LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Saklan students discuss world food challenges at EF Global Leadership Summit


Sofia Koepke, Mikayla Perrin, Claire Wilcox-Black, Finn Anders, Cal Baker and Alex Campigli Photo provided

Earlier this month, Saklan School science teacher Vickie Obenchain and Kim Parks, the middle school dean, traveled with a group of 13 students and parents through Europe to a variety of destinations that connected culture with cuisine, while learning about "future of food" trends related to production, security, sustainability and climate change. They then met up with 1,500 high school students and teachers from around the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia to participate in a two-day EF Global Leadership Summit - a leadership conference that this year focused on student collaboration to create innovative solutions that address global food challenges.

"During the global leadership food summit in Milan, Italy I learned that by being open to working with people from all over the world can help you get different perspectives when trying to fix worldwide issues such as hunger and food waste," explained Saklan alumna and current Bentley School sophomore Priya Brinton.

"The Summit immersed our students into each destination's cultural cuisine and gave them the opportunity to collaborate alongside other students to study and respond to a learning challenge focused on the future of food," Obenchain said. "From the impacts of climate change to the benefits of composting, the Summit encouraged students to create innovative solutions for global food challenges."