About Round Square
Preparing young people for life through service, challenge, adventure and international understanding
St Cyprian´s School is a member of the Round Square (www.roundsquare.org), a prestigious worldwide association of schools, which share a commitment, beyond academic excellence, to personal development and responsibility through international understanding, democracy, environmental awareness and service to the greater community.
Round Square schools can be found on five continents: Africa, America, Australia, Europe and India. At present there are 75 schools in the association, of which there are only four in South Africa, one of which is St Cyprian’s School.
These schools bear allegiance to the "six pillars" of The Round Square which are: International Understanding, Democracy, Environmental Awareness, Outdoor Adventure, Service & Leadership.
Round Square is based on the theories of educational philosopher, Kurt Hahn, who believed that schools should have a purpose, beyond preparing students for college and university. Hahn, an educator at Salem in Germany and the world-renowned Gordonstoun School in Scotland, inspired schools to look towards educating their learners holistically and to look at the full development of every pupil - academic, physical, cultural and spiritual.
Hahn fervently believed that character in young people is best developed out of the classroom and that “there is more in each one of us than we think – more courage, more strength and more compassion.” Hahn’s educational approach was revolutionary at the time, when students learnt by rote and there were no extra-mural activities.
Girls attending St Cyprian’s School are asked to make a strong commitment, beyond academic excellence to the service of others, both within their school communities and the global community; to outdoor and co-curricular activities; to student leadership and kindness towards others; to look beyond gender, class, race, nationality and culture to understand the nature of humanity; and to school projects, programmes and curricula which emphasize each girl´s destiny to be a caretaker of human society and of the planet.
Learners, for example, have the opportunity to go on Round Square exchanges to schools in Australia, Canada, Germany, India and the United States. Closer to home, the girls contribute to challenging and much needed local community partnerships. Playing with abandoned babies at Sakhumzi Children’s Home, helping disabled children to ride horses, raising funds for a particular cause (ie SPCA or the Bone Marrow Registry) or responding to crises such as fires, storms and floods. All of these activities engender a sense of awareness, compassion and sensitivity.
Projets and curricula not only emphasize each girl’s destiny to be a caretaker of human society - but of the planet too. For a number of years now, the girls have been actively involved in the restoration of Red Hill, an area which was devastated by fire in February 2000. Here the school has adopted a plot of land on which it has developed a rehabilitation programme which includes the ongoing removal of alien vegetation. There are also trips to the Palmiet River, Cape Point and the Orange River, all of which create environmental awareness beyond what the girls could ever learn in a classroom.
The patron of Round Square is King Constantine of Greece. Other patrons of Round Square include Nelson Mandela, HRH Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Sonja Gandhi. There are representatives for each continent. Sue Redelinghuys, Principal of St Cyprian’s School, is currently the Africa representative.
By being a member of Round Square, St Cyprian’s School has taken its place in the forefront of international education. School Head, Mrs Redelinghuys, believes all girls benefit from the Round Square programme, adding that it increases self-awareness, an appreciation of others and self-confidence. “Our girls will be prepared for the international world which awaits them. They will be able to face life directly with courage, generosity, imagination, principle and resolution.”
Each year representatives attend a five-day conference, held at a member school, during which the prior year´s collaborative activities are reported on and evaluated and new projects planned. The 2003 Round Square conference was co-hosted by St Cyprian’s School and drew over 300 delegates from around the world.
The patron of Round Square is King Constantine of Greece. Other patrons of Round Square include Nelson Mandela, HRH Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Mrs Sonja Gandhi.
* The name Round Square originated in Scotland, where a "square" was traditionally the administrative centre for an estate. However, the "square" of Gordonstoun School in Scotland, where Hahn held the first conference, was in fact perfectly round. Thus, the oxymoron, the Round Square.