ROUND SQUARE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2019 (RSIC2019)

About Round Square

The school is the proud member of Round Square Global, which currently has more than 190 member schools from around the world. The school actively participates in the national and international conferences. The school also facilitates short-term exchanges with other member schools. It recognizes that learning is most effective when it is practical, cross-cultural and collaborative, and when it is infused through a broad spectrum of inter, extra and co-curricular activities.

Round Square International Conference in October 2019

The Emerald Heights International School hosts the world’s biggest Round Square International Conference from 2^nd to 8^th October, 2019 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh (M.P.), India. Over six days more than 700 student delegates and 300 adult delegates of 157 schools from 33 countries across the world came together at the Emerald Heights for the Round Square International Conference 2019 (RSIC 2019). The theme of the conference was Sarvodaya -The World We Wish To See. Sarvodaya is a Sanskrit word meaning progress for all. Very appropriately the conference was scheduled in the week when the world celebrates the Mahatma’s 150^th Birth Anniversary and the week that follows is dedicated to non-violence and peace.  The conference logo is the world being raised up by hands from different parts of the world. It signifies that we should mould the world and ourselves into what we wish to see.

It was a week of  multinational and multicultural experience in which delegates from different countries, cultures and perspectives came together to share, learn, understand and, be inspired to make a positive difference in the world – to begin to create a route map to The World We Wish To See.

Over the course of the week, delegates undertook great adventures, heard from some fantastic speakers, explored the conference theme in mixed Baraza discussions and challenged themselves to step outside their comfort zone. In doing so they made many friends, exchanged ideas and discovered more about themselves, about each other and, about the wonders of their host country, than they ever imagined.

In opening the conference, Round Square Chief Executive, Ms. Rachael Westgarth urged students to use the week to develop their thinking on a range of topics, to expand their knowledge and understanding and, to challenge their ideas and beliefs, but at the same time to consider what the consequence would be – what they would do differently as a result – what part would they play in creating the world we wish to see? Quoting Ruskin, she said: “What we think or what we know or what we believe is – in the end – of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do.”

Keynote Speakers

The world’s renowned keynote speakers from diverse fields and discussion panels throughout the conference ignited delegates’ curiosity and challenged their perceptions.

The opening speaker was Shri Kailash Satyarthi, a child’s rights activist who was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 for his struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education. During his keynote he urged delegates to expand the horizons of their thoughts and be visionaries. The topic of Shri Satyarthi’s keynote speech was, “Compassion and Youth”.

Also on the opening day, delegates heard from Honorable Dr. Shashi Tharoor an Indian politician, writer and a former career international diplomat who is currently serving as Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) explored the themes of democracy and globalization​. The topic of Dr. Tharoor’s keynote speech was, “India in Transition: From Midnight to Millenium and Beyond”.

As the conference progressed, Hanson Robotics brought us Sophia, a social humanoid robot that uses artificial intelligence, visual data processing and facial recognition and is the first robot to receive citizenship of any country. Delegates were asked to decide whether they considered A.I. to be potential friend or potential foe and Sophia addressed the conference on a range of topics including climate change, energy conservation and sustainable development, before taking questions.

Our next speaker was Ms. Kiran Gandhi, an electronic music producer, drummer, artist and activist. She is also known by her stage name Madame Gandhi. Her music career includes being a touring drummer for artists
M.I.A., Thievery Corporation, and Kehlani. Gandhi’s music and activism focuses on female empowerment and fourth-wave feminism. She encouraged students to use their passion for purpose, and then invited the students on stage to perform with her! The topic of Ms. Gandhi’s keynote speech was, “Own Your Voice: Using Passion For Purpose”.

Delegates were fortunate to begin their final day of the conference with a 3K run for cancer alongside Major D.P. Singh, a retired officer of the Indian Army, war veteran who is known as India’s first blade runner, and who later addressed the conference. Major Singh has run 26 half marathons using a prosthetic ‘blade’ leg. During his keynote he motivated students to take charge of their life “You are the Boss of your life and once you recognise that, then no hurdle or challenge is big enough for you.” he
said. The topic of Major Singh’s keynote speech was, “I am the Boss”.

“My favourite key note speaker was the blade runner because he showed great control and power behind his tone,” says Alejandro Manuel Ortiz from Palmer Trinity School “I ran a 3K with the rest of the other delegates and listened to the blade runner and the life coach speak. I learned to take control of my life instead of coasting because I am the boss of my life.”

The final speaker of the RSIC2019 was Shri Gaur Gopal Das, a former Hewlett Packard engineer turned Indian lifestyle coach and motivational speaker who is part of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). He spoke about attitude being the most important factor in personal success and discussed mindfulness and peace education, leaving delegates with a powerful and important message that “achievements are not the only determinants of true success, which comes only when we have what really matters to us.” The topic of Shri Das’s keynote speech was, “Secrets of Impactful Success”.

Going Beyond Our Comfort Zones

On Service day, delegates worked with, and visited, some of Emerald Heights’ community partners including Kalyanmitra Samiti Old Age Home, Rangwasa Jaivik Gram, an organic agriculture institute, the Indore Cancer Foundation and Shri Shri Utkarsh Samiti which focuses on welfare and rehabilitation for those most vulnerable in society. Many of the tasks carried out involved refurbishment and decoration of buildings and classrooms. Delegates also engaged directly with students in lessons, games and activities at Manovruddhi Kendra, an education and training centre for children with special needs, at Gyanodaya School, where free education is offered for children living a slum area, Mahesh Drishtiheen Kalyan Sang, which provides for the social and economic rehabilitation of girls that are visually impaired, and the Indore Deaf Bilingual Academy where delegates learnt some basic sign language so that they could communicate with pupils to complete an art assignment. Delegates volunteered at a variety of NGOs in and around Indore such as the Indore Deaf Bilingual Academy, Jeevan Shala, Kalyanmitra Samiti (Bal Utthan Pariyojna) and the Indore Cancer Foundation hospital.

On the adventure day delegates explored the ancient city of Mandu. Perched atop a 20 square km plateau, the ruined city is not only endowed with beautiful natural scenery but also occupies a strategically important location in the landscape and, Maheshwar, located on the banks of river Narmada with great historical significance in India.

Formal Recognition of Achievements

During the Opening Ceremony Round Square welcomed eight new Global Member schools to its community: Calgary French & International School in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Holy Innocent’s Episcopal School in Atlanta, United States, Salésien in Quebec, Canada, San Silvestre School in Lima, Peru,  St. John’s-Ravenscourt School in Winnipeg, Canada, Wyoming Seminary in Pennsylvania, United States,  Maria’s Public School in Assam, India and, Modern School, Barakhamba Road in Delhi, were all warmly welcomed and presented with their Round Square Membership Certificate and Round Square Flag.

Also during the Opening Ceremony, Shreya Mantha from Providence Day School was formally recognised as the 2019 Kurt Hahn Prize winner for her “Foundation for Girls” initiative, a youth-led social venture dedicated to empowering girls in crisis.

In the run up to the conference, students from across the network were invited to submit artwork for the annual Roy McComish Art Award. The artwork was judged on composition, design, medium, quality and the best interpretation on this year’s conference theme.

During the Conference Closing Ceremony the winners were announced. Prizes went to Blake from Holy Innocents, Anveshika from Sunbeam School, Ben from Holy Innocents, Jiyoung from ChiongShim, and Camille from Bermuda High School. Congratulations to these young, aspiring artists. Click here to see some of the amazing artwork submitted.

International and Intercultural Understanding

Each evening of the conference student delegations from attending schools performed in a hugely entertaining and impressive nightly showcase of international talent. These multicultural talent shows celebrated and shared the diversity of the Round Square network and each school’s rich cultural heritage in a riot of colour, dance and rhythm, with many performances requiring audience participation, and other performances resulting in audience
participation whether they wanted it or not!

After the multicultural evenings, Emerald Heights presented an impressive series of nighttime festivals throughout the conference, showcasing the rich and diverse culture of India through food, dance, music, cultural dress, street entertainment, market stalls of hand-crafted wares, and so much more. All delegates were told at the start of the Conference that Guest-is-God, and in these evenings this was certainly felt to be the case. The evening performances were spectacular showcases of the talent and creativity of the students of Emerald Heights who performed each night to the delight and astonishment of the conference. Delegates were encouraged to enjoy the food, dance, socialise and discover a different aspect to India every evening, with every detail meticulously planned right down to the parting gifts made by the students at the school.

“The different types of food, clothing and dances were amazing”, says Vasudha Agarwal from Vidya Devi Jindal School. “Even the welcome by Emeralites was spellbinding and it felt like we were all celebrities!”

Artefact Exhibition and Dinosaur Fossil Park

There was an artefact exhibition during the conference, specifically on the Mahatama Gandhi, which enabled delegates to get a glimpse of India’s rich cultural and historical past. This was successfully conducted by Mr. Rohit Khanna, a certified collector of antiques by the Department of Archeology, Government of Madhya Pradesh and an award winning collector of antiques.

“Discovery Land”, a Dinosaur Fossil Park was created during the conference wherein fossils were displayed by Mr. Vishal Verma and Princess Aliya Sultana Babi of Balasinor, Gujarat. Balasinor is one of the largest Dinosaur Fossil sites in the world spanning over 72 acres which she maintains. In the Dinosaur Park the fossils displayed were parts of dinosaur rib, chunk of a sauropod rower limb, theropod eggs nest, part of a vertebrae, masala egg, theropod egg within the rock matrix, sauropod egg, distal end of theropod femur, fragmented sauropod femur bone and part of a vertebrae.

“The best thing about the conference was being exposed to students from all over the world and being able to absorb so much knowledge from the discussions in our Barazza groups,” explains Constanza Carvallo from Palmer Trinity School “It helped to develop my communication skills because I can sometimes be very shy when speaking in public even though I love meeting people. Sometimes speaking in public makes me nervous and I feel like it has helped me overcome this fear.”

And Will Loach from Ryde School with Upper Chine says “This conference has escalated my appreciation of diversity to entirely new levels as I have made friends for life from all over the world and I learnt about the history and rich culture of India from the people living in this beautiful country”.

RSIC is an annual meet-up of like minded schools across the world from 50 countries. Every year the conference is hosted by different member schools in different parts of the world around mid-September or October. The conference gives high-school students various opportunities to express themselves, debate on topical issues, forge friendships, supports local communities, and develop an international understanding. The conference also helps students to explore various cultures around the globe and interact with several people from innumerable nationalities which makes them more acceptable as human being towards the different ethnicity around us.

 

ARM – 2017 for South Asia & Gulf Region

 

Annual Regional Meet (ARM) of Round Square Schools is held every year, which is hosted by the member schools. In 2017, the Emerald Heights International School hosts the ARM-2017 for South Asia and Gulf Region member schools from January 05-07, 2017. The Chief Guest for the opening ceremony was Lama Yeshe Rabgye. He addressed the audience on Professional Development. ARM-2017 had full participation of the Principals and the Round Square Reps of the member schools from the region. During the meeting the school has planned a visit to Maheshwar which happens to be significant place of historic importance for us in the Malwa region of Central India. Mr. Ganesh Kohli of IC3 also addressed the Principals and other delegates.

During the meeting the Principals and the Reps discuss the activities of the entire year of the member schools under the guidance of the Regional Director Mrs. Papri Ghosh who happens to be the Principal of Indian High School, Al Gubrah, Muscat, Oman. The entire conferences, intercultural programmes, Model United Nations Conferences and community service projects are discussed and allotted appropriate dates spread throughout the year.

Round Square Conference – 2016 for Students Aged 11-13 Years

 

The Emerald Heights International School hosts Round Square Conference for students aged 11-13 years from June 12 to 14, 2016. The theme for the conference was Escapar Para Aventura based on Adventure and Environment. The chief guest for the opening ceremony was Captain Navin Gulia, Ex-Army Officer, Celebrated Author, Renowned Motivational Speaker and an Adventurer. After suffering from lower body injury while serving in the army at the age of 22 he has involved himself totally in adventure. During the conference students were involved in the activities which inculcated the spirit of adventure and passion for environment. These activities included creative workshops and teaching children how to sustain the available resources. The conference included creative activity using waste and discarded material like newspapers, bottles, glasses, papers, paints, threads, wool, jute thread, left over colors, kite papers, etc. The young delegates also visited Flames of Forest which was a Hercules but a memorable experience where the delegates were involved in Rappelling, Flying Fox and Commando obstacles. The conference involved 120 students hailing from 13 esteemed institutions from all across the nation.

The participating schools were Him Academy Public School, Dharampur, Mayo College, Ajmer, Pathways World School, Aravali, Gurugram, Punjab Public School, Nabha, Rajmata Krishna Kumari Girls’ Public School, Jodhpur, Sanskar Valley School, Bhopal, The Daly College, Indore, Pinegrove School, Dharampur, Birla Public School (Vidya NIketan), Pilani,, The Doon School, Dehradun, Singapore International School, Mumbai and The Assam Valley Public School, Balipara.