GHS places second in state Ethics Bowl contest

Fielding two squads for the recent Indiana High School Ethics Bowl competition, the Greencastle High School team included (clockwise from top left) coach C.J. Shields, Ben Huff, Isaac Hertenstein, Maieasha Rashid, Rebecca Hebb, Bailey Williams, Hannah Seaman and Bella Green.

Courtesy photo

On the heels of a 2020 state championship, the Greencastle High School Ethics Bowl team came back strong in 2021, with a second-place finish by the Greencastle 1 team.

The Prindle Institute for Ethics at DePauw University hosted the Indiana High School Ethics Bowl competition on Saturday and Sunday, virtually hosting 22 teams from around the state, including two from GHS. Nearly every school involved, including Greencastle’s two teams, was forced to prepare remotely and conduct virtual practices due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Greencastle 2, consisting of sophomores Bella Green, Rebecca Hebb and Hannah Seaman, had a strong showing, with a 2-1 record on Saturday, narrowly missing advancing to Sunday’s championship round of eight teams.

Greencastle 1, with freshman Isaac Hertenstein, sophomores Ben Huff and Maieasha Rashid and senior Bailey Williams advanced to Sunday’s championship bracket and defeated two teams from Culver Academy before ultimately falling in the state championship match to Herron High School from Indianapolis.

This weekend’s strong showing by the GHS Ethics Bowl Team continues a tradition of excellence by GHS in the Indiana High School Ethics Bowl Competition. In the last five years, teams from GHS placed third in 2018, second 2017, 2019 and 2021 and won the state championship in 2020.

The National High School Ethics Bowl and the regional ethics bowls it supports are competitive yet collaborative events in which students discuss real-life ethical issues. In each round of competition, teams take turns analyzing cases about complex ethical dilemmas and responding to questions and comments from the other team and from a panel of judges.

An ethics bowl differs from a debate competition in that students are not assigned opposing views. Rather, they defend whichever position they think is correct, provide each other with constructive criticism and win by demonstrating that they have thought rigorously and systematically about the cases and engaged respectfully and supportively with all participants.

Data from NHSEB surveys shows that this event teaches and promotes ethical awareness, critical thinking, civil discourse, civic engagement, and an appreciation for multiple points of view.