Coldwater High School Wins Regional High School Ethics Bowl, Arlington Students Place Second

Coldwater High School students placed first in the University of Findlay-hosted regional High School Ethics Bowl held Saturday, Jan. 26. The Arlington High School team, which participated in the event for the first time, was a strong runner-up.

Coldwater will advance to the National High School Ethics Bowl to be held at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in April.

Organized by Matt Stolick, Ph.D., professor of philosophy and chair of the Religion and Philosophy Program at UF, the High School Ethics Bowl is a chance for public, private and home-school students to develop their critical thinking and debate skills. Teams are judged on their responses to ethical conundrums that often challenge many of us in our daily lives. Points are awarded for depth of thought, ability to think carefully and analytically about complex issues and the respect they show to diverse perspectives of their peers.

This year’s competition represented the fourth annual Ethics Bowl event held at UF. It included 10 teams from four different school districts.

Some of the ethics challenges teams faced this year included:

• Was it ethical for an employee to request a raise without disclosing his intentions to leave the company in a few months?
• What moral considerations would guide your organization policy-making concerning transplantable organ distribution?
• What are the main ethical considerations are at play when deciding whether to break up with a romantic partner?
• In what ways (if any) is the government justified in restricting firearm ownership?