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Most of us learn best by example. Associate Head of Middle School Merritt Livermore used a recent national news story to put the honor code (“I will not lie, cheat, or steal. I will respect myself and others.”) in context for students. Here are her remarks from today's honor code assembly:

Several years ago, the McDonogh community created the character compass. It is a visual reminder of the values that the entire McD community aspires to possess within themselves: kindness, responsibility, honesty, respect, and service. The McDonogh compass is displayed across campus, always to help guide us in our actions, thoughts, and decisions at school, at home, and in the community.

Our middle school honor code and the character compass work together to remind us what we value in this community and to remind us to “do our best work and be our best self.”

I recognize that we are not perfect all the time. There are occasions when things, like lacrosse sticks or textbooks, get taken without permission. There are occasions when students have been overheard speaking disrespectfully to another student or are seen communicating through texts or online about another student in an unkind manner.

Despite the few occasions when some students do not live up to the Honor Code, there are instances every day that make me very proud to be a part of this community. For example, I have witnessed countless examples of honorable behavior in the past week and a half:

• When a classmate fell during the rain storm on the first day of school, Isabella P. sacrificed her lunch period and escorted her injured friend to the infirmary.
• Alexis H. found $1 on the floor in Finney Building earlier this week and turned it into Ms. Schmelz in the main office.
• And, just yesterday, Evan S. handed me a bag full of quarters that dropped out of the vending machine in the RL after he paid for his snack.

Kindness, honesty, respect, responsibility…there are other examples – too many to share this morning, but those instances are when we, as a community, are at our best.

But the bigger test is whether you can make those decisions away from McDonogh -- out of sight of teachers or even parents.

How many of you have attended a sports event where someone from the audience is invited to come to the court or field to take a shot to win money? How many of you have ever seen someone actually complete the challenge to win something?

Well, imagine how the ice hockey fans in Minneapolis, Minnesota felt when they saw a fan make one of those impossible shots to win $50,000. There was one problem…the person taking the shot was not who he said he was. Wow! What a shot! What would you have done if you were in this situation: claim to be your twin and celebrate your win OR tell the truth right away?

This is a very difficult predicament! Did I mention that Nate, the one who really made the shot, did not want his father to write his name on the ticket because he had just gotten a cast off his arm and he thought his brother, Nick, would have a better chance of getting it in? As a result, their dad wrote Nick’s name on the ticket. Well, here is what happened next.

After coming forward with the truth, Nate and Nick’s dad said, “You could tell [the boys] weren't feeling right about it. The next day we felt so badly, I called into the organizers [and] we told them that Nate made the shot. We did the right thing.” He further stated, "I just think that honesty is more important than any prize or money you could get."

The family found out they would not get the money. Instead the insurance company agreed to donate $40,000 to local youth hockey programs. According to their dad, the boys, who just started sixth grade, are disappointed they won't get the money but are excited that youth hockey in their area will benefit in the end.

Personally, I don’t think there is a question about whether they did the right thing. I think the real questions are “Would you have done the same thing?” and “What do you think would have happened if they had not confessed the truth?” and “What might other people think about them?”

I leave you with this thought. I suspect that Nick, Nate, and Mr. Smith did not expect to be on national news for their decision.

I bet Isabella, Alexis, and Evan were not expecting public recognition for their honesty and kindness. So why did they all do what they did?

The honor code should not be something you uphold because you are afraid of what will happen if you don’t follow it OR because you think you will get a reward or recognition if you do follow it.

You do it because it is the right thing to do in your heart, even if it does cost you $50,000. As Mr. Smith said, they did the right thing because it was more important than any prize or money they could get.

Here are links to additional reports from The Today Show and The Huffington Post.