There are many unknown curiosities out there. Things that people talk about, but wonder if they actually exist. Some things we may never know the truth about, like if there are UFOs being held at Area 51 or what happened to Amelia Earhart. There are some things that can be proven, though. One of those things is the NDP Honor Board.

The Honor Board does exist, and it does actually do things, contrary to what some people might think. The Honor Board is expert at working behind the scenes without your realizing it. Every person on the board is sworn to secrecy; confidentiality is very important, and nothing gets out about a case; unless the person called says something, that is. The board is comprised of 11 students: two sophomores, four juniors, and five seniors. These students were either nominated by themselves or by someone else and were then selected to join the board. The board also has three teacher moderators.

Many different offenses can get you called to the Honor Board, but one distinction is very important in these offenses. They must be Honor Code violations. You can get called for cheating, but you cannot get called for starting a rumor about someone. The Honor Board deals with academic honor, not moral honor. That being said, you can get called for cheating, plagiarizing, sharing homework, using an online translator in a way not specified by your teacher, telling someone about answers on a test, etc. You can violate the Honor Code if you break it on any assignment that you turn in for a grade, from a five point homework assignment to a 100 point term paper. It does not matter if you signed the Honor Code on it or not (although you should be writing the Honor Code on everything you turn in for a grade).

You can get called to the Honor Board if someone reports you. There is an incident report form on the Student Common that anyone can access to fill out and then give to Mrs. Kaiser if she witnesses an Honor Code violation. This person will come before the Honor Board to give her side on what happened. This person is coming as a witness, so if this is you at any point, you do not need to worry about getting in trouble. Mrs. Kaiser then gives a form to the student called to take home and get signed by her parents. This person is given a time and place to meet with the Honor Board.

If you get called to the Honor Board, the students on the board will ask you questions about why you were called and what occurred. This is not meant to scare the person called, but to get her side of the story. Once all questions have been asked, the student is dismissed, and the Honor Board discusses further. The students talk about the answers given and come up with a suggestion for a punishment (if they feel that the student called is at fault) and then give the suggestion to Mrs. Kaiser who approves or disapproves it. Once a decision is made, the Board adjourns. Usually, the student will go to Mrs. Kaiser’s office at the end of the day where Mrs. Kaiser and the student leader of the Honor Board will tell the student what the final decision was.

The Honor Board is not something to fear. The Honor Board was created a couple of years ago at the request of some students who wanted a more fair way to judge those who broke the Honor Code. Before the Honor Board was created, if you were suspected of having broken the Honor Code, then your teacher would punish you in some way without your ever getting to give your side of the story. The Honor Board gives you a chance to fight your case to a group of your peers who understand where you are coming from. There have been many cases where a student was accused of some violation, and the teachers were poised to punish the student. When the student came to the Honor Board, however, the students on the board heard her case and gave the student a voice that she would not have had before. Many times the students on the Honor Board give the teachers a different perspective of a supposed violation (the student perspective). The students on the Honor Board come from many different backgrounds and together they are able to close any cracks that someone might try to slip through to avoid punishment. It is fair to say that if you are called to the Honor Board, the board will figure out the truth, whether it be that you are innocent or guilty. The Honor Board was created to give the students a voice, and that is exactly what it does.