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The Oakville Beaver, F rid a y M a y 12, 2006 - 3 THE M IK IM O T O O R I G I N A T O R OF C U L T U R E D PEARLS. SI NC E O n ly t h e t o p 1 8 9 3. 3 t o 5 p e r c e n t o f Ja p a n ' s c u l t u r e d pe ar ls a r e w o r t h y O F O U R S IG N A T U R E C L A S P S IG N IF Y IN G M iK IM O T O Q U A L IT Y ... T H E V E R Y B E S T IN T H E W O R L D . M o t h e r ' s D a y is S u n d a y , M a y 1 4 t h . El K N AR 321 C ornw all Road O ld O akville M arket O akville 9 0 5 .8 1 5 .8 7 7 7 w w w .knarjew ellery.com PHOTOS BY RON KUZYK / OAKVILLE BEAVER POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE: Everyone including the Prince was at ease when the royal fam ily mem ber visited Appleby College yesterday. His Royal Highness chatted w ith students about the Round Square pro gram and shared a few thoughts w ith Appleby Headmaster Guy McLean, too. Look beyond classes Continued from page 1 ership and service. Most recently, Appleby students and their parents have participated in projects in Thailand, where they installed a clean drinking water supply in a hill-tribe village. In Kenya, they constructed a residential facility for disabled girls aged six to 15 and in India they worked closely with individuals affected by leprosy. Students, parents and faculty have also participated in trips to Peru, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic and Botswana. Prince Andrew -- a patron of Round Square along with other members such as Sonia Gandhi and Nelson Mandela - told his audience it is especially vital to understand other cultures. Doing so, he said, will help avoid the mistakes of the past bom of unfortunate mis understandings between different peoples. Round Square takes its name from the Round Square building at Gordonstown School in Scotland. It was in honour of Gordonstown founder Dr. Kurt Hahn and his influence on 20th Century education that his colleagues and former students came together in 1966 to form an international group of schools. Hahn's philosophy was that schools should prepare students to strive beyond academic achievement through personal development and responsibility. Hahn also wished to impart upon students that despite cultural uniqueness, students around the world share more similarities than differences and building alliances makes the world a better place. Prince Andrew'said "every good school" offers its students the challenge of making a difference in their world and that Appleby certainly qualifies. He then said he hopes they all go on to use their positive experiences later in life. "Make the best of your opportunities and challenges," he said. When Prince Andrew first entered the dining hall, those on hand stood out of respect, only to have their royal guest smile, say "Relax" and prompt everyone to sit He then spent the better part of his allotted hour speaking individually with staff and students about their Round Square experiences - all of whom were quite proud of their accomplishments. He was also interested in hearing from exchange students studying at Appleby, like those from India, South Africa and elsewhere. He surprised the media table by asking reporters where they went to school and what they thought of the Round Square program. At the end of Prince Andrew's visit, Appleby head master Guy McLean thanked him and told the crowd their guest is more than a name on Round Square let terhead but is in fact "deeply committed" to its ideals. Earlier, Prince Andrew participated in a brief cere mony dedicating a plaque in the Samuel Quadrangle, completed in the fall of 2003, which represents the school's appreciation and recognition for the Samuel Foundation' s pledge tov PowelI' s House for $500,000 in December 1997. Its completion was an integral part of the college's campus enhancements as part of the Promise the Future capital campaign. With paths branching from the Memorial Classroom Building to the John Bell Chapel, Powell' s and Colley Houses and the John Guest Dining Hall, the quadrangle is important in the school's change to a pedestrian-friendly campus. `This is an opportunity to thank the Samuel family for their support of the school," said McLean, referring to what he called their "incredible contributions." ^Appleby College is an independent school for 679 Grades 7-12 students. Founded in 1911, it offers a uni versity preparatory education to boarding and day stu dents. Where everything comes together Hwy 403 B u rn h a m m o rp e H o u rs; M on.-Fri. 10-5* Sat. 10-4