Round Square at Abbotsholme
Abbotsholme is a member of Round Square which is a worldwide association of schools which share a commitment beyond academic excellence, to personal development and responsibility through the IDEALS of Round Square – which are, I- international understanding, D - democracy, E - environmental stewardship, A-Adventure, L – Leadership and S – Service. In the UK, there are only 8 other member schools – Gordonstoun, Windermere St Anne’s, Westfield School, Box Hill, Cobham Hall and Wellington College. Membership is difficult and schools must show a continued commitment to the IDEALS of Round Square.
Each year, Abbotsholme welcomes 2 exchange students per term from around the world. Students come from South Africa, Australia, Canada, America, Peru and other parts of the world. They study for the term and participate in all Abbotsholme has to offer. We also send out students during our summer holidays – Abbotsholme students must be Year 10 and older and can exchange to any of our Round Square schools in Australia and South Africa.
Abbotsholme also participates actively in Round Square Conferences. Regional conferences are held yearly for the younger grades and each October all Round Square schools gather in one location for an International Conference, amassing in over 600 delegates from around the world. In 2008, the conference was held at The Collingwood School in Vancouver, Canada; in 2009, at The Mayo College, in India and in 2010, it will be held at The Regent’s College in Thailand. This year we have sent, Year 7’s to The International School of Zurich, in Switzerland, the Year 8’s will attend a conference at Windermere St Anne’s in the Lake District, and Year 9’s will attend a conference at Landheim Schondorf, in Munich, Germany.
Service is also a large part of Abbotsholme. We have students working on our farm, helping in our Junior department, organizing our recycling paper programme, working at our local senior centres, and helping out at the Animal shelters. Students, aged 16 and over, also have the opportunity to participate in our International Service Projects. Every year we have sent several students out on various projects. In 2009, 2 boys went to Ladakh, India to construct much needed facilities in a remote village and then trekked through Nepal. We sent 2 students to Kenya to continue building dormitories and facilities in a Masai Girls School. Students went to Peru to build eco friendly stoves in a hill tribe village and tree planted for future sustainable fuel. Projects are also run in Honduras, Guatamala, India and Northern Thailand.
Students in Year 9 and above can participate and travel to Costa Rica to live and work at a self sustainable community called Durika. Each year we sent 12 students and travel with Box Hill and Wellington College during the Easter Break.
Our patrons include some inspiring and influential figures from around the world.