![Olivia Hodge Signs Honor Code Sept 2020]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1601653365/sms/qtmptmrmeccmbzbmpjxn/OliviaHodgehonorweek2020crop2.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1601653365/sms/qtmptmrmeccmbzbmpjxn/OliviaHodgehonorweek2020crop2.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1601653365/sms/qtmptmrmeccmbzbmpjxn/OliviaHodgehonorweek2020crop2.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1601653365/sms/qtmptmrmeccmbzbmpjxn/OliviaHodgehonorweek2020crop2.jpg","width":836}])
On Friday, September 25, 2020, Olivia Hodge '21, chair of Saint Mary's Judicial Board, delivered the following remarks during the final Honor Week Chapel.
Today is the end of Honor Week and the day we sign the honor code. Honor Week and the signing of the honor code happen every year at Saint Mary’s and with that, the girls at this school make a commitment to uphold honesty, integrity, and to respect not only themselves but other members of the community. Along with signing the honor code this year we also signed a pledge before we stepped foot on this campus. We pledged to wear masks while on campus and around others, to social distance, and to put others before ourselves.
Philippians 2:3-4 says, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourself. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.” Every year, SMS students and adults agree to regard others as better than themselves, our honor code has us making that commitment; But it also includes the members of the community holding each other accountable.
It is easy to turn a blind eye when someone you know, especially a close friend, breaks the honor code, but it is not always easy to maintain integrity by holding your peers accountable. So, when you are upholding integrity you need to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Something that makes maintaining integrity uncomfortable is the saying, “snitches get stiches.” That saying, truly is slang used by gang members and convicts to frighten people into silence. When that phrase is used by teenage girls at a private school with no direct ties to gang membership or crime it is the most direct form of cultural appropriation, which is never acceptable in any setting. At Saint Mary’s we strive to be our best selves, not to embrace gang culture because it’s catchy and is an easy way out of an uncomfortable situation.
Therefore, holding those around you accountable is NOT snitching. Helping people take responsibility for their actions is important; but it is just as important to show grace and give people room to grow. That is why a major part of the judicial board system and our honor code includes restorative justice. Because Saint Mary’s is a school committed to helping students learn and grow, when students make mistakes the judicial board system is there to help students take responsibility and grow from their mistakes.
So, as you sign the honor code today at lunch, I urge you to remember to do what is right even when it’s uncomfortable because in doing that you are able to uphold the highest standard of personal integrity.