Students Tackle A Tough Question: 'What is Happiness?'

Over 300 young minds will gather today to ponder the meaning of happiness in a student-led discussion event.

The Souhegan High School Ethics Forum, an extra-curricular program alongside the Senior Seminar Ethics course, has organized their Hosting Young Philosophy Enthusiasts (HYPE) at Saint Anselm College again this year. It is a day of philosophical discussion centered around a dominant theme.

The student philosophers will discuss and debate the chosen question this year: “what is happiness?”

This forum has been held for the past six years and is organized and run by the students themselves. This year, Souhegan has partnered with Spaulding High School in Rochester as facilitators of the event.

22 Souhegan students will join the hundreds of students from Spaulding, Bedford, Belmont, Bishop Brady, Concord, Nashua North, Merrimack, Milford and Oyster River today.

Student Sara Noble said that her group has received a $5,000 grant from the  NH Humanities Council to organize the event this year, along with other donations and contributions. The experience is like nothing she has ever had before.

“We have grown so much,” said Noble. “The whole thing is talking and negotiation, and we are organizing a large group of kids. It is very eye-opening.”