Dec. 11—MITCHELL — Riley O’Neill proposed several hypothetical questions relating to ethical behavior Monday afternoon to a classroom of seniors at Mitchell High School. For one question, he asked them to determine whether using artificial intelligence to help write an assigned paper to pass off as their own was an ethical choice.
When one student replied that it wasn’t, O’Neill doubled down. What if the student simply copied an article off the internet but changed several words, therefore altering the original content of the article and thus making it the student’s own words?
The student stood her ground.
“There are a lot of words in there,” the student replied, eliciting a round of laughter from O’Neill and the other students in the room.
It was a lively hour of questions, answers and discussion and all part of a Mitchell Junior Achievement series of presentations at the school discussing the topic of ethics in its many forms, whether that be in the business world or one’s personal life. As part of the JA Excellence Through Ethics program, similar discussions were expected to take place in 28 communities at schools around South Dakota in December.
The effort provides students with an opportunity to think critically about ethical dilemmas they may face at school, home or work. Volunteers with Junior Achievement share their professional experiences to highlight difficult decisions they have had to make and how those decisions impacted them and others around them.
Junior Achievement is a global nonprofit organization that helps young people develop the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the 21st century. Junior Achievement’s lessons in financial literacy, work and career readiness, and entrepreneurship are shown to positively impact the lives of young people, according to information from the organization website.
O’Neill, a mechanical engineer and project manager at Vantage Point Solutions, has been involved with Junior Achievement for about a year but is enjoying his time sharing his knowledge and experience with the younger generation.
Discussions on ethics can be beneficial for students who are almost ready to head out into the world beyond high school, he said.
“Junior Achievement really wanted to focus on the fact that these kids are going to be off in the real world — in six months they will be outside the realm of constant supervision,” O’Neill told the Mitchell Republic following the afternoon session at Mitchell High School. “You want to raise kids that are ethical, because that will likely carry over to them being ethical adults.”
The hour was filled with free-flowing conversation, questions and answers revolving around hypothetical situations and O’Neill often playing the role of devil’s advocate. The focus was less on hard-and-fast right and wrong answers as much as why students responded with certain answers.
That was by design, O’Neill said.
“There is not necessarily a yes, no, black-white (answer). It was much more in the middle type of questioning where you can see how sides justify things and their line of reasoning,” O’Neill said.
Topics included the ethical use of social media and artificial intelligence, two subjects at the forefront of daily lives for high school students. Other subjects included appropriate behavior in the workplace, home and classroom.
Each student is different, and their viewpoints reflected that. Kaitlyn Huska, who teaches psychology and civics at Mitchell High School, was present for the session and had seen other ethics presentations by Mitchell Junior Achievement over the years. She said it was interesting to see how different presenters and a different set of students from year to year can change the nature of the discussion.
The presentation may seem like just another period spent in the classroom, but as the interaction ramps up, students become more involved and insightful, she said.
“I think they come in thinking, eh, this is going to be kind of dumb,” Huska said. “But I think once they actually start to think about it, they realize that they’ve never really thought about (the subject) before. So I feel like whether or not they consciously realize it, I think it’s a positive thing, as it gets them thinking about stuff as they get into the adult world.”
The Junior Achievement visits have been part of Mitchell School District life for several years, and Justin Siemsen, principal for Mitchell High School, said it’s a great way to get students who are getting ready to move on to college, the workforce or the military to think deeply about ethics and acceptable behavior in a roundtable discussion format.
Developing students who strive for high ethics is an important goal that the district continually strives for, he said.
“It’s a great opportunity for us as a district and a high school in particular to partner with an organization that specializes in community relations. Any time we have an opportunity to do that and get our kids in front of community members and business leaders to see what they have to offer (is a positive),” Siemsen said. “It gives them a good opportunity to learn an invaluable lesson, and maybe shed some light on what ethics is as an individual and how it translates into being a community member as well as, potentially, the business world.”
The program is also a chance for adults to connect and engage directly with young people in the community.
That’s a benefit to those adults as well, said Kayla Eitreim, president and CEO of Junior Achievement of South Dakota. Those students could soon become their co-workers, and understanding their point of view on topics such as ethics can be beneficial in grasping what makes the next generation of workers tick.
“As we launch our 17th year of JA Excellence through Ethics, we eagerly anticipate the engaging discussions that this program fosters. Over the years, we’ve witnessed the impact of having leaders in the classroom to discuss ethical decision-making and share their personal and professional experiences,” Eitreim said in a statement. “Equally important is the chance for our community leaders to hear directly from young people, gaining insight into their decision-making processes. We value our partnership with the participating school districts and community volunteers who help us prepare students to become South Dakota’s future leaders.”
O’Neill said he enjoyed his time at the head of the classroom Monday afternoon and said he was encouraged by the energetic back-and-forth the students provide. The answers to his questions were interesting, but it was the further discussion on the “why” of each answer that was the real meat of the debate.
Hopefully, they won’t forget those discussions when they take the next step in their lives.
“Down the road it may impact them in some way or form. Why am I doing this? Is this the right way to be? I think it’s the cornerstone of a well-functioning society,” O’Neill said. “It’s cliche to say, but kids are the future. You don’t want bad kids turning into bad adults.”