Honor Code

In all their endeavors, Sacred Heart students must strive to act with integrity. Students are encouraged to make wise, responsible, and ethical choices and to accept the consequences of their choices, both good and bad. Students are also encouraged to reflect upon how their choices and the choices of their peers impact other students, the school community, and the wider community.

The Honor Code of the Academy of the Sacred Heart is based on the premise that students are taught to value honesty and integrity. Honorable behavior and honesty form the foundation of respect for oneself and for others. Sacred Heart students are responsible for vigorously upholding the ideals stated in the Goals and Criteria for Sacred Heart Schools in the United States.

As an academic institution, intellectual honesty and integrity are essential to the school community. At the beginning of each school year, each student affirms her acceptance of the Honor Code:

As a member of the Sacred Heart Community, I pledge to act in a moral, ethical, honest, and honorable way in all that I do.

Honor Council

The Honor Council is designed to acknowledge the rights and responsibilities of the students. Goals of the Council are:

1. To model exemplary behavior.
2. To help the student cope maturely with value questions surrounding behavior.
3. To assist the student in understanding the causes for her undesirable behavior.
4. To engage the resources of the student in accepting responsibility for actions and in redirecting behavior more positively.
5. To promote the habit of considering, in advance, possible consequences of behavior and, based on that consideration, making sound decisions on how to behave. (D. Ostroth and D. Hill, 'The Helping
6. Relationship in Student Discipline')
7. To promote an atmosphere of honor and integrity among the school community by sponsoring assemblies, speakers, etc

The Honor Council membership includes:

1 process observer (Dean of Students), non-voting
2 faculty members (nominated by the student body and voted on by the faculty)
3 seniors (1 chair) (nominated by the faculty and voted on by their classmates)
2 juniors (1 secretary) (nominated by the faculty and voted on by their classmates)
2 sophomores (nominated by the faculty and voted on by their classmates)
1 freshman (nominated by the faculty and voted on by her classmates)