One of U-High’s Ethics Bowl teams placed first at the Indiana High School Ethics Bowl regional competition at DePauw University on Jan. 31 and will now progress to divisional playoffs.

U-High and some Chicago-area schools compete in the Indiana competition because Illinois does not have one. U-High beat St. Ignatius College Prep in the semifinal and Culver Academies in the final, ending the day 6-0.

Valkyrie Laurence, a junior and member of Ethics Bowl since ninth grade, feels that a big component that led to the team’s success was intense organization. 

“We have our cases thought out and planned and have cohesive arguments that work together,” she said.

Beyond organization, Valkyrie also believes that enthusiasm and genuine passion contributed to achieving a first place win.

“If you don’t let yourself have a good time, it shows,” she said. “We won against a couple of teams that knew what they were doing regarding organization, but were simply going through the motions.”

Though only one of U-High’s Ethics Bowl teams won, Valkyrie feels that both teams were completely necessary, as they constructed arguments collaboratively.

“It really is a team effort,” she said.

Agnes Flatley, a sophomore who attended the competition, felt equally proud and finds the team to be a supportive community.

“I’ve seen all of the effort that everyone has put in,” Agnes said, “and I feel like it was really rewarding to see this work pay off.”