Immaculate Heart School: Yes, School Honor Codes Matter

Immaculate Heart High School and Middle School believes that academic integrity is closely aligned with the development of self-esteem. A young woman demonstrates her academic integrity when she produces her own original work, when she takes an exam without cheating, and when she acknowledges another’s ideas by identifying author and source. Therefore, several years ago, Immaculate Heart created the Honor Code to help guide students to strive for excellence, to take pride in their work, and to develop a moral compass based on recent research about how honor codes help to build a great school society.

Honor codes are usually found in every school or university; however, honor codes are most effective when they are deeply supported and rooted into the culture of a school. There are many ways a school can incorporate an “honor code culture,” and arguably, one of the most important ways is to encourage students to hold personal responsibility for academic integrity.

“When students gain a sense of personal responsibility, it helps them to preserve their own academic integrity and push them toward becoming an honest and responsible member of society,” explains Nicole Dunn, Immaculate Heart High School’s Director of Student Activities.

All Immaculate Heart students will sign the school’s Honor Code during the first week of school. High school students return to campus this Thursday and will sign the Honor Code following the morning’s Welcome Assembly. Middle school students will also formally support the Honor Code when their classes resume the following week. “This sets the tone for our mission and vision for the new school year,” says Dunn.

Immaculate Heart seeks to develop “young women of great heart and right conscience” as part of its mission statement. When IH students sign the Honor Code, they formally promise to uphold the values of their school community, pledge to be honorable in their work, speech and actions, and promise to treat all members of the school community with respect. They are also expected to take responsibility for their own actions, especially in relation to doing their work and their behavior.

If you would like to learn more about Immaculate Heart School, prospective students can sign up for Shadow Days at the campus, located at 5515 Franklin Avenue, Los Angeles, by contacting the Admissions Office at (323) 461-3651. For more information visit Immaculate Heart’s website at www.immaculateheart.org.