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The Upper School Honor Code
 Introductory Statement
In the spring semester of the 2003-2004 school year, the pioneer class of the Parish Episcopal Upper School set out the design process of a school honor code. Beginning the exploration by answering an Honor Code and Council Survey, the students created the blueprint of a code and council for our school’s own genuine design. With this preliminary work accomplished, the students further decided to base the Upper School Honor Code on university rather than high school models. They chose The Center For Academic Integrity in affiliation with Duke University along with honor codes from Stanford and Vanderbilt. By examining these documents, they linked academic integrity to standards and values established by the most prestigious and consequential universities in the United States today.
Parish Episcopal Upper School Honor Code
A Parish Episcopal Upper School education can be viewed from many perspectives-academic, athletic, artistic, or community service. Common to each perspective is a connection to what we call the Honor Code. By adhering to standards established at the Center for Academic Integrity, our Honor Code emphasizes the importance of four fundamental values: trust, respect, responsibility, and fairness; and, one core value: honesty. We believe student adherence to an Honor Code of these five values will not only augment scholastic success but also minimize mistakes that can be caused by the fear of failure. By making the values of the Honor Code the very definition of our school environment, we assert that a perfect climate will be promoted for transforming our school’s ideals of wisdom, honor, and service into daily practice.
I. The Core Experience
Honesty
Honesty serves as the foundation for my quest of knowledge. It means that I commit myself to building all relationships between teachers and students on my foundation of honesty. I pledge that I will not steal the work of other students and that I will trust others not to steal mine. I further promise not to lie or to plagiarize the work of others as to do so would prevent me from performing my duties with honest intentions and actions. To do otherwise would jeopardize the integrity and quality of my work, diminish the value of my Parish Episcopal education, and prevent honesty from being the foundation of my quest for knowledge.
II. The Fundamental Experiences
Trust
Since I have pledged to base my learning experience on honesty, I realize the importance of treating all members of the Parish community with trust. As honesty implies a sense of freedom from lying, stealing, and cheating, so too does trust imply freedom from jealousy, skepticism, and suspicion in my relationship with others. Just as I have agreed to define honesty as the core experience of my learning, so too do I acknowledge trust as the first fundamental experience that I will practice.
Respect
Of the many accomplishments of successful students, I acknowledge respect for myself and others to be of the highest importance. As a student of success, I pledge to respect myself and others in my exercise of reason, use of language, and all forms of communication whether they be shared with teachers, students, or staff members. No matter to what aspect of human existence my studies may take me, I affirm that the most rewarding answers of meaning and purpose will be discovered when I show respect for myself and others.
Responsibility
Along with the core experience of honesty and the fundamental experiences of trust and respect, I promise to uphold responsibility as the third fundamental experience of my Parish education. With this commitment, I promise to uphold my personal accountability in choosing the hard right over the easy wrong. By doing so, I further recognize that I am upholding the integrity of my own scholarship. But student responsibility, like all of the fundamental experiences, extends beyond myself; and I pledge to take action against wrongdoing, despite peer pressure, fear, loyalty, or compassion. I understand that an act of responsibility may be as simple as covering my own
answers during a test, or as difficult as reporting a friend to the Honor Council for cheating. Whatever the degree, I am willing to take responsibility for the creation of an Upper School based on the core experience of honesty and the fundamental values of trust, respect and responsibility. By doing so, I realize that my academic potential will be more fully actualized and that I will help build the traditions of a great learning environment.
Fairness
Since honesty is the foundation of my learning experience, fairness must be the value of every relationship. For myself and others, fairness means thoughtful and sincere consideration shown toward others through the effort to do my best in all assigned work, and the consistent and just response to any violation of the honor code. For faculty members, I expect fairness to mean accurate and clear means of evaluation for all students without exceptions.
Honor Pledge of the Parish Episcopal Upper School
• I acknowledge that in my desire to learn, I share a common experience with every Parish student-past and present-and that there exists in that experience a tradition with moral and intellectual significance for myself and for all future Parish students.
• I affirm the powerful influence I have on the lives of my fellow students, and I pledge all of my actions and deeds to make the school community successful in its intellectual, social, and athletic endeavors.
• I affirm that the highest good in human life has to do with cultivating the quest for knowledge whether in the classroom, laboratory, or library, or on the playing field; and I understand honesty to be absolutely essential in the attainment of their success.
• I pledge to conduct myself in every way that draws my mind to wisdom, my heart to courage, and my soul to God.
The Parish Upper School Honor Council
The Honor Council consists of
• 5 Seniors
• 4 Juniors
• 3 Sophomores
• 2 Freshmen
• 2 faculty observers/advisors
• Council President must be a Senior
In order to serve on the Honor Council a student
• Must be a Parish Upper School Student.
Election Process
• Each student running for the council will be given three questions to answer.
• One week before the election, each candidate’s answer sheet will be posted throughout the Upper School.
• Student Body election process will be held on appointed day and time.
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