Host school

Saint Andrew’s School, USA

Date

28^th August – 3^rd September 2016

Age range

14 – 15

Theme

Reach for the Stars

Type:

Globally Accessible

Logo

About

Saint Andrew’s School helped celebrate Round Square’s 50th Anniversary by hosting this special globally accessible conference. Kicking off the conference in New York City, conference attendees spent some time exploring the cultural life of the Big Apple before making their way up to Camp Starlight in Pennsylvania, just two and a half hours northwest of NYC.

With Saint Andrew’s acting as host, 15 Upper School students stepped into leadership roles during the week of August 27 – September 3 to welcome over 100 students and teachers from schools across the world. Countries visiting included India, Romania, and South Africa. The Saint Andrew’s group presented an outstanding opening ceremony for the attendees with Kiara Warren ‘17 addressing the crowd. A video on the history of Round Square was also shown that was put together by Saint Andrew’s Lower School students.

Through their hard work of planning and outstanding leadership skills, SA students led the whole group through different activities and discussions throughout the week. Director of Student Life and Experiential Education and leader on the trip, Jason Glick, described the conference as “a roaring success,” going on to say, “Visiting students intimated that they’ve enjoyed the itinerary, having delighted in the company of their new friends, and appreciated the opportunity to ‘unplug’ from their mobile devices and immerse themselves in all that this experience has to offer.”

As part of the program, the group spent a day offering community service around a local town. The conference delegates helped with an array of community needs. They spent time beautifying the Town Square of Hancock, NY, maintaining the grounds of the Hancock Nature Center, giving a fresh coat of paint to furniture at a local preschool, and cleaning up other areas around the Historical Society.  As an end to their successful week, the entire group worked on their team-building skills with an adventurous kayaking trip down the Delaware River.

The full programme included:

• Welcome to New York
• Statue of Liberty
• UN visit and Tour
• Picnic in Central Park
• Camp Starlight
• Opening Ceremony
• Team building/ Camp activities
• Service Opportunity
• Rikka sessions
• Keynote speakers
• Cultural evening
• BBQ
• Bowling
• Pool Party
• Live band
• Star Gazing
• Kayaking on the Delaware river
• Closing ceremony

Highlights