AMHERST – After months of meticulous planning, the hard work of Souhegan High School’s Ethics Forum paid off Monday, March 10, at the University of New Hampshire in Durham.

The sixth annual HYPE – Hosting Young Philosophy Enthusiasts – Conference was considered a massive success on many levels.

The Ethics Forum Core Team, a group of Souhegan students responsible for organizing the event, spent all day Sunday prepping for the conference. By 9 a.m. Monday, UNH was buzzing with more than 400 high school students eager to discuss the “essential question,” “What is love?” and delve into deep philosophical discussions.

After an opening ceremony featuring thought-provoking keynote speakers and a few words from Ethics Forum sponsors, students divided into discussion groups, each led by two student facilitators.

HYPE is important and unique because it provides students with an outlet to speak freely about deep and controversial schools of thought, concepts and topics that teenagers generally do not feel comfortable discussing seriously around their friends.

“It was amazing that we were able to bring students from different backgrounds across the state together and have a deep conversation as equals,” said Souhegan senior Mark Velino, Core Group member and facilitator.

Events of this nature geared toward teenagers occur rarely, and especially on this scale.

“This was the most impressive HYPE to date,” Ethics Forum adviser Chris Brooks said. “The Souhegan Ethics Core Team did a fantastic job putting this conference together. It was a pleasure to work with them and to see the culmination of their project on March 10th. We look forward to making next year’s even bigger and better.”

When asked about HYPE, SAU 39 Superintendent Peter Warburton said, “I believe that there is a quote, ‘The change we wish to see tomorrow begins with the youth of today.’ And I think that is exactly what is happening here. What the Ethics Forum does is really unique, and is the exact type of change and movement we need to see in the New Hampshire education system.

“Just getting kids together and talking seriously about important stuff – that’s all it is, and that is amazing. This interaction is exactly what needs to be happening.”

HYPE is 100 percent organized and led by students.

“The student-led planning process was an unforgettable experience,” said Souhegan senior Taylor Charbonneau, a Core Group member. “Seeing all of our hard work pay off and come together into an event of this large scale was gratifying and amazing. And this is just the beginning.”

The Ethics Forum will make a presentation at a meeting with all New Hampshire school superintendents to discuss HYPE and the possibility of reaching out to more schools in the 2015 season.

“HYPE expands the classroom and allows for schools around New Hampshire to send their kids to an environment which optimizes independence and self-directed learning,” Souhegan senior Mikaela Sullivan said.

Inter-district relations are rare, and students and educators alike agree that the expansion of HYPE would lead the New Hampshire educational system down a new and exciting path that would greatly benefit all school systems and change the face of public secondary education.

Jenn Brisebois is a senior at Souhegan High School.