2011 North Carolina High School Ethics Bowl
East Chapel Hill Wins Inaugural NC High School Ethics Bowl
NC Science & Math 2nd; Carolina Friends 3rd at UNC-Chapel Hill
CHAPEL HILL – East Chapel Hill High School won the inaugural North Carolina High School Ethics Bowl (then called the Triangle Regional Ethics Bowl) on Saturday, April 30, 2011 at Caldwell Hall on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus.
Seven teams from six local high schools participated in the event. North Carolina Science & Mathematics finished second, and Carolina Friends School had two teams that tied for third place.
In an Ethics Bowl competition, teams of up to five students face off on a series of challenging and complex moral issues. Presented with cases drawn from real events, participants defend positions they believe to be most reasonable, and are judged on the strength, perceptiveness, and logical force of the arguments offered. The tournament is an exciting and competitive event where teams work together to find the best position while developing a greater understanding and appreciation of the arguments on all sides.
The teams were judged by panels of three, including professors, graduate students, and prominent members of the community. East Chapel Hill won the final round with 147.5 points out of a possible 160. Their score of 147.5 was the highest in any of the 10 competition rounds throughout the day.
Other schools participating in this inaugural event were Cedar Ridge High School, Woods Charter School, and Cary Academy. The program aims to expand to other area schools next year and to host the first statewide North Carolina High School Ethics Bowl Championship in 2013.
The event was produced and sponsored by the Parr Center for Ethics, with help from the Department of Philosophy. The Parr Center for Ethics is an embodiment of the University’s commitment to ethics. The Parr Center brings academic and theoretical work in ethics to bear on practical ethical issues; encourages the moral development and ethical awareness of our students; and provides a public forum for productive discussions of ethical issues affecting the university, state, national, and international communities.
Click for the rules, cases, and score sheet used in the 2011 Triangle Ethics Bowl.
© 2010-2012 by The Parr Center for Ethics at UNC Chapel Hill.