The Round Square Conference of Schools is a worldwide association of more than 80 schools that allows students to travel between schools,tour foreign countries, involve themselves in community service and discover cultures along the way.

History

The title "Round Square" is derived from a seventeenth century building at Gordonstoun School in Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

. The building was built in the 17th century as an estate square to house horses, carriages and equipment for the estate. It was built to a circular design of similar buildings the designer, Sir Robert Gordon, had seen on his travels in Italy. That lead to the odd name (really a paradox), the "Round Square".

Philosophy

Similar to Outward Bound

Outward Bound

Outward Bound is an international, non-profit, independent, outdoor educationorganization with approximately 40 schools around the world and 200,000 participants per year...

, Round Square schools share an educational philosophy, based on the teachings of Kurt Hahn

Kurt Hahn

Kurt Martin Hahn was a German educator whose philosophies are considered internationally influential.-Biography:...

, that supports the growth of the "whole person". This philosophy is based upon the Round Square "IDEALS" (a backronym

Backronym

A backronym or bacronym is a phrase constructed purposely, such that an acronym can be formed to a specific desired word. Backronyms may be invented with serious or humorous intent, or may be a type of false or folk etymology....

 that represents the six pillars around which Round Square schools function):

• Internationalism
  Internationalism (politics)
  Internationalism is a political movement which advocates a greater economic and political cooperation among nations for the theoretical benefit of all...
  
  
• Democracy
  Democracy
  Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
  
  
• Environment
  Natural environment
  The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
  
  
• Adventure
  Adventure
  An adventure is defined as an exciting or unusual experience; it may also be a bold, usually risky undertaking, with an uncertain outcome. The term is often used to refer to activities with some potential for physical danger, such as skydiving, mountain climbing and or participating in extreme sports...
  
  
• Leadership
  Leadership
  Leadership has been described as the “process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task". Other in-depth definitions of leadership have also emerged.-Theories:...
  
  
• Service
  Community service
  Community service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....
  
  

The common goal is to develop every student into a whole person through academic, physical, cultural and spiritual experiences.

There are more than 60 Round Square schools located around the globe in Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

, Australasia

Australasia

Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...

, Continental Europe

Continental Europe

Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands....

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, the Middle East

Middle East

The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...

, North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

, South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

, and the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

.

Student Exchanges

Students at any Round Square school may go on an exchange

Student exchange program

A student exchange program generally could be defined as a program where students from secondary school or university choose to study abroad in partner institutions...

 for a semester to any of the other schools, and thus both schools benefit from the experience of direct interaction with people from another part of the world.

Round Square International Service Projects

Round Square International Service (RSIS) Projects embody all six pillars through community service projects, such as raising a new building. Over a school break, students from different Round Square schools will converge on a single location, which is often one of the less privileged schools, where they will work together on a project. The materials required for these projects are raised through the Prince Alexander Fund, and do not require funding from attending students.

Conferences

There are a variety of conferences that allow student delegates to meet from around the world and progress Round Square.

Annual International Conferences

Annually, a conference is held at a member school. All schools are invited to attend and it is at these conferences that the Annual General Meeting

Annual general meeting

An annual general meeting is a meeting that official bodies, and associations involving the public , are often required by law to hold...

 is held and the future of Round Square is decided. It is also an opportunity for student delegates to meet and discuss issues related to the IDEALS principles. The most recent was held at Mayo college in India at 2009 and the next conference will take place in the Regent's School, Pattaya in 2010. The theme of the conference will be, "We Walk Together."

Regional Conferences

Usually, a school will host an annual conference for other member schools within its region.

Young Round Square Schools

Conferences are held for students in middle school. These conferences are annual and are divided by region.

Australia

• The Armidale School
  The Armidale School
  The Armidale School is an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school predominantly for boys, located in Armidale, on the New England Tablelands of northern New South Wales, Australia...
  
  
• Ballarat Grammar School
  Ballarat Grammar School
  Ballarat and Queens Anglican Grammar School is an independent, Anglican Church school located at Wendouree , Victoria, 123 km west of Melbourne.-History:...
  
  
• Billanook College
  Billanook College
  Billanook College is an independent co-ed school with an early learning program through to Year 12, located in Mooroolbark, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is a school of the Uniting Church in Australia, and a member of Round Square. It was founded in 1980 by the founding principal Dr Peter...
  
  
• Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School
• Ivanhoe Grammar School
  Ivanhoe Grammar School
  Ivanhoe Grammar School is an independent, co-educational, day school, located in Ivanhoe and Mernda , both located in the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
  
   (Ridgeway)
• Ivanhoe Grammar School
  Ivanhoe Grammar School
  Ivanhoe Grammar School is an independent, co-educational, day school, located in Ivanhoe and Mernda , both located in the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
  
   (Plenty)
• MLC School
  MLC School
  MLC School is an independent day school for girls, located in Burwood, Sydney. Founded in 1886, MLC admits students from pre-kinder age through to Year 12, and is a Uniting Church of Australia school.- History :...
  
  
• Mowbray College
  Mowbray College
  Mowbray College is an independent, non-selective, co-educational day school, located in Maldon and Caroline Springs, Victoria, Australia.The school has three campuses. The Patterson campus, located at Melton, teaches students from pre-school to Year Twelve. The Brookside and Town Centre campuses...
  
  
• Presbyterian Ladies College, Sydney
• Radford College
• Scotch Oakburn College
  Scotch Oakburn College
  Scotch Oakburn College is an independent, Uniting Church, co-educational, day and boarding school, located in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.Although founded in 1886, the present school was established in 1979 with the amalgamation of the historically boys' Scotch College and girls' Oakburn College...
  
  
• The Southport School
  The Southport School
  The Southport School , is an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school for boys, located in Southport, a suburb on the Gold Coast of Queensland, Australia....
  
   (TSS)
• St Philip's College
• Trinity Anglican School
  Trinity Anglican School
  Trinity Anglican School is a private Anglican School located in Tropical North Queensland, Australia.Since its foundation in 1983, TAS has built a reputation for academic excellence, service to the community and leadership in Technology, the Arts and Sport....
  
  
• Westminster School
  Westminster School, Adelaide
  Westminster School is an independent, Uniting Church, Early Learning to Year 12, coeducational, day and boarding school located at Marion, South Australia, 12 km south of Adelaide. Founded as a Methodist day and boarding school for boys, the school was opened by the Prime Minister Robert...
  
  
• New England Girls School, Armidale
  New England Girls' School
  The New England Girls' School , is an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school for girls, located in Armidale, a rural city in northern New South Wales, Australia....
  
  

Canada

• Appleby College
  Appleby College
  Appleby College is an international independent school located in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, founded in 1911 by John Guest, a former Headmaster of the Preparatory School at Upper Canada College...
  
  
• Ashbury College
  Ashbury College
  Ashbury College is an independent day and boarding school located in Rockcliffe Park, Ottawa, Canada. It was founded in 1891 and moved to its current venue in 1910. Previously, it occupied what now houses Canadian Senate offices. It is an International Baccalaureate World School, a member of the...
  
  
• Bayview Glen School
  Bayview Glen School
  Bayview Glen School is an independent school in Toronto, Canada established in 1962. Bayview Glen describes itself as "a co-educational, multicultural, non-denominational, university preparatory day school." The school is located in North York on Duncan Mill Road near the intersection of Don Mills...
  
  
• Bishop's College School
  Bishop's College School
  This article is about the school in Canada. Alternatively, visit Diocesan College in Cape Town, South Africa.Bishop's College School is a private school in Lennoxville, Quebec, Canada....
  
  
• Collingwood School
  Collingwood School
  Collingwood School is an independent, co-educational, university-preparatory school founded in 1984. Located in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, it delivers the British Columbia Ministry of Education curriculum from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12....
  
  
• Glenlyon Norfolk School
  Glenlyon Norfolk School
  Glenlyon Norfolk School is an independent, co-ed, university preparatory school in Victoria, British Columbia. It was formed in 1986 with the amalgamation of Glenlyon School and Norfolk House. The school offers instruction from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12, and teaches according to the...
  
  
• Lakefield College School
  Lakefield College School
  Lakefield College School is a coeducational boarding school located north of the village of Lakefield, Ontario, Canada.The school's motto is Mens Sana In Corpore Sano...
  
  
• Lower Canada College
  Lower Canada College
  Lower Canada College of Montreal is an elementary and secondary level private school.The college was founded by the Church of St John the Evangelist in 1861 as St. John's School and changed its name to Lower Canada College in 1909, replacing an older school by that name that was founded in...
  
  
• Rothesay Netherwood School
  Rothesay Netherwood School
  Rothesay Netherwood School is an Atlantic Canadian, independent day and boarding university-preparatory school for grades 6-12 located in Rothesay, New Brunswick, Canada. It has been an International Baccalaureate World School since April 2007...
  
  
• Sedbergh School, Québec
  Sedbergh School, Québec
  Sedbergh School was a private English language senior school located in Montebello, Quebec, Canada which offers coeducation programs and boarding facilities for Canadian and international students...
  
  
• St. Clement's School
  St. Clement's School
  St. Clement's School is an Anglican independent school for girls in Toronto, Canada. The school was founded in 1901 by Reverend Canon Powell, and was originally co-ed...
  
  
• Stanstead College
• Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School
  Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School
  Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School is a private school in Okotoks, Alberta, just outside of Calgary. It has students in grades 1 to 12. Its grade 12 provincial exam scores are consistently some of the most highly ranked in the province, along with Old Scona of Edmonton. Strathcona-Tweedsmuir also...
  
  

England

• Abbotsholme School
• Box Hill School
  Box Hill School
  Box Hill School is an independent coeducational boarding and day school situated in the village of Mickleham near Dorking, Surrey, England. The school has approximately 425 pupils aged 11–18, about a quarter of which are from overseas...
  
  
• Cobham Hall
  Cobham Hall
  Cobham Hall is a country house in Cobham, Kent, England. There has been a manor house on the site since the 12th century. The current building consists of a pair of Tudor wings built for William Brooke, 10th Baron Cobham in the 16th century and a later classical central block, and a kitchen court...
  
  
• Felsted School
  Felsted School
  Felsted School, an English co-educational day and boarding independent school, situated in Felsted, Essex. It is in the British Public School tradition, and was founded in 1564 by Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich who, as Lord Chancellor and Chancellor of the Court of Augmentations, acquired...
  
  
• Wellington College
• Westfield School, Newcastle upon Tyne
  Westfield School, Newcastle upon Tyne
  Westfield Independent Day School for Girls is a private school in Gosforth in Newcastle upon Tyne, England for girls from the age of 3 through to 18.The current Headmistress is Marion Farndale....
  
  
• Windermere School

Germany

• Schule Birklehof
  Schule Birklehof
  Schule Birklehof is a prestigious independent boarding school located in Hinterzarten in the High Black Forest region of southwestern Germany, approximately 25 km from Freiburg. It is a private coeducational secondary school . Currently, the school has approximately 240 students, 170 of whom...
  
  
• Schule Schloss Salem
  Schule Schloss Salem
  Schule Schloss Salem is a boarding school with campuses in Hohenfels, Salem and Überlingen in Baden-Württemberg, Southern Germany. It is considered one of the most elite schools in Europe.It offers the German Abitur, as well as the International Baccalaureate...
  
  
• Stiftung Louisenlund
  Stiftung Louisenlund
  Stiftung Louisenlund is a privately run boarding school for boys and girls in Güby, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The schools main building is in Louisenlund Castle, which was built by Hermann von Motz between 1772 and 1776 for Landgrave Charles of Hesse as a gift for his wife Princess Louise of...
  
  
• Stiftung Landheim Schondorf

India

• The Sanskar Valley School Bhopal
• The Doon School
  The Doon School
  The Doon School is an independent school located in Dehradun in the state of Uttarakhand in India. Established in 1935, it was founded by Satish Ranjan Das. Its first Headmaster was Arthur E...
  
  
• Bangalore International School
• Dhirubhai Ambani International School
  Dhirubhai Ambani International School
  The Dhirubhai Ambani International School is a private co-educational LKG-12 day school in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, built by Reliance Industries, named after the late patriarch of the conglomerate, Dhirubhai Ambani. Dhirubhai Ambani International School was established in 2003 and has been an...
  
  
• The Assam Valley School
• The British School, New Delhi
  The British School, New Delhi
  The British School in New Delhi, India is an independent, English Medium co-educational international school which offers an educational programme from kindergarten through to Grade 13.-History:...
  
  
• The Daly College
  Daly College
  The Daly College, located in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, was founded by Sir Henry Daly of the British Indian Army during India's colonial British Raj. It was established in 1881, and is one of the oldest co-educational boarding school in the world....
  
  
• The Lawrence School, Lovedale
  Lawrence School, Lovedale
  The Lawrence School, Lovedale is an educational institution in Lovedale, located near Ootacamund, Tamil Nadu, India and named for its founder, Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence. Lawrence had mooted the idea about the establishment of a chain of schools with a view to provide education to the children...
  
  
• The Lawrence School, Sanawar
  Lawrence School, Sanawar
  The Lawrence School is situated in Sanawar, adjacent to Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh, India. It was founded by Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence of the Indian Army of British India and was established on 15 April 1847.The school has educated many notable people...
  
  
• Mayo College
  Mayo College
  Mayo College is a public school founded by the 6th Earl of Mayo, who was Viceroy of India from 1869 to 1872.The school is located in Ajmer, in the state of Rajasthan, India....
  
  , Ajmer
• Rajkumar College
  Rajkumar College, Rajkot
  The Rajkumar College in Rajkot is one of the oldest K-12 institutions in India. RKC has a 26 acre campus located in the heart of Rajkot city.-History:...
  
  , Rajkot
• The Scindia School
  Scindia School
  The Scindia School is Indian boarding school for boys, established in 1897, and situated in a historic fortress known as Gwalior Fort, in the city of Gwalior, India...
  
  
• Welham Boys' School
  Welham Boys' School
  Welham Boys School is a boarding school in India. Nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas over an area of , the school lies amidst the hills and rivers of the Dehra Dun. Students from many parts of the sub-continent and beyond attend the school...
  
  
• The Punjab Public School, Nabha
• Birla Balika Vidyapeeth
  Birla Balika Vidyapeeth
  Birla Balika Vidyapeeth, an English medium residential school for girls, is located in Pilani, Rajasthan, India. The school was founded in 1941. It started with 25 girls and now it has approximately 800 students. It is affiliated with CBSE....
  
  , Pilani
• Vivek High School, Chandigarh
• Pathways World School
  Pathways world school
  Pathways Schools are a group of three International schools located in Gurgaon and Noida in the Delhi NCR, India for students from Pre Nursery to Grade 12...
  
  , Aravali, Gurgaon
• Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls' Public School,jaipur,rajasthan
• Rashtriya Indian Military College
• Scindia Kanya Vidyalaya
• Vidya Devi JIndal School
  Vidya Devi Jindal School
  Vidya Devi Jindal School, also known as VDJS, is a residential school for girls in Hisar, Haryana, India, founded in 1984.Late Shri OP Jindal, former Member of Parliament, philanthropist, industrialist of Haryana had a vision for a progressive state where men and women would be equal to each other...
  
  

South Africa

• Bridge House School
  Bridge House School
  Bridge House School, situated in the Cape Winelands close to Franschhoek, Stellenbosch and Paarl, is an independent day / boarding school for over six hundred and fifty girls and boys from Grade 00 to Grade 12.-History:...
  
  
• Dainfern College
• St Cyprian's School
  St. Cyprian's School (South Africa)
  St. Cyprian's School is a private boarding and day school for girls in Oranjezicht, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. It is situated not far from Table Mountain and has a breathtaking view. The school is also a member of the G20 Schools Group.-History:...
  
   (Girls)
• St. George's Grammar School
• St Stithians College
  St Stithians College
  St Stithians College is a Methodist church school situated on the border of Randburg and Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa. It follows a co-ordinate educational model within a village of schools consisting of boys' and girls' colleges, boys' and girls' preparatory schools, and a junior...
  
   (Boys)
• St Stithians College
  St Stithians College
  St Stithians College is a Methodist church school situated on the border of Randburg and Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa. It follows a co-ordinate educational model within a village of schools consisting of boys' and girls' colleges, boys' and girls' preparatory schools, and a junior...
  
   (Girls)
• Stanford Lake College
  Stanford Lake College
  Stanford Lake CollegeHeadmasterJohann UeckermannSchool typeIndependent Day/Boarding Co-EdFounded1998LocationHaenertsburg, Limpopo Province, South AfricaEnrollment272 School coloursGreen, navy and whiteGrades8 - 12...
  
  
• Tiger Kloof Educational Institute
  Tiger Kloof Educational Institute
  Tiger Kloof Educational Institute is a school near Vryburg, South Africa.Tiger Kloof had its origins in the Moffat Institute at Kuruman, part of the educational endeavours of the London Missionary Society in that part of South Africa. When the Moffat Institute closed it was reincarnated, in 1905,...
  
  
• Penryn College
  Penryn College (South Africa)
  Penryn College is a co-educational private school situated in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, South Africa. It also a global member of Round Square.- References :* http://www.penryn.co.za/* http://www.ileadprivateschools.co.za/tag/penryn-college...
  
  

Switzerland

• Aiglon College
  Aiglon College
  Aiglon College is a private English-style boarding school in Switzerland, registered as a not-for-profit charitable institution, with an international student intake . The school gathers funds from full fee-paying students, from donations and via registered charitable trusts in different countries...
  
  
• Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil
  Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil
  Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil is a private international school founded in 1910 and located in Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland. Beau Soleil is the most expensive school in the world. It is one of the oldest boarding schools in Switzerland...
  
  
• Inter-Community School Zürich
  Inter-Community School Zürich
  The Inter-Community School Zürich is a private, independent, international, co-educational day school and offers a comprehensive educational programme in English for children from ages of 3 to 18. The school is international in character and welcomes students of all nationalities...
  
  

United Arab Emirates

• The Millennium School,Dubai
• The Indian High School, Dubai

United States of America

• The Athenian School
  The Athenian School
  The Athenian School is a college preparatory school located in Danville, California. Athenian educates students in grades 6-12 on a campus at the base of Mt. Diablo, located near San Francisco in Northern California...
  
  
• Deerfield Academy
  Deerfield Academy
  Deerfield Academy is an independent, coeducational boarding school in Deerfield, Massachusetts, United States. It is a four-year college-preparatory school with approximately 600 students and about 100 faculty, all of whom live on or near campus....
  
  
• The Hotchkiss School
• Chadwick School
  Chadwick School
  Chadwick School is a nonsectarian independent K-12 day school located on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles County, California.-History:...
  
  
• Cate School
  Cate School
  The Cate School, established in 1910 by Curtis Wolsey Cate, is a four-year, coeducational, college-preparatory boarding school in Carpinteria, California, United States....
  
  
• Westtown School
  Westtown School
  Westtown School is a coeducational, college preparatory day and boarding school for students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.-About Westtown School:...
  
  
• Saint Andrew's School
  Saint Andrew's School (Boca Raton, Florida)
  Saint Andrew's School – An Episcopal school founded in 1961, Saint Andrew’s School is a nationally recognized JK-12 day and boarding college preparatory school known for its academic excellence and education of the whole child – in mind, body, and spirit. It serves 1,300 students from local,...
  
  

Former Members

Anavryta National School in northern Athens

Athens

Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...

, Greece

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

, was a member from 1949 till 1981, when the original boarding school was dissolved and replaced by an experimental high school with a classics

Classics

Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...

 and humanities

Humanities

The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....

 orientation.

St Andrew's College (New Zealand) was also a member until 2007.

External links

• Round Square website
• Round Square, Global Member Schools, List
• Round Square Regional Member Schools