staff also provided indispensable support to the committee. I am sure next year’s committee will build on the achievements of this year.
Mark Ma Head of International & Round Square
SERVICE I was lucky enough to be given the role of Head of Service at Christ’s College in 2019, and am pleased to report the service committee had a very successful year. One of the main goals of the committee was to continue to facilitate the collective movement of the school from our traditional outlook on service in the form of purely monetary donations being replaced by more physical, tangible forms of service that involved the boys giving more than just money, but also volunteering their time and personally investing in the causes they are supporting. That said, we did not completely disregard fundraising from events we held this year, and raised a collective total of more than $8,000 for various causes. Service is an extremely important way to show appreciation for what we are fortunate enough to have, and is a great way to give back to those who do not have the same opportunities and privileges that many of us have and take for granted. It is a very important aspect of College life and there are a variety of ways students at College are able to give back. The Immerse & Inspire programme and service week offer Year 10 students several great chances to give back to the wider Christchurch community. These service events and fundraisers provide a huge amount of pleasure and fulfilment to the people volunteering their time, as it comes with the knowledge that what you are doing is directly improving or helping to improve the quality of life of other individuals. This can make volunteering extremely rewarding. Two major fundraisers the committee planned, organised and ran this year were the Year 10 dance and
competition. Wednesday was mufti day, and the boys dressed in the colours of the chosen national flag of their House. In the Chapman Room on Wednesday evening, boarders were treated to Chinese Lion Dance and Japanese drum performances. Thursday was Cultural Festival Day and, at lunchtime, international food trucks set up on Upham Quad, while cultural societies demonstrated aspects of traditional Chinese and Indian culture in the Chapman Room. Friday featured both indoor and outdoor international games, such as chess and Thai kick volleyball. International Week was an outstanding opportunity to learn about different cultures and create awareness of the importance of the Round Square ideal of Internationalism. The ISP focused on the wellbeing of international students. To enrich the lives of international students, the committee organised several combined activities with College’s sister schools, St Margaret’s College and Rangi Ruru Girls’ School. The international boys had dinner with the international girls from St Margaret’s in Term 1, and the committee organised multi-sport activities with both St Margaret’s and Rangi Ruru. These events allowed the boys to improve their communication skills and develop friendships with other students. College and the committee supported
our international students in all areas, including academic, sports and co-curricular activities, and boarding. We believe it is important for international students to build positive relationships with local students, and therefore provided many events to help them get involved in our diverse school community. Another great accomplishment this year was the founding of the Junior Round Square Committee run by International Student Manager Deanne Gath. It gave junior students a chance to join the International & Round Square Committee. Many students from Year 9 and 10 were keen to be part of Round Square service on campus. We believe this will become the best support for the Round Square committee in future. We sent nine students to the senior Round Square regional conference in Shenzhen, China; four students to the junior conference in Melbourne; three students attended the global conference in India; and Tom Davidson attended the service trip to Morocco. I am very proud to have been the student leader of the International & Round Square Committee this year. The amazing events and efficient teamwork were achieved through the hard work and commitment of each committee member. Assistant Principal Rob Donaldson and other
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Christ’s College Canterbury
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