Round Square: Service Day at Primary Schools

Posted on October 11, 2012 by admin

On the second day of the conference, we headed out in small groups to spend the morning at primary schools. Arriving at the schools, we were greeted with smiling faces and warm hugs. We spent an hour with individual groups of ten children cutting out pictures from magazines and creating personal artwork for them to bring home. The boys enjoyed gluing pictures of motorbikes, while the girls had a blast adding glitter to the cutouts of dresses and models they had stuck onto their bags. It was great seeing their smiles as they held up their own unique pieces of art.

Once the classes were clean, we celebrated our visit with games, dances, and songs. There was a feeling of nostalgia as we sang the words to songs like “London Bridge” and played “Simon Says.” The children were fascinated by our cameras and asked us for group pictures. They were so excited to see their faces on a screen.

The memorable events of the morning were sadly coming to an end as the students from the primary school sang a few of their favorite songs from their culture. Hugs and kisses were offered when we said our last goodbyes. We felt a sense of community and warmth from the children and their smiles and affection. Although we did not leave having given a large sum of money or supplies to the schools, we look back on our visit with hope that the feeling was mutual.

That night, the Jump! Foundation led two hours of icebreakers and personal development activities. Not only did this allow us to meet a range of new people but it also taught us respect for other cultures and opinions. Those who were courageous stood up and voiced their points of view; their confidence was praised with a loud cheer by the delegates screaming “ROCKSTAR!”

The impact of the days memorable activities were recognized at the end of the trip, as almost all of us marked this day as one of the trip’s high points. — Sabrina Aberman ’13

Round Square: A Global Experience

Posted on October 11, 2012 by admin

September 29

Tonight we visited the Blue Moon cafe. Sitting on a hill facing the stage, we ate, chatted with some of our new friends, and heard from local artists. The musicians, many of them alumni or even students of our host school, played a mix of their own music (in a South African style) and songs we knew and could sing along to. We also had the experience of looking up at the South African night sky, free of light pollution. This enabled us to see all of the stars in their full glory – there are, after all, different constellations in the Southern Hemisphere.

So far, I believe I can speak for all of us when I say we are having a blast. We’ve all made friends from the four corners of the globe, listened to speakers on a range of topics on the theme of coexistence, and participated in a range of adventure and service-based activities. Personally, my baraza group (a sort of discussion group) includes two Canadians, a Bermudian, three South Africans, a Brit and two Indians. Our speakers have included an Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker, a motivational speaker and the first African to climb the Seven Summits (he has also made an unassisted trek to the South Pole). We also had an “adventure day,” where we participated in our chosen adventures and made even more new friends, since we weren’t in our barazas or our school groups.

We have had amazing sessions with the Jump! Foundation, a group which encourages participation in leadership. In one activity, our right hand became our “heart,” and our left, our “sword.” The objective of the game was simply to survive. By the second round, we learned to band together in groups of 2-4, and the third round featured people in groups of 30. We eventually learned to follow the objective to the word : there really isn’t a need to kill each other at all to “win” at the game.

We’ve had an amazing time, and Tuesday will definitely be a sad day, as it is the last time we will see many of these people. — Andrew Hamilton ’13

MS Pride: Les arts

Posted on October 10, 2012 by admin

Bonjour, je m’appelle Michael et je suis un de vos représentant des Arts cette année. Comme membre du Middle School Pride, j’aimerais vous inciter à faire les Arts. Je suis fier de vous dire que j’essaierai d’avoir le « Glee Club » comme activité, et la pièce de théâtre serait toujours là. Si vous avez des idées pour des activités artistiques, n‘hésitez pas à m’écrire un courriel. J’espère que votre année sera la plus artistique possible! – Michael Hamilton ’16

Hello my name is Ryan Hawa, the other Arts representative for the 2012-2013 school year. Michael and I are committed to giving you, the grade 7 and 8 students, the opportunity to enjoy and enhance your knowledge and understanding of the arts. This year, my goal is to keep arts activities going strong with new possible additions, such as musical jam sessions and workshops. We would love to hear your ideas so please email us! Remember, we want your help to make these activities work to make it a memorable year. Have fun this year, and remember to give us your suggestions. The more ideas the better! – Ryan Hawa ’16

Le blog du MS Pride: Activités

Posted on October 3, 2012 by admin

This year, Middle School Pride is working to get the grade 7 and 8 students more involved in school life, as well as certain activities outside of school, such as community service activities and fundraisers. For the 2012-2013 school year, we will try to organize as many activities, including sports events, in order to raise money and have fun!

Cette année, ça serait vraiment génial si les élèves du Middle School pourraient s’impliquer davantage. Il y a tellement de comités et d’équipes à rejoindre ! Il serait tellement agréable de voir enfin quelques élèves du Middle School dans les clubs.

I encourage the grade 7s to try out for the different sports teams, and get involved with the committees including LCC Reads, or Student Council. You may even want to start thinking about Middle School Pride for next year. So go for it and help make this year unforgettable for Middle School students!– Alyssa Obrand ’16

Round Square: Children Welcome LCC Students With Open Arms

Posted on September 27, 2012 by admin

: It didn’t really matter what we did with the kids, all they really wanted was love. Many of these children were orphans or neglected by their parents. It was incredible to see how much they appreciated just a little one on one time with us. We will always remember the children we met and the day spent at the school.

: This is one of the girls from the day care centre. As one of the youngest children there, she hadn’t seen people like us before and was frightened by our new white faces at first. However, as the day went on, she warmed up to us and we learned how much she actually craved attention.

: It was amazing to see how so little could go such a long way with these kids. We were given only two boxes filled with a couple of toys but this was enough to entertain them for an entire day. No matter where we are in the world, face paint seems to be a big attraction to the children. Whether it be the LCC BBQ or the daycare centre in Africa, it brings us closer to children.

: The Marie Daycare Centre has a very limited budget, however they make due with what they have. Their roof was originally a patchwork of materials donated or found. Here is Zach, he was lending a hand to Jack with installing a new stable roof.

: On September 24 the Marie Daycare Centre welcomed us with open arms. As we pulled into their driveway, the kids were waiting for us with eager smiles and waving hands. Our responsibilities for the day were to help clean up the center as well as entertain and care for the underprivileged children.