By Tiffany Franke '02

John Howard, prime minister of Australia, called Round Square "a worldwide association of schools which focus on personal development and responsibility through service, challenge, adventure, and international understand." Deerfield, now an official member in this organization, is only one of two United States schools. The organization's philosophical principles form the acronym IDEALS: International Understand, democracy, Environmentalism, Leadership, and Service.

Three students, Tiffany Franke '02, Karl Moats '04, and Haley Warden '04, attended the September 2001 Round Square conference in Alice Springs, in central Australia. Surrounded by students from nations worldwide, including South Africa, Kenya, Germany, India, Japan, Thailand, England, and Canada, the students gained multiple perspectives on current worldwide concerns. They discussed how to integrate Round Square into the Deerfield community. The conference lasted six days with various activities scheduled form 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. every day. Day-trip activities, including visits to an old mine, a camel farm, hikes on the local ranges, and barbeques, provided the opportunity to establish an international web of friends and reinforced the importance of personal connections among young people worldwide. Participating in a conversation about Hinduism, organizing a fundraiser for a Thailand water project, and watching the sun rise over the Australian range with a student from India, were just some of the culturally enriching experiences that Round Square provided.

International conferences are an important aspect f this organization, but Round Square also stresses the importance of international exchanges among the 68 member schools, and participation in service held in locations worldwide.

Deerfield has already hosted students from various Round Square schools ranging from Germany and South Africa. This year, for example, Joseph Nyamumbo '02 is spending a year at Deerfield away from his Round Square member school in Kenya. Deerfield has enjoyed accepting many students from various member schools and is now encouraged to send students of our own to other Round Square schools. Underclassmen are encouraged to think seriously about the possibility of spending a year studying in a castle in Scotland or in a school on the coast of Australia.

All members of the Deerfield community, now all members of Round Square, are also encouraged to participate in Community Service Projects. Jenn Wozniakeqicz '02 worked in the Dominican Republic last spring break for two weeks. Current projects are in India, Kenya, Baja Mexico, Dominican Republic, and Thailand.

Next year's conference, to be held at Xalem School in Germany, the founding school of Round Square, is looking for Deerfield participants, both students and faculty.

Although internationally focused, Round Square can become a part of Deerfield on campus as well. Member schools are encouraged to lead fundraisers for the many programs supported by Round Square, including the Prince Alexander Fund, and sponsoring students from a school in Africa.

The experiences with Round Square have sparked the desire for future involvement with this organization. The three students who attended Round Square encourage the Deerfield community to reach out and embrace the opportunities: be enlightened, overwhelmed, and completely inspired.