and experience it in ways that would demand courage, generosity, imagination, principle and resolution. Round Square is an organization embodying this educational revolution.

Dr. Hahn has led to the creation of many outstanding schools, as well as Outward Bound, the United World Colleges and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award., (and its follow-up the “International Award”). As the number of Round Square schools continues to grow and the co-operation among these organizations increases, Hahn’s philosophy is making a solid and creative impact on the lives of thousands of students.

All member schools share a strong underlying belief: this is the view of learning by doing. It is an ongoing process of self-confrontation and formation, involving a fundamental objective of the full and individual development of every student into a whole person…academically, physically, culturally and spiritually, within the supportive environment of a school community.

This underlying belief also embraces the importance of service to others, adventure and leadership training, responsibility and international understanding. All these are essential in preparing young people to meet the challenges of the future with confidence and compassion.

Round Square is a Registered Charity in the United Kingdom

Registered Charity Number : 327117 www.roundsquare.org

Africa Senior Regional Conference: Franschhoek

Farisai Ndhlovu, Megan Antrobus, Franci van Rhyn and Megan Lang attended the Africa Senior Regional Conference in Franschhoek.

Farisai and Megan Hacking down invader species at the source of the Berg Rivier.

Pie- Pacifique Kabalira-Uwase left Rwanda, got refugee status in South Africa, worked as a car guard and earned a physics degree at Natal University.

Pie-Pacifique’s message:

• You choose how to respond to your circumstances.
• Break the chain within you: fear, prejudice & self-doubt.
• Know your dreams and see opportunities to fulfil them.
• Let’s change the narrative of Africa.
• Teachers are here for you to notice great things about yourself.
• Teachers hold the space in which you learn.

At the International Africa Conference at Penryn

Nicola Stipinovich, Rebecca Kuttschreuter, Susan Cossa, Mrs Sandy Murray and Kate Reeves represent Roedean School (SA) at the service.

Roedean contributes to the Round Square Regional Project at Philippolis December 2012.

Service – Philippolis Gallery

Why is the youth so quiet?

This was the one of the messages that had the most impact on all of us at the Round Square conference. We had lectures on all different kinds of issues. On Littering and pollution in our streets and in our oceans, rhino poaching, the lack of education in our country and on Galileo Galilei’s impact on Science.

A small change can make a huge difference if you know what to change.

MVs attend the Africa Junior Round Square Conference 2012, hosted by Dainfern College

Last Saturday evening, I attended the opening ceremony for the Junior Round Square Conference which, this year, was hosted by Dainfern College.

The welcome address was given by Professor David Bloch, world‐renowned academic and astronomer, who spoke, amongst other things, about the need for young people to find something in their lives about which they can feel passionate and experience a sense of wonder. He appealed to them to guard against the voice and will of the ‘common herd’ and to stand firm in their beliefs. He took the audience on a journey through astronomy that was remarkable and, using Galileo Galilei as his supreme example, he emphasized the need for people to have simplicity in their lives and time to think. His fear for his students, and young people in general, is that the ever‐increasing addiction to Blackberry, iPads, and all other forms of smart devices limits the creation of ideas.

His fear must not be misinterpreted as a rage against the wonders of technology, but a very real sense that the youth of today, because of an increasing addiction, has very little quiet, and stillness in their minds when they are alone to think, and wonder, and create. I was very conscious, as I listened to him, of the potential we have at Roedean to create the very skills and strengths he reveres.

Mrs Williams reflects on Dr David Bloch’s address.

World renowned astronomer, Dr David Bloch

Eight girls enjoyed exciting Street School trips to Dharamsala. They taught the Tibetan Monks in exile English, and met the Dalai Lama.

Franci van Rhyn meets the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, July 2012.

In December 2012, we were privileged to be addressed by Mr. Migyur Dorjee, the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Africa. His message of universal compassion was most moving and inspirational.

Mrs Mary William, Executive Head of Roedean School (SA), Mrs Migyur Dorjee, the epresentative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Africa, Reverend Jeremy Jacobs, St Georges’ Anglican Church, Parktown.

Model UN Debate

The South African Institute for International Affairs holds the annual Model UN debate at Wits University. Many Gauteng schools take part and Roedean has been involved for many years. Recently, there has been a new addition to the structure. Roedean has been asked to host a mini MUN debate in May , 2012, to assist inexperienced schools to have a “trial run” in the mini MUN in advance of the real MUN at Wits.

There are normally 4 in a team – 3 speakers, and a researcher. The debate revolves around a real international issue and you debate as though you are diplomats from a country to the UN and you have to represent your country’s true stance on the issue – and try and reach a resolution.
It is a very exciting process and you will learn a great deal about the issue and the UN!!

On Saturday, the 15th September, 2012 Roedean Senior School entered two teams in the above annual debating contest. Six debates took place at Wits concurrently. The two debates Roedean entered dealt with the Syrian Crisis (Security Council debate) and Rhino poaching – (General Assembly Environmental programme debate). In the Syrian debate there were 15 countries represented and Roedean was Guatemala; in the Rhino poaching debate there were 26 countries represented and Roedean was Canada. Teams have to know and observe the protocol of the UN, have to represent their designated country’s actual position and defend it diplomatically, respond to the political position of other countries and, through caucusing, try and get countries to agree to a proposed resolution. In the Rhino Poaching debate (adjudicators were a private game farm owner and a member of the Endangered Wildlife Trust):
Roedean achieved 2nd place overall( Silver certificate), was highly commended for their second speaker, Lindiwe Makgalemele and achieved first place in their position paper – written and spoken to by Beth Crankshaw. Sara Owen was the closing speaker.

In the Syrian Crisis Debate (adjudicators were the coordinator of the UN information centre in SA and a researcher for SA as the African rep on the Security Council)
The team achieved 1st place overall (Gold certificate).

As winners in their section this team were to the SAIIA Young Leaders Conference 10-14 December 2012. The three speakers were: Emma Ho, Behnazir Mohammed and Shazia Patel.

Well done to these girls – they debated well, displayed diplomacy and were able to think on their feet about possible, feasible solutions on current pressing issues in the world today. Many of the MUN debaters go on to have a career in International Affairs so involvement in the debates is a good training ground