Whether or not it’s ethical to aid a country that harbors terrorists is just one of many ethical questions that will be answered by the Ethics Bowl team, a nation-wide ethical discussion competition that made its way to Lincoln for the first time.

According to junior Leo Wiswall, the team has “an incredible network of support” that he and others hope will lead the team to success on the national scale, even in its infancy. Many of the students in the new ethics and philosophy class are trying their hand at the competition as well as the class, staying after school twice a week for practices.

Aside from learning about ethics for the sake of competition, students are also learning about ethical issues in general. “I hope that students implement some of the things they learn in ethics in their daily life,” said team coach and teacher Doug White. “We are constantly involved in ethical decisions, and being conscious of them will benefit everyone and everything.”

In the actual competition, two teams are given an ethical question to answer, based on a situation the teams are made aware of beforehand. One particular question they may have to answer has to do with whether or not it is ethical for victims to use violence against those who bully them.

With a class in addition to the after-school meetings, team members are excited and feel ready for competition at a state level, according to junior Orion Cleaver, who stresses the importance of the students’ dedication, as well as that of their two coaches. If Lincoln wins the state title, the team will move on to nationals. Said Cleaver, “We are hoping to set the bar high early.”