Several Freehold Regional High School District (FRHSD) students recently navigated their way through ethical dilemmas that sometimes pose problems for even the most successful business executives.

The 2011 Team Challenge, sponsored by the Greater Monmouth Chamber of Commerce’s Education Committee, called for groups of students to tackle case studies that cover ethical issues in the corporate world, chamber member William Bladel said.

Students from the district’s six high schools participated in the competition, along with students from Allentown High School, Bladel said.

Each school’s team of eight to 12 students received a separate case study with a number of potential problems, Bladel said. He said the teams identified the issues and worked together to develop solutions.

“We try to complicate things a little bit,” Bladel said. “It’s not just an issue of good vs. bad. Sometimes there are two ‘goods’ or two ‘bads’ in conflict.”

Teams formed their strategies by using a framework built by professors of Santa Clara University’s Markkula Center for Applied Ethics.

The students, who were dressed in busi- ness attire, then presented their findings before a panel of judges which included business professionals, Bladel said.

Manalapan High School’s team earned first place in the contest, winning a trophy for the school under the guidance of teachers Susan Arnone and Regina Hayes.

Marlboro High School’s team came in second and Freehold Township High School’s team placed third in the challenge.

During the Jan. 23 meeting of the FRHSD Board of Education, board members and chamber representatives praised all of the students who took part in the event.

“(The students) did an extremely effective job,” Education Committee Chairman Claude Blanc said. “There were no losers. Everybody was a winner.”

Students learned important lessons through the competition, including the value of teamwork, leadership and communication, committee member Juanita Davies said.

Davies said that after the project’s orientation, one student commented, “I’m here to better myself and learn skills. I’m not just here to win.”

Blanc said the acquired skills will help the students succeed in college and, eventually, in their chosen careers.

The Team Challenge is relevant, considering today’s business environment, Blanc said. He said the competition will help set students’ moral compasses in the right direction. “The case studies that (students) have to go through are real case studies. These are things that, sooner or later, they will have to face, and they have to prepare themselves to decide what is good, what is right and how to maneuver in those situations,” Blanc said. “Ethics sometimes sounds like a dirty word. We badly need to somewhat bring back the concept of ethics on which our country was founded.”

By taking the knowledge they gained at the chamber’s event into their classrooms, the students can positively impact their peers, Bladel said.

FRHSD Superintendent of Schools Charles Sampson said the students who participated in this year’s event might one day shape future business leaders.

“I hope that you … come back and work with the chamber of commerce,” Sampson said to the students. “And perhaps we will be listening to you up here, helping students along the way.”

The chamber has worked with the FRHSD on several variations of the program for about 15 years, Bladel said.

Chamber President Loretta Kuhnert said members of the organization established the Education Foundation, a nonprofit group that collects donations to advance such educational programs.

Chamber officials aim to better Monmouth County through the program, Kuhnert said.

“The Greater Monmouth Chamber of Commerce believes in the strong collaboration between businesses and education as a mean to achieve a prosperous community through a well-educated, prepared workforce,” she said.

As time progresses, members of the chamber hope to bring the program to other school districts, Davies said.

“We believe Team Challenge can be a model for the state and that we can engage other districts and benefit more and more students,” she said.