*2/4/2026 UPDATE* Reason & Rationality organizers reached out to confirm that they are running a middle school program this summer. Details:
Program for Rising 7th and 8th Graders
This is a new, small middle-school program hosted at The Pingry School’s residential Pottersville campus in rural New Jersey. The theme is Rational Individuals, Responsible Systems. Students take part in guided conversations about such topics as:
- how individual incentives can produce unintended group outcomes
- when cooperation breaks down and how societies repair it
- controversial issues like AI and cell phones in schools
The program is designed for intellectually curious middle-school students who want a real kick out of serious conversation. Students looking at boarding schools get a taste of prep school dorm life. More information here: https://www.reasonandrationality.com/pingrymiddleschool
Original Post: As high school teams complete final preparations for Ethics Bowl regionals this month and early next (my team’s is next Saturday), families may be interested in a 2-week summer program at Princeton University that aligns nicely with Ethics Bowl’s mission and style. Reason & Rationality‘s curriculum is broader than Ethics Bowl’s applied ethics issue focus. But the emphasis on open-mindedness, collaboration, and deep thought would definitely feel familiar to any Ethics Bowl fan, and I imagine a graduate would return even better at and more committed to the Ethics Bowl way. They apparently also have a middle school program, though it’s unclear whether it’s available right now [it’s now clear – see above]. But the high school program is scheduled to run two separate cohorts in early and late June, and will be led by young professors and grad students not only not only Princeton, but Harvard as well.