We are pleased to report that RHS did a great job welcoming the Academic Honor Code, which was new in 2007 -- and now we're even seeing interest from other schools who want to follow our model. We're happy to pass along anything we have gained from the schools that inspired us, especially if it relates to the academic integrity that we all try to serve.
A Little History: Honor Council and Code at RHS, 2007 to the Present!
JUNE '10: We are pleased to congratulate the winners of the student election for the 2009-10 Honor Council. These seven students were selected by their classmates to represent RHS through the Honor Council:
Class of 2011:Victoria David, Kyle Furtaw, Jeremy Kim
Class of 2012: Antonio Lopez, Paul Somboonsong
Class of 2013: Ashley Bennett, Stephen Rhode
Eleven other excellent candidates also vied for these posts, and all received many votes. We thank and honor all eighteen students. We look forward to having all eighteen of these fine young people help next fall when the time comes to introduce the Academic Honor Code to a new group of Radnor freshmen.
JANUARY '10: For the second time in two years, Radnor midterm-takers were exhorted to "Treat yourself, don't cheat yourself!" by Honor Council members handing out candy in the auditorium hallway. Many thanks to the local businesses who generously donated treats: [full list will be published soon!] Thank you all for promoting honor in our community.
JANUARY '10: A gracious and hardworking film crew from Nickelodeon's NickNews With Linda Ellerbee spent a long but enjoyable day with the Honor Council and many other Radnor students, learning about how we address issues of honor. It was slated to be one of the last segments in a half-hour NickNews (airtime in March) but Nick ended up changing their focus and omitting the segment on Honor Councils. Still, the filming received front-page coverage from the Suburban Main Line Life, with Suburban reporting from Radnor grad Caroline Goldstein '09. NickNews focused on sophomores Paul Somboonsong and Antonio Lopez, and freshman Steven R.
OCTOBER '09: Victoria David '11 and Antonio Lopez '12 joined Mrs. Pumarada in Arlington, VA, to represent RHS at the national Character Education Partnership (CEP) Forum, our second time on a CEP panel. Victoria and Antonio report that it was a great experience, and that some of Radnor's ideas -- like "Treat Not Cheat" and the Brown Bag Lunches -- were very enthusiastically received by the crowd. Hundreds attend this annual conference.
APRIL '09: We are pleased to congratulate the winners of the student election for the 2009-10 Honor Council. These seven students were selected by their classmates to represent RHS through the Honor Council:
Class of 2010: Maura Church, Stacy Dillahey, Eric Greene
Class of 2011: Victoria David, Kyle Furtaw
Class of 2012: Antonio Lopez, Paul Somboonsong
APRIL '09: Thanks to Mr. Schellenger, our newly-elected Honor Council and veterans of last year's Council headed to Haverford to participate in the Haverford School's conference on Academic Integrity. Blake Middendorf '09, Maura Church '10, Stacy Dillahey '10, Alex Dubin '10, Eric Greene '10, and Antonio Lopez '12 were joined by Mr. Schellenger and Mr. Rosin on the trip, where Radnor was the only public school represented -- and possibly the only public school ever to attend in the five-year history of the event!
Maura spoke to the aggregated students -- representing the Honor Councils of eight or ten area schools -- on behalf of the RHS contingent, and each Radnor council member participated in a small-group seminar with students from those schools. The entire group joined the rest of the Haverford Upper School for a very informative presentation and Q&A session with a Rutgers University scholar who has studied honor and Honor Codes at high schools and colleges around the nation.
We thank Haverford School headmaster Dr. Joseph Cox for the invitation and the Haverford School Honor Council for organizing the impressive and inspiring conference.
MARCH '09: More than forty students participated in our second Brown Bag Lunch series of the year -- on the topic of "Academic Integrity Before and After High School". At the end of March, our annual election will be held for the 2009-10 Honor Council. Seven students will be selected from a strong slate of nominees whose "position papers" on What Honor Means To Me will be posted at this website. We will have three representatives from the class of '10, and two each from '11 and '12.
OCTOBER '08: Maura Church '10 joined Mrs. Hoover in Washington, D.C. to represent RHS at the national Character Education Partnership (CEP) Forum, Maura served as a panelist, helping to advise the dozens of attending schools on the ups and downs of developing an honor code. Interesting note: Radnor is unusual if not unique among attendees for having developed our Academic Honor Code with input from the students and community instead of simply gathering ideas from administration and faculty.
Congratulations, Maura and RHS, for this honor!
JUNE '08: We are sad to note the departure from Radnor of Mrs. Laura Hoover, who in many ways was the driving force behind the development of our Honor code and council. Mrs. Hoover and her family have moved to North Carolina, as her husband fulfills his commitment to the U.S. Military. We hope to have her back one day, but in the meantime we thank her for her amazing contributions and wish her well in whatever endeavors she pursues.
Before the school year ended, the teachers selected their representatives to the Honor Council (the student members of the Council were elected in March '08 -- see below for the article). The teachers on the '08-09 Council are Mrs. Christine Pumarada, Mrs. Sharon Reardon, Mr. Carl Rosin, and we welcome new member Mr. Tom Ryan.
JUNE '08: Thanks to an idea from and the recruiting efforts of new Honor Council member Victoria David '11, we sponsor a candy give-away during Finals to keep students thinking of Treating not Cheating. All of the Honor Council members work hard to make sure everyone's Finals are a little sweeter -- and as honorable as possible.
MAY '08: We put the Honor Code through its paces in the annual Open Discussion period. From May 1 to May 15, students, parents, teachers, administrators, and community members were able to comment on the Code to help get it ready for next year and beyond. May 7 was the big day: during the school day, students and teachers and administrators were given the opportunity to speak up during Brown Bag Lunches (held during all three lunch periods in the teacher lunchroom, with desserts provided!), and during that evening the PTSA graciously offered to host the open community discussion. Parents and other community members attended the PTSA meeting in the RHS library, and we heard good ideas, commentary, and support.
Thank you in advance for any input you will be contributing to this essential process. If you cannot attend one of the lunches or meetings, you can email your thoughts to Mr. Rosin or one of the members of the Honor Council, as always.
Another big May event was our Honor Council's field trip May 2 to the Penn Ethics Conference. We met with representatives from other schools, and heard the keynote address from Professor Tara Radin, who herself played such a positive role in helping our Council and Code get started in the fall of 2007.
APRIL '08: Congratulations and thanks to Leah Donnella '09, winner of the inaugural (and we hope annual) essay contest. Her essay on the topic "How cheating has affected me" is published here and was in the May edition of The Radnorite, and we hope to see it in print elsewhere as well.
MARCH '08: We are thrilled to welcome a terrific contingent of new Honor Council members! These three juniors, two sophomores, and two freshmen were elected by their classmates after a candidacy period during which they and the other impressive nominees spoke at a Brown-Bag Lunch and had position essays published in The Radnorite. They are:
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Bob DiSerafino '09
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Maria Evans '09
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Blake Middendorf '09
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Maura Church '10
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Alex Dubin '10
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Victoria David '11
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Kyle Furtaw '11
Thanks to The Radnorite, Mrs. Lynam, and editor-in-chief Sarah Verbofsky, for your help in this important process.
FEBRUARY '08: While we are sad to note the departure of teacher and Honor Council member Kate Kunda, we are happy to announce that Chrissy Pumarada, teacher of Latin, has taken Sra. Kunda's seat on the Honor Council. Welcome, Maestra Pumarada!
JANUARY '08: For exam period, the Honor Council developed and distributed a small pamphlet that is designed to help students master this stressful time of the year by making good choices. Click here to see this Guide to Midterms pamphlet.
DECEMBER '07: Congratulations and thanks to Maria Evans '09 and Maura Church '10, winners of the inaugural logo and slogan contests. We received more than thirty submissions in all. The winning design is shown at the top of this page.
SEPTEMBER '07: The initial Honor Council members begin their senior year by leading 21 seniors who visit all RHS homerooms to introduce the new Academic Honor Code. Congratulations and thanks to the inaugural Honor Council students, who not only lead us this year but were instrumental in developing the Academic Honor Code last spring and getting it approved by the School Board over the summer:
