JAMMU: By virtue of being the only school from Jammu & Kashmir that is a global member of the prestigious Round Square fraternity comprising about 260 exceptional schools worldwide, KC Public School has been consistently representing the region at annual international conferences of the Round Square since 2017.
The 57th Round Square International Conference was held this year in Dubai, UAE, from September 19 to 25, hosted jointly by The Indian High School, The Millennium School, and GEMS Modern Academy. Nearly 1,400 student and adult delegates from across the globe participated in the mega event held under the theme “Beyond the Dunes.”
The Conference was graced by Round Square Chairman John O’Connor and CEO Rachael Westgarth. Among the leading schools in attendance were Daly College Indore, Dhirubhai Ambani International School Mumbai, Lawrence School Sanawar, Modern School New Delhi, Pathways World School Gurugram, The Doon School Dehradun, The British School New Delhi, Appleby & Ashbury Colleges (Canada), Klosterschule Roßleben (Germany), MLC School Sydney (Australia), Bridge House School (South Africa), and Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School (USA).
From KC Public School, six student delegates—Aseemta Gupta, Ria Nargotra, Reyhaan Gupta, Diya Dubey, Mahira Mahajan, and Ada Aggarwal—attended the conference along with School Chairman Raju Chowdhary, Managing Director Arti Chowdhary, and Round Square Representative Manoj Kapoor.
The conference began with an arrival day on September 19, during which delegates experienced Bedouin hospitality at a desert camp near Dubai, featuring dune exploration, camel rides, fire shows, and Arabic Tanura folk dance. The formal opening ceremony took place the next morning at The Indian High School, with Satish Kumar Sivan, Consul General of India in Dubai, delivering the keynote address. This was followed by student-led baraza discussion groups focused on the conference theme.
Over the next three days, the event spotlighted three core Round Square ideals—Environmentalism, Service, and Adventure.
- Environmentalism: Delegates deliberated on climate change in baraza groups and later visited Adventura Nature Park, where they engaged in activities such as preparing natural pesticides, seed collection and plantation, and learning survival skills.
- Service: Participants volunteered at a local Gurudwara and served students with special needs under the Hello Zindagi programme at GEMS Modern Academy, where they personally cooked and served food. They also organized a charity market, Souk, to raise funds for a Dubai-based NGO.
- Adventure: Delegates trekked through Al Shees Wadi in Sharjah, exploring mountain trails and local flora.
The closing ceremony on September 24 marked the conclusion of the conference, leaving participants enriched with international exposure, global friendships, and a deeper understanding of pressing world issues.
The KCPS delegation described the experience as transformative, fostering bonds across cultures while instilling the Round Square spirit of global citizenship, leadership, and service.
