One comment that parents frequently make after our Empowered Parent workshops is that they are grateful their children have the opportunity to consider the ethical dimensions of complex issues. I, also, marvel at the range of ethical issues our students grapple with in our ever-changing world. For example, should xenotransplantation be considered a viable solution to the crisis of the shortage of human organs available for transplant? What might be an ethical solution to the cost of pharmaceutical drug pricing in America? Given the rise of inflation, should “fast fashion” be considered ethical despite exploitative labor practices? And how do we consider the multiple ethical questions that AI presents in our schools and to our students? Our students have demonstrated an extraordinary ability to consider the ethical dimensions of these and many other issues.   

The Ethics Institute is proud to announce the publication of its first-ever ethics journal, Lodestar. Lodestar is a compilation of articles, case studies, and analyses about the most compelling ethical issues we face, written and edited by our Middle and Upper School students. Congratulations to the student staff of the journal, and to all who contributed to this first edition. Most especially, thank you and congratulations to our Ethics Institute Associate Director, Anna Conti, who brought the project to fruition. 

Parents, students, colleagues, and friends, I hope you take time to experience the ethical thinking of our student leaders and come to your own ethical conclusions about the issues presented. Enjoy Lodestar!

Beloved alumna Margot (Saur) Meyer ’56 had a deeply-held belief that ethics was the most important practice that we could teach our students. Her ideas, vision, and love for ethics led directly to the launching of the National Middle School Ethics Bowl. This past weekend, thanks to the generosity and legacy of Margot Meyer, we hosted our seventh-annual New Jersey–New York Middle School Ethics Bowl, welcoming 16 teams across 11 schools for an all-day competition. Our Kent Place team won the Margot Meyer Award in Ethics, awarded to the team who demonstrates ethical leadership and respect for multiple perspectives. 

In honor of Margot Meyer, and in celebration of another successful Middle School Ethics Bowl on our campus, this month’s newsletter focuses on ethics in the Middle School. Our news stories and blog posts showcase what is on our middle school students’ minds as they think about ethically engaging with our world. 

The Ethics Institute spans across all three divisions at Kent Place, and we’re excited about the energy and momentum of what’s happening in Atwood Hall and the Middle School classrooms. We’re also excited to present a new section of our newsletter, the “AI Corner,” which explores pressing questions about how we should ethically think about artificial intelligence in our schools, our environment, and in our communities. 

There will be no newsletter during March because of Spring Break. We will see you in April!

Last Saturday, our Upper School Ethics Bowl Team competed in the NJ Regional Championship, a competition we’ve won for years. The “NJ Champion” title is a source of pride for our school and a testament to our students and program. Unlike other years, where we’d post a photo of the winning team on our social media, I decided to wait until after the weekend. 

Why did I decide to do that, I wondered? Why did I wait and not post their second place finish right away? They practiced for months, worked just as hard, and competed as magnificently as they had in the past, but finished one point short of the title. Why not share the news?

It got me thinking about the “ethics of losing.” Perhaps in that moment I valued compassion, wanting to give the team — and myself — space to digest the disappointment. Or was I thinking like a consequentialist, knowing we’d need to prepare for our friends’ and colleagues’ responses? Maybe it was loyalty to the team, wanting to preserve our hard work and camaraderie.

As I consider the “ethics of losing” and the most ethical manner to handle the heartbreak of disappointment, I realize it isn’t necessarily bad to not immediately post the results. Grace, time, and space are needed to process the tougher moments in life, contrary to the split-second manner in which we “comment,” “like,” or “share” on social media. Losing is but an equal part of life where we experience both the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. It is inevitable that if I’m willing to strive hard and risk the outcome, I must be prepared for both elation and disappointment. 

On November 19, I traveled to Washington D.C. to participate on a panel at the Senate building in our U.S. Capitol. A high school student spoke courageously about her experience as a victim of “revenge porn,” and I heard from advocates about changing AI school policies, and from government officials trying to address the scourge of AI development that has resulted in unspeakable harm to so many. As I listened to these speakers, I couldn’t help but wonder, “How did we get here?”

We got here because no one thought proactively about the ethical considerations of social media, and didn’t act years ago when the smartphone became an appendage to every human hand from childhood to adulthood. Now, here we are being “reactive” again, trying to figure out the “zero tolerance” policies and laws and restrictions which, if passed, will quickly become obsolete given the speed AI is being implemented into every aspect of our lives.

And so, what do we do? The Ethics Institute aims to answer that question. We believe we need to proactively work with all of our students, from Primary School through Upper School, to instill in them the ethical values and virtues that they need to utilize before making a decision to create and send a deepfake that will cause irrefutable harm to another. We need to engage students in discussions that lead to self-discovery and an appreciation of their authentic self and purpose. This is the only way we have any chance to rediscover what it really means to be human, and to live in safety with mutual respect and empathy for the other.

For those I haven’t met yet, I’m Anna Conti, the Associate Director of the Ethics Institute. I am so glad to be a part of the Kent Place community, and to experience the energy, excitement, and impact of the Ethics Institute. 

In my first two months here, one of the ethical questions I’ve seen our students, faculty, and parents wrestle with is: what role should social media be playing in our lives? Our REBOOT group released an excellent podcast exploring whether the government should be regulating social media. Next month, Alicia Regnault, EdTech and Support Specialist and REBOOT Educator, and I will take a look at Meta’s new Instagram policies with our Empowered Parent series, and explore the ethics of social media autonomy and parental oversight. 

As someone who is new to Kent Place, I have been so excited to see the level of ethical thinking happening here on campus. We have an exciting year ahead, with a new Portraits of Empowerment class exploring ethics and economics, an energized REBOOT group focusing on technology in our society, a highly competitive Upper School Ethics Bowl team with great new additions, and even a new ethics journal publication. I look forward to further connecting with you all!