Westlake Academy students and leaders gather together before they give a presentation to the Board of Trustees.
More than a handful of Westlake Academy tenth gradersbrattended the International Leadership Symposium at American-British Academy inbrMuscat, Oman.
The six students were selected out of 37 Westlake Academybrsophomore applicants through a blind application process, which includedbranswering a prompt about this year's theme: Water conservation and sanitation.
The group joined others from Oman, China and Germany tobrdevelop leadership skills, experience other cultures and gain a new perspectivebrabout internationalism.
As a result, the Westlake Academy students are now on abrmission to share the importance of water conservation by educating others aboutbrefforts that will make a difference in their community.
Westlake Academy student Gabi Swistara explains thatbrattending the symposium allowed her gain awareness about the need to conservebrwater. Additionally, she learned the important roles water plays in everydaybrlife, besides showering and drinking purposes.
“If we are aware of the issues, we can work to prevent thembrin the future,” she says.
The Westlake Academy students also discovered manybrsimilarities between the Middle East and United States by learning about waterbrconservation and sanitation.
For students, the symposium provided the opportunity forbrthem to understand how severe water conservation issues are.
“I got to experience first hand all of the things Oman usesbrto conserve such a precious resource – from reduced water flushing, to water recyclingbrplants,” says Westlake Academy sophomore Callie Sherrod. “This experience andbrthe knowledge I gain there is very important and applicable to our community.”
As Texas continues to rapidly growth and battle harshbrweather conditions, water conservation is becoming a pressing issue.
Consequently, the Westlake Academy students were able tobrtake lessons and discover ideas in Oman that will help local communities preservebrwater.
“With all these things I learned, saw and experienced, Ibrknow have a responsibility to share them with the community,” Sherrod says. “Ibrplan on modeling the things I learned myself, as well as trying to pass onbrthese lessons to other people.”
The six Westlake Academy students are currently in thebrprocess of starting a club that is focuses on water conservation, culturalbrawareness and human rights.