So, like, let’s talk about this National High School Ethics Bowl thing that went down in North Carolina, right? A bunch of high school students from different schools gathered at the University of North Carolina to debate some serious ethical dilemmas on April 13, 2025. It was a pretty big deal, with teams from schools like Midtown High School in Atlanta, BASIS Flagstaff Charter School in Arizona, and Dwight-Englewood School in New Jersey, just to name a few, facing off against each other.
The teams weren’t just arguing for the sake of arguing, though. They were given cases to discuss and had to come up with their own opinions on the issues. No assigned positions here! The judges were looking for teams that really dug deep into the problems and considered all viewpoints. It’s all about understanding where the other side is coming from, you know?
One case they debated was about whether it’s ethical to clone a beloved pet. Harpeth Hall from Nashville argued that cloning is selfish and could have health risks for the cloned animal. On the other side, Miami’s Archimedean Upper Conservatory asked some thought-provoking questions about the ethics of cloning for personal happiness. It was a real brain teaser, for sure.
The whole competition was more about having a meaningful discussion than just winning a trophy. And the students seemed to get a lot out of it. Like, 100% of them said their critical thinking skills improved, and most said their ethical and political beliefs changed. That’s pretty impressive, considering some of these kids were probably debating whether pineapple belongs on pizza just a few weeks ago.
But hey, everyone’s gotta start somewhere, right? And if Ethics Bowl can help these students become better citizens who can engage in respectful discussions, then I’m all for it. Who knows, maybe they’ll be the ones solving the world’s problems someday. Or at least figuring out where to go for lunch without arguing about it for hours.
So yeah, maybe it’s not the most exciting competition out there, but Ethics Bowl is definitely making a difference in these kids’ lives. And that’s something worth talking about.
