As the year comes to a close, the Honor Education Council reflected on what they have done for Archer during the 2016-2017 school year.

One of HEC’s jobs is to function as a council for adjudicating violations of the Honor Code.

“The Honor Council is one of the most unique facets of Archer,” senior chair Marine Yamada said. “I think we are extremely lucky to have a student body that works to reinforce our community values and has a voice in the disciplinary process.”

During this year, nine students went in front of the Honor Council due due to violations.

“The job that we do is really hard. We spend hours on each case, reviewing the file and then hearing from the student before us and her advocate,” Yamada said. “The deliberation tends to be the most difficult and lengthy process.”

Reasons for why students had to go in front of the HEC ranged from disrespect and dishonesty to community members violating the zero tolerance policy towards alcohol and drugs.

“As students, we are very empathetic to the students who appear before us. At the same time, it’s incredibly important to reinforce what is stated in the handbook. Striking a balance between the two can be difficult,” Yamada said. “However, ultimately, as a student body, we strive to make decisions that reflect our communal values and benefit both the student and the community.”

Even though the adjudication of Honor Code violations is a big part of their task, HEC’s primary goal is to educate the community about the Code. In pursuit of that goal, they started new traditions this year.

For example, each month they declared a new word of the month. Some of the words included positivity and gratitude. According to members, the goal of having a word of the month is to promote and reinforce Archer’s community values.

HEC also collaborated with middle school students to help them learn how to handle sticky situations.

“I am so happy and proud of the work that we’ve done and how far we’ve come as a council over the years,” Yamada said. “I will always be grateful and honored to have been able to partake in such an amazing opportunity.”