“As a member of the Christ Church Episcopal School community, I will not lie, cheat, or steal, and I will assume my obligation to encourage others to uphold this Honor Code.” These are the words that each CCES student lives by. Today, Wednesday, September 3rd, 2014, Christ Church had its annual Honor Chapel. Each student signed their name during this service, pledging that they will be an honorable CCES member. Honor Council leader, Jiten Parbhoo, gave a wonderful speech about what our community is all about.

The CCES environment holds itself up on this honor system. Each part of the Honor Code contributes to making CCES the amazing school that it is. “I will not lie.” A CCES student is trusted to uphold the truth, wether it be bad or good. As opposed to walking straight to Syria, Jiten told Mrs. Carter the truth about why he was late. In response to Jiten’s honesty, Mrs. Carter was willing to stay an hour late so he could finish his exam. “I will not cheat.” This enables teachers to leave their rooms during tests, they can give out take-home quizzes, and they can trust that their students’ work is the latter’s own work. “I will not steal.” There are very few schools where students can leave their belongings lying around know that when they return, their possessions will be where they were left.

Each student is responsible for upholding their integrity and honor. As Mrs. Carter says, “Honor is one of the very few things in this world that once you lose, you cannot get it back.” Love and integrity are just two of the components that hold the CCES community together. At Christ Church, student’s are genuinely cared about. Even if a student makes a mistake, the CCES community will still love and care for them.