FRHSD Schools Compete in 2017 Team Challenge
Students from all six Freehold Regional High School District schools and Allentown High School tackled real life issues while analyzing the ethical implications of healthcare issues during the 2017 Team Challenge event that was held at Co-Cathedral of St. Roberts Bellarmine in Freehold on Dec.8.
The purpose of the Team Challenge, hosted by the Greater Monmouth Chamber of Commerce and chaired by Edie Legg, Investor’s Bank, was to provide local high school students with hands-on experience in team building, creative problem solving and dealing with the ethical decision-making process within the context of real-world business problems. Using the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics framework from Santa Clara University, teams from the high schools explored business issues that have complex ethical implications. Over a period of several weeks, the teams worked together to develop solutions that showed their understanding of the issues, demonstrated their use of the Markkula decision-making framework in working through the conflicts and illustrated evidence of their teamwork and presentation skills. Each team was given a unique issue within the overarching healthcare theme but did not know the other teams’ specific topics until Dec. 8, when each team presented their findings and solutions to a panel of judges from within the business community.
This year’s winning team was from Marlboro High School and was led by advisors Biagio Lubrano and Patrick Scinto.
Freehold Township High School’s team won second place in the competition, with Howell High School finishing in third place.
Freehold Township’s team was led by advisors Linda Bonaly and Dan Cooper.
Howell’s team was led by advisors James Buckner and Tim Hogan.
Prior to the Dec. 8, competition, the Greater Monmouth Chamber of Commerce conducted a teacher-training session to prepare the teachers to facilitate the preliminary competition process with the students. It also conducted a student orientation where students were provided with an overview of the challenge and training on the ethical decision-making process as it pertained to each group’s business issues.
The program prepares students to effectively enter the workforce by placing them in an environment in which teamwork and creative interdependence are required, where they get to develop their communication skills, and where they learn a process for ethical decision-making that will benefit them as they assume leadership positions at work and within their communities.
In addition to sponsoring Team Challenge, the Greater Monmouth Chamber of Commerce awards two $500 scholarships to two students who participated in the event. Additional criteria for scholarship consideration include community involvement, academic achievement, participation in school activities, and completion of a scholarship application by Dec. 8. Awardees of the scholarship will be announced in early 2018.