For the past few weeks, I have heard a collective sigh of relief from the seniors for whom “the college process” has come to a close. Each year, I both marvel and lament at how this process has taken over the lives of high school juniors and seniors. In January 2025, the Ethics Institute hosted an Empowered Parent Workshop entitled, “The Ethics of the College Process.” In it, we learned that 76 percent of students feel high-stress throughout the college process (PrepScholar). From an ethical perspective, I submitted that the values in peril throughout the college process were integrity, fairness, safety, and, most significantly, authenticity.

The value of authenticity is certainly challenged with the increased use of AI in higher education, including its use in the screening process and the equity of AI’s use by students and professors alike. This past fall, I learned about what I consider to be one of the biggest threats to the value of authentic personhood in the college process. It’s the students’ creation of “passion projects.” The intent of the passion project is to originate from a student’s genuine interest, and should result in a measurable positive impact on a community. Colleges and universities love the passion project because, in their view, such projects demonstrate a candidate’s initiative, determination, leadership, and authenticity.

In this year’s 2026 NJ Regional High School Ethics Bowl, there was a case entitled, “Mission: Admission.” It dealt with a high school junior named Erin who created a passion project called StoryShare that provided 10,000 books to libraries and schools in California. After she received her acceptance to Yale, Erin dropped her passion project. The case questions: “Is there something wrong with doing good only because it’s personally profitable? Is it deceptive for Erin to present her project as altruistic if her main motive was college admissions?” (NHSEB, 2026) 

One could argue, from a consequentialist lens, that the greatest good was achieved by Erin’s passion project, as most stakeholders benefited: Erin got into Yale, Yale accepted a student they deemed appropriate, and 10,000 books were provided to students in need. Additionally, Erin learned some good entrepreneurial skills. But what about intent? Do we pursue altruistic endeavors not only with the intent of simply doing good, but as a means to an end? For me, the issue goes back to the value of authenticity. Does the passion project represent a student’s true authentic passion or interest in life? Or is it yet another method of self-promotion with one goal - acceptance into the college of choice?

There were some very significant and passionate perspectives shared by the students competing in the bowl around this case, some noting the benefits and others noting the harms. One student remarked that “selfishness” is the societal norm that motivates everyone in everything they do, even the good things. In a way, students reasoned, a person is being authentic in that the project will accomplish their goal. That reasoning made me question: Is it selfishness or an authentic pursuit of a goal? Or both? Does selfish intention matter if the outcome is positive? Selfishness is not a value, nor is it a virtuous ethical framework. 

When I think about the potential overall consequences of the “college process,” I think that it has, on some level, depleted high school students of the sheer joy of their high school experience with the never-ending essays, applications, tests, visits, and interviews…not to mention the absolute stress and terror felt on those days when college acceptance notifications arrive. Aside from this stressful reality, the most significant harm of the college process may be that it threatens the development and nurturance of the authentic self. The recent KPS alumnae who participated in last year’s parent workshop discussed the struggle between pursuing real passions done out of individual, authentic love and interest, and the need to promote a version of themselves that would give them the best chance at admission into the college of choice.

There are so many stakeholders and factors that comprise “the college process.” The stakeholder that matters most is the student. Through ethics, we will continue to challenge students to take the time to know themselves and pursue passions that are representative of their true, authentic selves. Doing that will inevitably lead to the best outcome for all.

• Is an influencer responsible for the way her followers interpret her promotions?
• Should embryos be screened for IQ? For medical conditions? Is there an ethical difference?
• Can auditions ever be truly fair? Is it for the greater good of the student body to focus on excellence or inclusivity?

These were three of the Case Questions posed at the New Jersey-New York Middle School Ethics Bowl held at Kent Place on February 28. And I can emphatically state that there is nothing more humbling and inspiring than watching middle schoolers discuss the most complicated ethical issues that we experience in everyday life. The students think, they listen, they question, they discuss . . . and then they decide. They decide not with the goal of debunking the other team’s perspective. They make a decision that best answers the question “why” — and “why” one answer is more ethical than the other.

There are many skills that students gain from participating in the Ethics Bowl. They learn to think on their feet as they need to immediately respond to judges’ questions. They experience what it means to apply one’s values to a complicated situation. Most importantly, they discover that not everyone thinks the same way, or experiences issues in life the same way. And giving students the safe invitation to bring their authentic perspectives to a conversation — perspectives that they discover are shaped by their family’s values, their school’s values, their culture and/or religion, and other life experiences.

In 2019, the year after the Kent Place Upper School team won the National High School Ethics Bowl Championship, the Ethics Institute, along with Roberta Israeloff, Executive Director of the Squire Family Foundation, created and hosted the very first New Jersey Middle School Ethics Bowl. That year, there were eight teams involved. Since then, that bowl has expanded to become the New Jersey-New York Middle School Ethics Bowl with 24 teams representing independent, public, charter, religious, single-gender, and coed schools. There is a national Case Writing Committee that includes cases written by students and coaches from across the country, and Middle School Ethics Bowls happening in Massachusetts, Philadelphia and hopefully more regional zones. The goal is to create a National Middle School Ethics Bowl that brings together middle school-aged students from all over the country.

If you want to be both inspired and comforted knowing that the future will truly be in the hands of people who have learned to think, question and make ethical decisions that are values-based, then get involved in ethics bowls! One observer on Saturday commented to me: “It’s just remarkable . . . To listen to their voices . . . it gives me hope that, in the future, we will have people leading us with integrity.” 

And thanks to the Ethics Bowl, we will do just that.

In this month’s AI Corner, we are introduced to the latest medical AI innovation, SleepFM, “designed to predict health risks based on sleep data.” These predictions, which have proven to be somewhat successful, can alert the user to the likelihood of contracting diseases such as Parkinson's, cancer, heart disease, and even death.

Predictive medical intervention is a topic that we frequently discuss in the Bioethics Project, and not only predictions made by AI, but also diagnoses made by physicians. Though a frequent mantra in bioethics is “no one can predict the future,” nevertheless, whether or not a patient prefers to know a serious, life-ending diagnosis is an extremely difficult decision. Some state that they would want to know if their life was ending so that they could live their best life; others state that they would never want to know because it would be too depressing. No one answer is the right answer — it’s a deeply personal decision about the human condition and the finite nature of this life.

Knowing of an impending illness or the time of one’s death is not where AI’s intervention into the human experience ends. What about after death? A person’s belief (or lack of belief) about what happens after death is another deeply personal life experience that is so authentically human. Yet, as you can hear on this month’s podcast, “An AI God? A Deep Search into AI Chatbots and Religion,” the emergence of DeepAI and their “God bot” can walk you through some of humanity’s most deeply held beliefs and mysteries. If you want to talk to God about the creation of the world, God’s existence, or what life after death may or may not look like, you can ask this God bot via DeepAI. Despite the ethical threat of sacrilege, manipulation and accuracy, many embrace this opportunity to connect with God, faith or religion to answer some of life’s most deeply personal and challenging questions, like what happens to us after we leave this life. 

Artificial intelligence continues to challenge and push us to the limits of our human experience. Sleep FM is “an exciting and impressive development, as early detection is key.” This God bot offers a spiritual experience to people who may not have the opportunity to interact with anyone or anything associated with faith/religion. Yet, the ethical concerns are obvious. Once we open the floodgates to allowing AI to intervene for us in these most personal and authentically human spaces of illness, death and the spiritual realm beyond death, we are truly treading on a slippery slope that may very well challenge what it means to be human. 

Yes, as we say in bioethics, “No one can predict the future.” However, if we don’t pay attention to all of the ways that AI is steadily creeping into the most-human of experiences and challenges deeply-held values, then we will be able to predict a future that is wrought with unforeseen consequences.

There is a popular Christmas song that was written in 1963 titled, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” It’s still played on those stations and sites that play endless rounds of holiday music. I sing it to myself as the stress of the month of December increases with the addition of the activities typically associated with “the holiday season.” What is most peaceful and an anecdote for this stress are the myriad of lights that are sprinkled throughout our campus and community that represent some of the major religious and cultural holidays, and that bring a quiet, peaceful light to brighten these days of very little sunlight. 

What is equally wonderful at this time of year is to reflect with gratitude on the continued growth of our ethics programming at Kent Place. We at the Ethics Institute are in awe at the incredible work of our students, whether in our ethics classes in all three divisions, the efforts of our Middle and Upper School Ethics Bowl Teams, the scholarship of our Bioethics Scholars, or the ever-increasing interest in bringing ethics outside of the classroom through our podcasts, REBOOT and REBOOT Jr, the Bioethics and Philosophy Clubs, student Summits . . . the list goes on and on. Educators are increasingly engaged in bringing an ethical dimension to their respective disciplines. Our parents continue to become “empowered” through our workshops and chats. The work of realizing our vision to “empower the world to live ethically” is becoming a reality as our reach continues to expand across the nation.

A most wonderful example of the incredible work of our students will be available next week: the second edition of our ethics journal, Lodestar!  I can’t adequately express how impressed I am with the ethical thinking, reasoning, and scholarly approach employed by our students regarding some of the compelling ethical issues of our time! A digital version is available in this newsletter. If you are interested in a hard copy of Lodestar, please contact us at ethics@kentplace.org.

Finally, throughout my years as an educator, I always ask the students what they find “most wonderful” about this time of year and our Winter Break. Without hesitation, they always respond with, “spending time with my family.” Let’s never forget what truly makes this the most wonderful time of the year - time spent together, in-person, interacting, and appreciating. Please know how much we at the Ethics Institute appreciate you! 

Enjoy this most wonderful time!

Since joining the Ethics Institute a year ago and beginning my work in the school community, I’ve enjoyed listening to hundreds of fascinating student conversations on ethical dilemmas and engaging in dialogue about our world’s trickiest topics. In the Bioethics Project, I’ve listened to students wrestle with issues like informed consent in clinical trials. I’ve been to Congress to hear about the ethics of deep-fake policies. I’ve seen high schoolers struggle with the ethics of skincare products and marketing, have heard their thoughts about the fleeting TikTok ban, and witnessed them consider if there is such a thing as authenticity online. I’ve worked with our Ethics Bowl team about the ethics of work/life balance, and have had long (and passionate!) discussions about whether it’s ethical for someone to feed their dog vegan food. 

I’ve come to learn and appreciate that there is no “right” answer to these impossible ethical questions. Every dilemma has a “right vs. right,” or two ways to see and understand a problem. Students respond to these ethical dilemmas with frameworks and values. The richness and beauty of ethics comes in expanding one’s thinking. 

Most of all, I’ve appreciated that The Ethics Institute doesn't cover light and airy topics. We discuss heavy, real issues about technology, honesty, authenticity, and safety. But through it all, I am not disheartened by the world that awaits us. I’m not spooked out by the science fiction dilemmas posed in Bioethics, nor am I shaken by the economic dilemmas we learn about when logging into our Bloomberg Terminals. I do not lament the ethical challenges artificial intelligence presents to our students, the future leaders of our world. 

Why? The debate, the thoughtfulness, the flexible thinking, and the dialogue of our students, gives me hope. They dare to ask (and answer!) big questions about what it means to be human in 2025, what it means to interact and make friends with others, what constitutes bodily autonomy, and who is equipped to make decisions about life, their health, their future. They do not have all the answers (do any of us?) but they have the questions, and are equipped with values and decision-making methods to lead themselves, and their peers, in rich dialogue.

This doesn’t discount the fact that the world, indeed, can be a scary place, where innovation seems to be moving faster than our governments, systems, and schools can keep up. But still, I neither feel fear, nor fright; neither do these students. As the world continues its frenetic pace to create new technologies and realities, I will be listening closely to how our future leaders assess their reality, and lead and live ethically within it.