Interdisciplinary Pioneers: An Inside Look into BioEthics at CHHS

The district’s vision of What School Can Be is rooted in questioning many layers of our current school system and reimagining a new way to engage students and staff in teaching and learning. Part of that journey means moving away from the traditional silos of single-subject classes and enabling students to consume information in a way that relates to their lived observations and experiences and by making connections to the world around us. 

The CHHS administrative team and faculty members have been the pioneers in creating the structure to enable this kind of teaching and learning, including the new Bioethics class, which quickly filled to capacity. 

English Language Arts teacher Mrs. Susan Ardolino and Mr. Robert Keehn, a Science teacher, work together to plan and then co-teach the class to the 30 juniors and seniors enthusiastic about this new learning style and the subject matter. Students were drawn to this course for different reasons. Some were excited by the new approach and combination of two teachers they “love.” Others liked having the opportunity to have a science course be more aligned with a personal interest or strength in ELA. Senior Aden Poling shared that, as a future urban planning major, this course would help prepare him for his college courses to learn more about the field, stating that the “ethics of urban planning ties into ethics of bioscience.”

In one of the first lessons of the year, students participated in a Socratic Seminar focused on policy-making specific to adolescent nicotine use. In a Socratic Seminar, students seek a deeper understanding of complex ideas through rigorously thoughtful dialogue. To kick off the conversation, students were provided with four prompts:

Should priority be given to protecting the youth against nicotine addiction over protecting smokers from the morbidity and mortality caused by smoking?
What is the MOST influential factor in adolescents using e-cigarettes and vaping, despite it being illegal?
What laws or other restrictions should be put in place in order to prevent adolescents from using e-cigarettes and vaping?
Do schools have a responsibility to prevent adolescents from using e-cigarettes or vaping products?

The class was divided into two groups for the discussion. While one group participated in a discussion, the rest of the class listened and took notes. Mrs. Ardolino was delighted with the level of participation and vibrant discussion. “Students in both groups did a great job of bringing in some of their own research to support their responses,” she said. Surprisingly, the class was almost wholly aligned in their thoughts about vaping, sharing that vapes should still be available to adults to help quit smoking and the focus should be on how to prevent teens from vaping.  Students also provided suggestions, such as requiring a prescription for vape materials, using facial ID scanners when buying vape products, eliminating candy flavors, and trying to combat the problem with a new social media marketing campaign. Overall, Mrs. Ardolino felt it was a successful first discussion, and she was proud of her students for “making sure that all voices in the group were heard and respecting one another's points.” 

Students shared that the content and perspectives they obtain in class stay with them long after the bell rings, and they find themselves thinking about it throughout the day. “I want to be able to understand the nuance behind both sides of the argument,” said Poling. The convergence of multiple skills, including research, digital media literacy, and presentation, helps prepare students for future learning situations and forming educated opinions in everyday life.

In addition to BioEthics, the high school also offers a Social Studies and English course called Connections: Maps, Stories, and Timelines, as well as an Algebra and Physical Science class called Quantitative Patterns in Physical Systems. Stay tuned for more on these classes in the future.