Opportunities to travel, to further the aims of Round Square, and to mix with young people from all over the world don’t get much better than the trip to Shenzhen, China, taken by College students and staff in April.
Teachers Nicole Billante and Alex Robertson accompanied Year 11– 13 students Henry Smith, Angad Vraich, Mark Ma, Michael Zheng, Vinnie Wee, Ederick He, Matthew Gibb and Jeremy Kinley on the trip of a lifetime. Membership of Round Square means College is part of a global family that shares the Round Square IDEALS. The conference in China was a regional gathering focused on developing a cultural understanding of the cultures represented, including China, Japan, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Indonesia.
Staying in the heart of a futuristic- looking hub in Shenzhen, it was eye opening for the boys to see the landscape rapidly morph into urbanised and industrialised communities. The five-day conference began with a lively opening ceremony, which included a famous pop song and Chinese dancing. Activities such as martial arts, lantern making, calligraphy, mask painting and paper cutting filled the afternoon and there was a vigorous game of basketball in the evening, with the hosts winning a three- point buzzer shot to break a tied match.
The next morning groups of students from different countries taught each other about their home countries, with conversations grouped by history, ethnicities, cuisine, festivals and arts. This was followed by a visit to the Splendid China theme park, which features exhibitions and attractions on the different regions and cultures of China. A spectacular show featuring acrobats and dancers highlighting aspects of Chinese culture was a memorable finale to the day. Day three focused on the “A” of the Round Square IDEALS – Adventure – with the opportunity
College Issue 37 2019
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