The annual TKEthics Bowl brought together bright thinkers from across Southern California, but the end of the 2024-25 school year victory went to the Harvard-Westlake’s Middle School Team, who captured first place after weeks of deep discussions and moral debates. The event, held online in 2025, challenged students to analyze ethical dilemmas and defend their reasoning under pressure. The winning team’s participants were Samuel Bird ’28, Grace Eisner ’28, Halyn Kim ’28, Ren Lisenbery ’28, and Madison Shen ’28.
Each year, the Ethics Bowl trains students to think critically about real-world moral issues through teamwork and logic. The middle school team spent weeks preparing by discussing complex case studies and practicing how to build creative and evidence-based arguments.
Under the guidance of English and Interdisciplinary Studies Teacher and Department Head, Ryan Wilson, the team’s coach, the students refined their techniques by discussing many complex ethical scenarios. Wilson said the team’s preparation paid off when they rose to the top of the competition, demonstrating composure in every round.
“The top value is genuine collaboration,” Wilson said. “The whole idea of Ethics Bowl is to think through difficult issues together. The reality is that no one person can fix complex problems, so I encourage the kids to find their areas of strength on the team and dig in there.”
Wilson’s emphasis on collaboration shaped how the students approached every question. This sense of unity was essential as it led the team to victory. During the competition, teams received ethical scenarios in advance but were often asked questions that went beyond what they had prepared for. Students said the unexpected twists helped them think more clearly under pressure.
“Sometimes the judges asked questions we didn’t know how to respond to,” Eisner said. “We learned to take notes and really pay attention to what each other was saying so we could make our argument stronger.”
A favorite moment for Wilson.
“My favorite moment is seeing the team be prepared enough to put down their notes and answer questions from the judge or from the other team straight from the heart,” Wilson said.
Beyond the trophy, the experience left a lasting impression on the participants.
“It made us more aware of issues in everyday life and both sides of each problem,” Madison said.
The students shared that the Ethics Bowl helped them see moral questions from multiple perspectives, teaching them that complex issues rarely have one clear answer. Participating in the Ethics Bowl encouraged them to become more thoughtful about how ethics shape real-world decisions. Members of the team encouraged other students to join the competition next year.
“If you like thinking about ethical dilemmas, join,” Halyn said. “It’s the perfect place to explore new perspectives.”
Halyn’s words capture the excitement that comes with competing in a prestigious competition, where learning matters just as much as winning. Her comment highlights how the Ethics Bowl offers students an opportunity to argue moral issues while sharpening their critical thinking skills under pressure.
Harvard Westlake’s TKEthics Bowl team celebrates its victory, with both students and coaches agreeing that the competition was about more than just winning. It was about listening, reasoning, and learning how to understand the world through multiple lenses, which are skills that will stay with them long after the final round ends.
