We are thrilled to announce that D-E students are State Champions of the New Jersey High School Ethics Bowl (NJHSEB)! Hosted by Middlesex College in Edison, NJ, on Saturday, Jan. 25, this event gives students an opportunity to engage in discussion about and debate real-world ethical issues.
Our D-E team, advised by Philosophy and Ethics Department Chair Mr. Joseph Murphy, competed with teams from several New Jersey schools, including Kent Place School, The Pingry School, and Newark Academy.
“D-E has been participating in the Ethics Bowl since 2011, when there were only a handful of teams across the nation,” says Mr. Murphy. “There are now more than 800 teams divided into 46 Regions and further divided into four Divisions.”
“The Ethics Bowl is a very special kind of competition…it emphasizes calm, nuanced, and good-faith discussions on issues. You are not working to tear another team down”
Our team will proceed to the next stage of the competition—the Northeastern Division on Saturday, Feb. 15, in which there are 12 regional teams competing.
According to Mr. Murphy, his students start preparing in September a total of 15 cases to argue in front of the competition judges. They discuss the pros and cons of each case using clear and systematic reasoning and various ethical frameworks to determine the best course of action.
Baptiste Louis ’25, a senior leader on the team, says, “The Ethics Bowl is a very special kind of competition…it emphasizes calm, nuanced, and good-faith discussions on issues. You are not working to tear another team down; rather, you are competing to show that you can add most effectively to an ethical debate.”
Participating in this event also enhances students’ critical thinking skills that they can apply to their own lives and more broadly. “[Students] gain a real sense of comradery in a context in which they are challenged to use all their intellectual power and experience to make ethical decisions,” says Mr. Murphy. “All of this is in the spirit of ‘cooperative competition.’”
Team leader Reya Shah ’27 says, “The most challenging part of Ethics Bowl is shifting our perspective on a scenario to move beyond our own viewpoint and find solutions that promote the morality of our greater global community.”
D-E’s Ethics Bowl Team is aiming to go to Nationals. “We are looking forward to winning the Northeastern Division finals, which would move us on to the 2025 National High School Ethics Bowl competition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in April,” says Mr. Murphy.
