Character and Leadership Development

On my honor, I promise that I will not lie, steal, or cheat.
I will abide by, respect, and support this Honor Code as a member of The Episcopal School of Dallas. - ESD Honor Code

At The Episcopal School of Dallas, we are committed to igniting lives of purpose and unlocking a child’s potential by introducing them to an even greater purpose. Through ESD’s Character and Leadership Development programming, we teach our students to care for themselves; respect and encourage their peers; and place the values of Honor, Respect, and Integrity into their daily practice.

Central to our students' character and leadership development and the pillars of Honor, Respect, and Integrity at ESD is the Honor Council. This council is an elected, representative body of students whose purpose is to sit in judgment of their peers in matters involving honor code violations. Learn more about the Honor Council and additional Character and Leadership Development opportunities below.

Above, students sign the Code of Conduct, committing to uphold ESD's principles of Honor, Respect, and Integrity.

Character and Leadership Development Programming

Each division also hosts a series of programs with age-appropriate opportunities to develop a child’s leadership skills and enhance their understanding of good character.

Daily Chapel & Virtues of the Month

Daily chapel for all students and faculty is an enduring tradition that has been in place since the very first day of school in 1974. The spiritual identity of ESD is grounded in the Christian faith, expressed through the liturgy and tradition of the Episcopal church. We are an institution whose spiritual self-understanding is Christian, but also a place where students of all faiths are welcomed and respected. Every human being has value because God has created them in His own image.

There is a Virtue of the Month during the school year that includes Chapel talks on topics such as thankfulness, patience, respect, hope, courage, and more.

Please visit our Daily Chapel page to learn more about our program and Episcopal Identity.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Episcopal School of Dallas community is committed to creating, maintaining, and nurturing a diverse and inclusive environment as it prepares young women and men for lives of intellectual discovery, integrity, and purpose. We believe that diversity in our school community enhances the quality of the education that ESD provides and is essential to the development of well-rounded people. The Episcopal School of Dallas values diversity in all its forms, including but not limited to ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic background.

Please visit our Diversity and Inclusion page to learn more.

Elizabeth Anne Worsham Visiting Author Series

The Elizabeth Anne Worsham Endowed Visiting Author Fund was created in 2004 by Mr. and Mrs. Joseph I. Worsham II, friends, and family in memory of Elizabeth Anne Worsham ’13. “Children who love to read become adults who love to read, a wonderful gift for a lifetime of enjoyment,” says Bonnie Tollefson, Lower School Librarian. “The annual Visiting Author Program supports that development, and we think of Elizabeth and her love of books and reading every day when we gather round her special rocking chair to read books aloud for story time. The chair features the scripture verse from Mark 10:14, ‘Let the little children come to me.’ It is depicted by an intricate carving of Jesus surrounded by children.”

Click here to see a full list of visiting authors.

Honor Societies

Robert H. Dedman Lecture Series for Leadership

The Honor Council

Purpose

The Honor Council, made up of a specifically elected body of students, deals with alleged violations of ESD's Honor Code during the school year. The Council's job in these situations is to make sure the accused student has a fair, just, and proper hearing and then to determine guilt or innocence. In cases of guilt, it is the job of the Council to issue a recommendation in accordance with the disciplinary policy of the school.

Honor, Respect, and Integrity are recognized values of responsible citizenship. Mutual trust depends upon truthfulness and fairness in all relationships. ESD places great emphasis upon the development of moral and spiritual strength and those facets of character which are essential ingredients of one’s integrity.

The Honor Code, posted at the top of this page, commits students to maintaining a quality of community life from which all members benefit. Students are expected to represent themselves truthfully, do their own work, and claim for themselves only that which is truly theirs. It is also the community’s belief that each child should be evaluated on the merits of his or her own work and that each student should be able to trust that others are being evaluated in the same way. Thus, the honor system is based on mutual trust rather than a set of rules.

History

To uphold the honorary and disciplinary integrity of The Episcopal School of Dallas, a panel of students and administrators created the Honor Council in 1990. The Council gives students suspected of an Honor Code violation a fair and reasonable hearing by their peers. The Council is made up of thirteen grade representatives, three elected from each grade, and the president of Student Council.

Expectations

The entire ESD community is bound by honor, respect, and integrity. Students, faculty, and staff across all divisions commit to uphold these principles and conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the ideals of ESD's Mission Statement when they sign the ESD Code of Conduct at the beginning of each school year. You can read the full Code of Conduct here.

Additionally, students in the upper school should have a full and complete understanding of what constitutes honorable work and what represents a violation of the Honor Code. New students will quickly become part of the community as they too take part in the annual signing and learn to write “Honor, Respect, and Integrity” on each piece of their daily work.

In upper school, students who are suspected of violating the Academic Pledge are brought before the Honor Council, an elected board of their peers, to discuss their case. After hearing from all parties involved in the violation, the Honor Council determines a verdict and makes a recommendation regarding discipline to the Assistant Head and Head of Upper School. The administration will determine any final disciplinary action.

Violations

Violations of the Honor Code at the Episcopal School of Dallas include, but are not limited to, the following:

Lying: Making a false representation of the truth.
- Quibbling: To avoid acknowledging the truth or speaking the truth in such a manner as to deceive another.
Stealing: To take something that is not yours or to borrow without consent.
Cheating: Any acts of deception that result in gaining or attempting to gain an unfair academic advantage over another, representing another’s work as one’s own, or aiding another student in such deception. Cheating includes but is not limited to, copying from notes, books, or material without the permission of the teacher or aiding another student in such practices.
- Copying: Copying is the direct use of another student’s work to complete a test or assignment, or allowing another student to copy one’s work.
- Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the use of, or paraphrasing of, another’s ideas or expressions in your writing without properly acknowledging (citing) the source. This includes material posted on the Internet.
- Collusion: To allow a peer, parent, or tutor to edit or modify your work in any substantive fashion. Corrections made to papers, etc., should reflect your own work.

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