This summer, I begin my Directorship of the National High School Ethics Bowl coming from a background as a video game developer, classroom educator, and facilitator of educational technology. While these roles are various and the people who worked alongside me were incredibly diverse, there was a single constant; Civility in matters professional and personal lay at the heart of every successful project. Zero-sum thinking is a mindset with a great deal of exposure. It drives engagement in the news, and leads to the strong partisan politics that encourage governmental standstills. In reality, though, when working with others professionally or when participating in the democratic demands of citizenship, it isn’t hard to see that refusing to collaborate with your peers is not a successful strategy. When our conversations about the things that matter are plagued by dogmatic partisanship and antipathy it’s unsurprising that people are quick to see their peers as enemies to be defeated rather than as fellow citizens with interests and ideas that are worthy of respect. 

I remember being new to adulthood and speaking with a friend of mine who humorously remarked upon how school teaches us the ‘hard’ skills of a core curriculum while neglecting the day-to-day soft skills required by life, like how to do taxes. While his comment was meant to convey his frustration with both math and taxes in tandem, there is truth to the idea that there are important skills that young people are somehow expected to know intrinsically. The social gridlock that makes the most divisive topics so hard to navigate comes from a lack of experience in how to participate constructively in a conversation with someone who does not share the same beliefs. 

The National High School Ethics Bowl is uniquely positioned to allow students to practice skills that will help them succeed when they inevitably face those who think differently from them. The skills that are taught by and rewarded in the Ethics Bowl are absolutely necessary to preserving a healthy democracy. It is a program where students are not simply told how to engage in civil discourse, but which actually creates the space for them to participate in challenging conversations themselves. Teams are rewarded not for subduing their opponents and disproving their views, but instead for understanding the views present in the room and finding common ground from which to learn. The situations that the students are asked to grapple with are complex, multifaceted ethical dilemmas that don’t always have a clear or single solution. Perfection is never the expectation, and it takes time and repetition to become skilled at deliberating constructively. This is the crucial opportunity that NHSEB provides. Most importantly, though, participating in the NHSEB is a fun exercise in building community for the students, coaches, and judges alike. 

Many readers of this letter will not be strangers to the transformative power of the Ethics Bowl program. Like any other skills, learning to collaborate with others and participate in civil discourse aren’t innate abilities, and they require rigorous practice to hone. Though it is easy to lament the political and social divides that exacerbate so many of the challenges facing us in the United States, I choose to instead be inspired by the dedication to cooperation and community that the students of the NHSEB demonstrate in their preparation for and participation in our events. For those of you who are new to the program, let me be the first to say “welcome.” I hope you will be as impressed as I am by the intelligence, strength of character, and commitment to reaching common ground that is shown by students participating in the NHSEB. Our goal is not merely to teach students to reason about and discuss moral and political issues. It is to teach them to do this hard work responsibly, constructively, and most importantly, together. I invite you to learn more about the Ethics Bowl, get involved with our fast-growing community, and join a great conversation today.

Sincerely,

Leonidas (Leo) Kirby

Director, National High School Ethics Bowl
Parr Center for Ethics
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill