LCS’s Round Square Postcard Event – Looking Inward, Connecting Globally

By: Gerry Bird

With international travel on pause for most (due to the pandemic), Round Square (RS) and its 200+ member schools, including LCS, have had to rethink and adapt their Global Learning program offerings.  As a result, RS introduced several virtual events to replace its usual slate of global and regional conferences, student exchanges, and international service-learning projects. 

 

One new initiative is the Round Square Postcard series, in which each week, a different member school hosts a mini-conference, workshop, or discussion session relating to the RS philosophy of experiential learning and the organization’s six foundation pillars, or IDEALS (Internationalism, Democracy, Environmental Stewardship, Adventure, Leadership, and Service).

 

On Wednesday, May 12, a motivated team of 12 LCS students (including two members of the school’s Global Learning Committee and ten students who had previously participated in a Round Square Conference trip and/or student exchange), hosted a one-hour Zoom postcard, entitled “Find Your Discovery Superpower”.  

Our students welcomed over 50 delegates from 12 schools in eight countries around the world.  The student hosts were supported in their endeavour by LCS Round Square Representative, Gerry Bird, and Director of Global Learning, Tim Rollwagen.

 

The program focused on the 12 Round Square Discoveries, which RS defines as important “attitudes, attributes, skills and values developed and explored by students as they engage with the IDEALS”.  Skillfully guided by pairs of LCS Student Facilitators, the members of each group were introduced to the assessment of signature character strengths.  

Participants were asked to identify and share their personal signature strength – or rather, their “Round Square Discovery Superpower” – with the rest of their group. After examining common strengths and “non-strengths”, our student facilitators led a brainstorming session in which participants suggested positive behaviours or actions they could take for personal improvement.

 

After preparing diligently for the Postcard event through a series of meetings and practice sessions over the past few months, the 12 LCS Facilitators delivered an outstanding virtual session, as evidenced by the positive comments and expressions of gratitude they received from participants.  

The following students are commended for their enthusiasm and dedication to making this event a resounding success:  Rori Ash ’22, Marc Bossongbra ’21, Dana Bradshaw ’21, Rory Cameron ’21, Olivia Cantelon ’22, Jonty Harris ’22 Rowan Harris-Stoertz ’22, Olivia Johnston ’22, Meeri Mattila ’21, Prajina Salvarajah ’22, Arina Stolyar ’21, and Abigayle Strano ’21. Congratulations for representing LCS so positively at a global event.

 

 

“The activity required us to practice [the] Self Awareness [Discovery], to find out our strengths and weaknesses. It was also a good way to observe the variation that exists between peoples and to gain an Appreciation for Diversity. And of course, the Communication Skills [Discovery] was effectively used throughout... Thank you, Lakefield College School for the wonderful Postcard...”

 

“I am from Yadavindra Public School in Patiala, India. This Round Square Postcard actually made me think about my strengths and weaknesses. This conference also made me accept the most difficult thing for anyone to accept - their weaknesses [non-strengths] and talk about them. The conference was well managed by the hosts. Thanks to Lakefield College!!”

 

And this, from the Round Square Rep of a school in California, for whom the 10:00 a.m. EDT start time was not particularly convenient!  “7:00 a.m. was a bit of an early start for those of us on the west coast, but it was well worth it. I am now thinking about using the Discoveries and your modelled conversation as a way to orient student leadership groups in the fall. Thanks for the inspiration!”