Just after the conclusion of the 2018-19 school year, 14 Upper School students gathered for the fourth annual RCDS Ethics Project, a retreat developed by an interdisciplinary faculty collaboration aimed at expanding students’ knowledge and analytical skills around matters pertaining to ethical awareness and active, purpose-driven engagement. This year’s retreat examined ethics and the law, and participating students worked together to develop the ability to navigate complex ethical dilemmas through creating and practicing models for effective decision making. Students practiced and exemplified the character traits and analytical skills identified in the RCDS Portrait of a Graduate as holistic thinkers, ethical decision makers, skilled collaborators, and active community members.

The rising 10th, 11th, and 12th graders who participated in the Ethics Project unpacked a variety of complex issues including: the use of genetic genealogy in crime investigation and the resulting privacy issues; mass incarceration and various causes such as minimum sentencing laws; the causes and effects of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994; and ethical challenges involving free speech and privacy as they relate to social media platforms and regulation. Over the course of the four-day retreat, the students engaged in debates, watched and listened to a range of multimedia sources, spoke with a variety of guest presenters, and wrote a proposal to the U.S. administration based on their generative conversations. The retreat was coordinated and facilitated by Grade 11 Dean and Upper School English Teacher Jenny Heath, Upper School Humanities Teacher Charles Sliter, and Classics Department Chair and Upper School Latin Teacher Sarah Danziger.

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www.ryecountryday.org/ethicsproject
www.ryecountryday.org/portrait