NorKam Senior Secondary Students Won the National Ethics Bowl in Winnipeg

Congratulations to NorKam Senior Secondary students, who have won the Canadian National Ethics Bowl in Winnipeg on April 29, 2023. The Canadian Museum for Human Rights hosted the twelve finalists of the original 150 teams in a competition that occurred over an intense two days.

Among the winning team was grade 12 students: Sarah Nielsen, Rylee Lake, Evan Leggett, Lena Heinen, and grade 11 student Dakoda Kelm. NorKam teachers Nicky MacFarlane and Trevor Pendergast supported students by being mentors, coaches and cheerleaders. The depth of the team’s philosophical knowledge put into practice, their ability to support each other’s statements, and their unflappable demeanor were some of the key facets that made the difference over the course of the competition. “Many coaches asked if our students had Ethics classes, rather than just being an extracurricular club,” said MacFarlane, “and we were the favoured team to win by many of the other teams at the tournament. We were treated like celebrities!”

An Ethics Bowl is both a collaborative and competitive event, where teams discuss current ethical dilemmas of social, political, economic, scientific, or cultural nature. Prior to the day, all “bowlers” research and develop the cases and arrive at the Ethics Bowl prepared to discuss their ideas and to listen to other perspectives.

Students were evaluated on communication, use of relevant information, critical thinking, and collaboration, among other academic skill sets. Some examples of the issues NorKam competitively discussed were: civil disobedience, AI art, compassionate robots, territorial acknowledgements, and the monarchy.

"This weekend our NorKam students clearly and handily demonstrated the zenith of the principals of Benjamin Bloom. Watching their growth over the weekend, amid such an impressive array of peers from other schools across the nation, was just one of the amazing things that made this experience one of my proudest accomplishments as a teacher. I will forever cherish this experience, and this team of intelligent young adults," said Trevor Pendergast, teacher.

“I stayed in touch with Trevor and Nicky throughout the three days they were in Winnipeg, said Rachael Sdoutz, principal. “Their excitement was so contagious. On Saturday, I got word they were in the semis, the finals and then WON! I was shopping in a furniture store in Kamloops laughing and yelling and texting with Assistant Superintendent Hamblett. We are all so very proud of this team! With their work and dedication, they became the first British Columbia high school to win the top award in this demanding but rewarding national competition”.

Congratulations, NorKam on becoming the 2023 Canadian National Ethics Bowl Champions, and for making SD73 proud!