CHHS Bioethics Students Present Final Projects on Complex, Thought-Provoking Topics

Students in the Bioethics class at Croton-Harmon High School recently delivered their final presentations—capping off a year of deep inquiry, critical thinking, and bold conversations. As the course name suggests, students explored a wide range of complicated and thought-provoking topics at the intersection of science, ethics, and society. In addition to issues like cloning, brain implants to enhance intelligence, minors' rights to medical consent, and romantic relationships with artificial intelligence, students tackled many other nuanced dilemmas, each requiring them to grapple with complex questions and multiple perspectives.

Each student was required not only to conduct rigorous research on their chosen issue, but also to design a presentation that engaged their peers in meaningful, hands-on exploration. Some students put a spin on the popular game Kahoot to spark debate, while others developed realistic scenarios paired with guided discussion questions.

One particularly powerful activity focused on medical consent for minors. The student leading the presentation used a real 2014 case in which a 17-year-old girl with cancer, with her mother’s support, refused chemotherapy and was subsequently placed under state custody and forced to undergo treatment. Classmates were asked to examine the case and weigh the ethical pros and cons—raising questions not only about medical autonomy and parental rights, but also about when and how the state should intervene in life-and-death decisions.

Another standout project on brain implants for intelligence enhancement invited students to role-play as parents, a child, and a doctor—each with different perspectives on the risks and benefits—highlighting how ethical decisions often involve conflicting values. And in a presentation on romantic relationships with AI, students tried to identify which screenshots were from human-to-human conversations and which were AI-generated. The results were eye-opening: most students couldn’t tell the difference.

“This course was everything I hoped it would be and more,” said Bioethics teacher Susan Ardolino. “Students showed enormous growth over the year, developing skills they would not have been able to with a traditional curriculum. They were incredibly thoughtful, open-minded, and willing to grapple with challenging ideas and unfamiliar perspectives.”

Co-teacher Rob Keehn added, “This class has been a true highlight of my career. It’s been incredibly rewarding to see students engage with such depth and maturity. Working with Susan to develop this curriculum has been both inspiring and energizing—we’re excited to keep building on this foundation.”

Bioethics has quickly become one of the most popular electives among students registering for next year’s classes, a testament to the relevance of the subject matter and the strength of the course design.

CHHS Principal Dr. Laura Dubak praised the class as a standout model of interdisciplinary learning. “Bioethics has not only proven that courses like this can be done exceptionally well—it has become a blueprint for bringing rigor to the curriculum in ways that push students to think deeply and critically. This kind of teaching and learning is what school should look like for all of our learners.”

As the final presentations demonstrated, CHHS students are more than ready to take on the moral and ethical questions of the future, as well as the courses they will take in college.