SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2023. Manhattanville hosted the 8th Annual Westchester County Regional High School Ethics Bowl. The High School Ethics Bowl is a tournament-style series of ethical and moral debates where the volunteers judging the cases help bring out the best out of the participants, and the dialogue. Of these volunteers, there were several lawyers, a former Federal Court Appellate Judge, and businessmen, banded together to help the high-school competitors learn how to think for themselves.

This year marks our biggest event yet, with 12 schools, 220 high school students, and over 70 volunteers, almost 300 people in total! We would like to thank the Ethics Bowl Director, Jesse Juarez, and his team of interns, who went above and beyond to expand this event to this magnitude, tirelessly working together to manage such a wonderful event.

The morning started in the hallway of Reid Castle, where schools and volunteers gathered for a light breakfast after checking in, affording everyone an opportunity to discuss and talk out some nerves before the event started! Students, judges, and moderators had a chance to get to know each other, forming connections and friendships. After the check-in, the high school teams were led by the staff to the West Room of the Castle, and the volunteers to the Ophir Room, for the morning announcements. 

After the morning announcements, each person went to their respective matches, and so commenced the start of the Westchester Regional High School Ethics Bowl! After 3 rounds, everyone enjoyed lunch, discussing the competition and cases thus far, while the main office was fast at work, counting the votes. When it came time for the afternoon announcements, the Semifinalists were declared -- POUGHKEEPSIE HIGH SCHOOL, THE SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD, FAIRFIELD PREPARATORY, and ARLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL. 

After a fierce semifinal bout, our Finalists were identified: FAIRFIELD PREP vs. ARLINGTON. The two teams gave it their all, but one school came out as the winner: Arlington High School fought hard and deserved the Westchester County Regional High School Ethics Bowl Championship! After a short celebratory speech and award ceremony, when event leadership presented Arlington their trophy, volunteers had a cocktail party to conclude the day. 

During the cocktail party, volunteers finally had a chance to talk amongst each other, making connections (some of the Marshall Institute for Ethical Thought & Action interns landed a couple of internships), and discussing potential partnerships to help the Marshall Institute continue to grow into the coming years.

Overall, the 2023 Westchester County Regional High School Ethics Bowl was an outstanding success, and a great marker for what’s to come next, as the event can only grow bigger and bigger, moving ever closer fulfilling the mission of training the next generation of American thinkers for a better future for the United States.