In the movie Cheaters, a group of kids and their coach cheat at the academic decathlon by getting the text booklet ahead of time. Their victory was greatly questioned by another competing team: Whitney Young. Confusion was everywhere as the team members tried to convince others that they were actually innocent. At the end, however, they were caught and lost their 1st place trophies and medals.
During this story, right and wrong engulf Dr. Plecki and the team members. They believe that by cheating and winning, they can show Whitney Young that they are not unsurpassed anymore. On the other hand, cheating is wrong and they could pay dearly for the consequences.
I believe that Dr. Plecki did the right thing by allowing the team to cheat. Whitney Young had been winning for nine years. There was no glimpse of hope of even winning. His team was not the cream of the crop, but he tried hard to prepare them. They only got 5th at the first competition. They needed self-esteem, and that is what the test booklet gave them. It gave them hope that Whitney Young would not be undefeated. It gave them pride that they would leave Whitney Young in the dust.
If you think that Dr. Plecki was wrong, look at Whitney Young. It was “a private school in a public school”. The school was unsurpassed in the area. Many people would lie about their addresses to get their kids to go to that school. Whitney Young was also cheating. The Steinmetz team believed that Whitney might have also had access to the test answers.
In conclusion, I still believe that Dr. Plecki was doing the right thing. He boosted his team’s morale and gave them hope. He taught them to never give up. He knew that cheating was wrong, but knew that his team’s happiness was more important.