Ethically Speaking

By Alice Roche Cody

Our Middle School's Ethics Team competed virtually in the Middle School Ethics Bowl, placing fifth out of 16 teams this month. Congratulations to our students who performed admirably: Lucy Halstead '25, Maurice Boyd '26, Arjun Rao '25, Sanjay De Silva '25, Emily Dicks '25, and Kate Horton '25.

"They did a terrific job of articulating difficult positions in a variety of ethical and moral situations," said Kyle Armstrong, Lower and Middle School director. Modeled after the National High School Ethics Bowl, the Middle School Ethics Bowl strives to teach students how to approach ethical issues together. For the past three years, our MS team has competed in the competition hosted by Kent Place School.

"The teams receive eight cases ahead of time that deal with an ethical or moral dilemma," he said. "For the competition, teams work with each other to build an argument. It's collaborative, with lots of listening, empathy, and open-mindedness."

Cases have no right or wrong answer, and students must pick a side and present their stance. One case asked if it was ethical to eat inside a restaurant during a pandemic. Another involved a graded group project where one member did not contribute; the hypothetical scenario asked participants to determine how they would handle the situation.

"The kids decided their positions based on ethics and morality," said Kyle. "It forces them to break down each case, evaluate the stake holders, and articulate their position and give reasons why. Our students did a great job."