Darlington School: Private Boarding School in Georgia Honor: A Keystone to Our School's Success
Darlington School: Private Boarding School in Rome, GA
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Honor: A Keystone to Our School’s Success

Olivia Drake | September 1, 2016 | 664 views

The Darlington Community kicked off its 112th school year with Opening Convocation. This tradition-filled ceremony included the presentation of school flags, inspiring words from students, and the ringing of the School Bell to officially usher in the year.

Olivia Drake is serving as this year's Honor Council President. She recently spoke at Opening Convocation and perfectly described Darlington's Honor Code and what it means to put "honor above everything."

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Good Morning! My name is Olivia Drake and I am this year’s Honor Council President. For those of you who are new to Darlington, honor is a keystone to our school’s success and one of our oldest traditions. Students established our honor code in 1915, and just last year we celebrated its centennial year.

 

 As students, we pledge “Honor above everything,” to promote honorable living in our classrooms, on our fields, and throughout our daily lives. This way of living makes Darlington unique from other schools. We are comfortable with leaving our lockers unlocked, our book bags in the halls, and if we lose anything we can be confident that our possessions will be returned.

 

One of our school’s traditions is the yearly signing of the Honor Book. At the beginning of each school year, new students and faculty declare their honorable intentions and show their support for the Honor System by signing a pledge to uphold the Honor Code. The pledge is to not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do. This pledge helps shape our future and prepare us not just for the upcoming school year, but for the rest of our lives.


So today, along with the Senior Class of 2017, I challenge you to accept the tradition, the way of life, the Darlington way of doing things. I challenge you to refuse the easy way out by lying, cheating or stealing. I challenge you to not tolerate anyone who would dare violate our code. Because that code is what makes us Tigers; it's what makes us Darlington. And if you want to be a part of this, it's not just your opportunity to do the right thing, it is your responsibility. We don’t look to the adults on our campus to force us to comply; we hold ourselves to this standard. So today we invite you to join us in accepting our honor code and to represent those who have come before you. It is with pride I accept what it means to be a Darlington Tiger and today I invite you to do the same. Thank you!