Defining Honor - Andrea Gutierrez '23

First off, I would like to thank Ms. Chu for agreeing to guide us as the honor council director. On behalf of the honor council, we are very thankful and excited for the upcoming year. Today I am here to speak to you all about honor and more specifically, what it means to me. 

When we recite the honor code, we acknowledge and affirm our duties as members of a community to live up to a specific benchmark. But what is that benchmark? 

The honor code begins with assuring that we are all members of a specific community, the Palmer Trinity School community. This entails our responsibility to care for each individual in and outside of campus; stretching from peers, teachers, faculty, overall staff, and parents. By affirming that we all belong to the same community, we take on the responsibility of treating each other with respect and kindness, truly in all aspects. 

As we move on, the next question arises, what is honesty, integrity, and respect?

On paper these three words can be defined as being truthful and having a general regard for the people around you. Throughout our lives we have been taught that honesty means telling the truth. This is true, however, honesty is more than that. Honesty means abiding by a moral code and accepting that though there might be an easier way around something, perseverance is key. Similarly, integrity is the substance for trust, and is the foundation for being a righteous person. In accordance with that, respect does not only mean having consideration for others; respect is being the bigger person and accepting that we may not always have the same perspectives. 

The importance of the honor code is looking within ourselves and asking ourselves who we want to be as people. Who are you when no one is looking? Many times, we give up because the circumstance seems too complex. But that is what makes honor so rewarding. 

Lastly, I will leave you with this: In our lives, we will be given opportunities and options. We will have to make the choice between the shadier, yet simpler route or we can choose to take the more treacherous route. Though more difficult, the path of virtue and choosing what is right is always more rewarding. Through this, above all, we must remain respectful and humble people; giving thanks to everyone along the way.