The Bermuda High School became the first school in Bermuda to offer its students access to a world-renowned programme in 2005.

Round Square is a worldwide association of schools that share a commitment, beyond academic excellence, to personal development and responsibility through service, international understanding, challenge, adventure, democracy and environmental stewardship. Over the Easter break, a number of secondary students had the opportunity to travel overseas to visit with other Round Square schools and make a difference in the local communities. Here is Grace’s testimonial.

Shine Among the Stars

Chadwick School, Los Angeles

Grace McNamara, Y10

Having heard the amazing stories from students who have gone on Round Square trips before, I jumped at the opportunity to attend the Round Square Americas Conference in LA.

My expectations were quite high, and the first day alone surpassed them by far. When we entered the Chadwick school campus, we were greeted with a loud round of applause from the other Round Square delegates and the pupils of the Chadwick school, and from the beginning we were warmly welcomed.

Throughout the conference, we did a variety of activities that both pushed us out of our comfort zones and helped us make new friendships with people from all over the world. They included surfing, meal packing, an “amazing race” we did in our barraza groups which developed our teamwork skills, and service projects with different charity groups.

One of the service projects involved distributing socks to the homeless population on Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles. This service project really opened my eyes to how fortunate I am to have a roof over my head and the privilege of going to a great school and getting an excellent education.

Not only did we spend time in the city, but we also spent three days at Cedar Lake Camp in Big Bear, about a three-hour drive from LA. Once there, we had our electronics taken away so that we could focus on building our relationships with others and to put our best effort into our activities. At the camp we did another service project: we built bikes for some less-fortunate children and families. Other activities included hiking, a bonfire, stargazing and a high ropes course.

Overall, this conference made me a better leader by pushing me out of my comfort zone and making me take the lead in projects and activities.

I now have friends in places such as South Korea, Canada and Argentina and we all intend to stay in touch forever. It was such an amazing experience and we are all very grateful that we got the chance to go on this conference and we loved every minute of it.