The mission of Wesleyan School requires that the education of its students be “guided by Christian principles and beliefs.” At its core, Wesleyan is a Christian school. This means that God is the starting point for all our thought and action. While we are not responsible for the salvation of our students, we are responsible to do everything in our power to help shape their character in accordance with Christian principles and beliefs. We believe our calling is to help each student become a person of integrity, possessing a wholeness of character.

Wesleyan’s mission constitutes us as a community of learners. Striving for the well-being of the community, others, and oneself is the calling of every member of the community. Both the community and the individual are damaged and endangered by an honor offense. Our desire at Wesleyan is that we help students to strengthen their conscience and develop good habits. Precisely because we do not want our students to harm themselves, students who commit an honor violation or who know someone who has committed a violation are strongly encouraged to come forward.

Also, as we think about developing honor in our students at Wesleyan, we want our students to do the right thing for the right reason. We want our students to take satisfaction in being a person of integrity. Furthermore, being such a person requires that honor transcend the gates of Wesleyan School. The benefits of developing honorable character will last long after each student has graduated from Wesleyan.

We desire to produce honorable citizens who recognize the right (moral) course of action and follow it. While we know that people sometimes make errors in judgment, we wish to emphasize here that every student is expected to follow the Honor Code by doing the following:

B E I N G  T R U T H F U L

By exercising one’s duty, independently and responsibly, to know what is expected, when and where it is expected, and following the course of action suggested by one’s conscience. Lying results from doubts, pressures, confusion, and poor choices. Crafting words so that they are not ‘technically’ a lie is also an act of deliberately misleading someone. Students are charged to fulfill their obligations and follow their word.

U P H O L D I N G  A C A D E M I C  I N T E G R I T Y

By (a) knowing the nature of the assignment, test, report, paper, or project, (b) planning one’s time and work so that the goals and objectives can be achieved independently without recourse to external, unauthorized help, (c) completing the assignment, test, or task to the best of one’s ability and accepting the consequences of one’s own shortcomings, (d) signing the Honor Pledge with a clear conscience. Cheating gives one an unfair advantage, damages one’s reputation, and ultimately undermines the integrity of the school. 

E S T E E M I N G  O T H E R ’ S  P R O P E R T Y

By asking for permission to use things that do not belong to one. By taking care of borrowed items. 

E S T E E M I N G  O T H E R ’ S  W O R K S

By (a) identifying facts in one’s work that are not common knowledge and attributing them to the original source, (b) making sure that any group of three or more words which comes from an outside source is inside quotation marks and properly attributed to the source, (c) attributing ideas or conclusions that are not one’s own to the original source, even if not quoted exactly, (d) asking one’s English teacher or the Writing Lab coordinator for additional clarification. A student who has another’s work, thoughts, or ideas, with or without the owner’s permission, has committed plagiarism.

C O M M U N I T Y   R E S P O N S I B I L I T I E S

Upholding the honor of the Wesleyan community is not solely the work of the Honor Council. Every student, faculty member, and parent should take upon himself the responsibility of creating an environment in which honesty, fairness, and personal integrity are expected.

S T U D E N T S

In joining the Wesleyan community, students are consenting to play their part in upholding Wesleyan’s high standards for character. It is foremost the students’ responsibility to ensure that their community is one built on trust and honor. All students must:

• Sign the honor pledge as a guarantee of authentic work.
• Understand a teacher’s work policy and the teacher’s expectations. Ask if something is unclear; ignorance is no excuse.
• Attempt to intervene in an honor violation that is taking place by discreetly speaking to those involved.
• Upon witnessing or receiving evidence of an honor violation, report the violation to a teacher or Honor Council advisor.
• Cooperate in any Honor Council cases and accept any honor-centered education.
• Respect the privacy of Honor Council proceedings by not talking about cases outside the hearing.

P A R E N T S

Parents are the most influential force on children; it is their example that is followed and their attitudes that are reiterated by their children. To support their children, as well as the school in its mission to raise up their children, parents should:

• Create a home environment that clearly cherishes and rewards honesty.
• Support the Honor Code and Council.
• Limit situations at home in which a child would be tempted to lie or otherwise deceive.
• Be conscious of actions and what they model for children; calling in sick for a child when he is merely sleeping in—however routine and seemingly harmless—is an act of deception and viewed as a lie at Wesleyan. It is confusing for a child to live under one code at home and another at school.

F A C U L T Y

Faculty members of Wesleyan School must also uphold all aspects of the Honor Code by doing the following:

• Serve as a model for the virtues associated with honor.
• Set specific standards in the classroom so that there are no questions about expectations; set positive testing situations.
• Include all expectations within the course syllabus.
• Understand that an honor violation may not be handled at the faculty’s discretion.
• Report all forms of honor violations witnessed or reported by a student.
• Appear before the Honor Council to present evidence.
• Serve as an advocate for a student accused of an honor violation, when asked.
• Be open to education about honor.
• Serve as a mentor to new faculty who may not understand the Honor System.
• Maintain confidentiality on any case presented.
• Be supportive if an Honor Council member has to miss an activity.

T H E  H O N O R  C O U N C I L

The Honor Council is a body of students and faculty advisors entrusted to uphold Wesleyan’s high ideals of honor and to educate the school community about these ideals.

P U R P O S E

The Honor Council exists first to help educate the Wesleyan community about the principles on which the Honor Code and school’s mission are based and second to respond to actions that violate these principles. The Council as a whole makes efforts to cultivate honor within the Wesleyan community, and thus members are students who are recognized by their peers and the faculty as outstanding examples of honor and integrity. Honor Council members are also involved in the adjudication of suspected violations of the Honor Code by their peers; the primary purpose of the Council in hearings is to educate and encourage each person to be an individual of integrity and honor.

P R O C E D U R E

If a student or teacher witnesses a violation or has direct evidence to prove that one has taken place, he is obligated to report it to an Honor Council advisor. The Honor Council advisor and an Honor Council member will investigate the charge (question all parties in-volved and gather information) and determine if the case should move forward. If it is decided that a hearing will be held, the student will be required to (1) write a statement asserting his side of the situation, (2) secure an advocate, and (3) notify his parents of the pending hearing. The hearing will be conducted within 36 hours of the report being submitted. The council members conduct the meeting, deliberate, and reach a verdict. The faculty advisors do not vote but instead guide the student members. The honor council president notifies the accused of the verdict, answers any questions, and stresses the confidential nature of the hearing.

C O N S E Q U E N C E S

All final consequences rest with the Dean of Students who considers the following before a final rendering of the punishment: (1) the student’s level of contrition; (2) the length of time he has lived under the Honor Code; (3) previous violations, to determine if this is part of a pattern or only an isolated incident; and (4) the nature and seriousness of the offense. It is the Dean’s responsibility and privilege to have the opportunity to counsel any student who has violated the Honor Code in hopes of helping him to learn from his mistake. It is our intent to teach and model honor throughout this process.

C O N F I D E N T I A L I T Y

Confidentiality inside the Honor Council is two-sided. Members and advisors who sit on the case have sworn never to repeat any names or specifics of cases to outsiders; at the same time, those who are not affiliated with the Honor Council, but have, for any reason, been to a meeting, must not share the details with others. Those who appear before the Honor Council, whether found guilty or not, are allowed to talk about the case only with their parents, the Dean of Students, the Honor Council advisors, or their grade chair. Note well: those who participate in an Honor Council case are honor-bound not to share their knowledge of the case with peers. Honor violations are taken very seriously but handled privately; great pains are taken to ensure that the general student body does not learn of the Honor Council’s cases. This requires cooperation from everyone.