After attending the 2017 Tennessee High School Ethics Bowl at the University of Tennessee Knoxville last February, Oakland High School students Rosemarie Kuenn and Carley Coulombe decided to bring the Ethics Bowl to Rutherford County so that their fellow high school students in the area could participate, learn, and compete.
They recruited judges for the event which included OHS teachers, Dr. Mary Magada-Ward (Philosophy Professor at MTSU), Alex Feldt (Philosophy Professor at UTK, and the Director of the TNHSEB), Jennifer Hart.
In the inaugural year, three Rutherford County schools participated (Central, OHS, Blackman). A group of students from Smyrna High came to observe with hopes to compete next year. Oakland High and Blackman High tied in the championship round with an equal number of points from the judges. Judges votes were used for the tie breaker, with Blackman winning the trophy.