Alumni
Welcome Back!
Making Good Choices
Learning from mistakes, open communication spotlighted at Honor Symposium Chapel
Members of Trinity’s elected student Honor Committee held an honor symposium on Monday, January 24 in Chapel with a panel of faculty guests for an open dialogue about strategies to help maintain honor and integrity in the classroom. After opening with a Methodist prayer for honesty, the student members of the committee spoke candidly to the assembled student body, noting that honor violations tend to spike in the stressful winter months.
Tucker Tetterton ’25 reminded students that the Honor Committee exists to help students grow and learn, not to punish them. “As a student-run organization we are on your side. You all elected us to support you,” he said. “If you do violate the Honor Code in any way, we want to help you realize your mistake and grow from it.”
Faculty panelists included Elizabeth Kelley, IB Diploma Programme Coordinator, Sarah Scriber, English teacher, and Torey Burston ’12, Student Life Coordinator.
“I feel like it's what makes us Trinity,” said Burston about the importance of the school’s Honor Code. “It's the reason why we don't have hall passes. We trust you to be where you are, but it also gets you ready for what's next in life.” As a coach, Burston compared cheating in class to cheating in the weight room or on the practice field. “If you cheat that rep, if you decide to make a short-term decision, it may not cost you right then and there, but down the road it will end up catching up with you.”
Other panelists connected honorable decision making with strong mental health and open communication. “You have a lot of resources here and people who care about you,” said Schriber. “Whether it's the school counselor, your teachers, your advisor, there are all kinds of people here who want to support you.” Schriber suggested that students make a game plan ahead of time. “Maybe take a moment now to think about who's that person you talked to when things seem like they're going south.”
“Being honorable doesn't mean being perfect,” added Schriber. “It means making the right choices.”
Matthew Waidelich ’26, committee member, asked the panel to talk about honorable ways to use the powerful tools brought about by artificial intelligence (AI). “Because it's a wonderful tool and has a lot of great capabilities,” he acknowledged, “but how can we use it so that we also learn the material ourselves?”
Noting the ubiquity of these tools, even among educators, Kelley stressed the importance of clarity and boundaries ahead of time. “I've had good luck in my classroom talking to students about when to use it, how to use it, what the prompt should be,” she said. “It’s really about trying to be as transparent as possible in the teacher-student relationship.”
Schriber concurred, adding, “I can't stress enough that if you're unsure as to whether or not you should be using a certain technology, you better reach out to that teacher before you use it.” In her English classes, for example, Schiurber said she could see the tools being used for editing “as long as we keep a record of it and before and after,” but never to generate ideas.
Comparing this moment in education with the emergence of spell-check in the 1990s, Schriber expressed optimism. “Back then, a lot of English teachers were like, oh no!, now our students won't be able to spell anymore,” she said. “But now it's more like a tool in your tool belt… I'm hoping that these AI platforms can move [in this direction too]. What makes me nervous about it is students using it to replace critical thinking.”
The panelists all agreed that true learning and skill building come from doing the work and going through the steps, despite the temptation of shortcuts.
“Sometimes cheating really can feel like the easiest thing in the world,“ said Liam O’Neil ’25, Honor Committee member, “but there's always an alternative… sending out an email or just talking to a teacher about an extension is going to be a lot easier than going to the honor council.”
“No matter who you are, really no one is above mistakes,” said O’Neil, “but the best we can hope to do is grow from them.”
More Headlines
List of 15 news stories.
-
Making Good Choices
Learning from mistakes, open communication spotlighted at Honor Symposium ChapelRead More -
Curious Crew
Higher-level IB science students share results of original research in annual poster sessionRead More -
Tools of the Trade
Seniors in the IB Global Politics class explore the principles of international trade through friendly competitionRead More -
Record Recognition
Trinity Artists and Writers Honored with nearly 50 awards in nation's premiere arts achievement competitionRead More -
History in the Stars
“As someone who wants to pursue a career in STEM, being able to have the opportunity to meet another woman who has made an impressive career for herself in STEM, is an inspiration for me,” said Madison Jewett ‘26Read More -
Fish Music
Internationally renowned musician John-Andrew Wilhite ’09 teams up with marine scientists to help boost Norwegian cod populationRead More -
Home Again
Homecoming Week 2024 unites students, teachers, parents, alumni and friends in a celebration of the best of TrinityRead More -
FIRST Class
Titan Robotics Team 539 Makes History at FIRST Robotics World ChampionshipsRead More -
“I Am, Because We Are”
Rev. Ken Malcolm offers message of neighborly love and cooperation in Eucharist ChapelRead More -
A Boost for Science
Science Teacher John Benson earns STEM grant from Toshiba America FoundationRead More -
Titans in France
Five young alumni send virtual postcards to Trinity from work and study abroad programs in FranceRead More -
Dream Team
Mother-daughter alumni duo explore Chilean heritage and love of the game as Field Hockey Women's World Cup volunteersRead More -
Celebrating Retiring Faculty
Read MoreMarti Truman- Science Teacher (1989–2016)
- IB Diploma Programme Coordinator: (2007–2022)
- Faculty Development Coach (2022–2024)
-
Celebrating Retiring Faculty
Read MoreBob Alley- Social Studies Teacher (1991–2024)
-
This Charming Man
Over 25 years in the Classroom, Francis Decker Challenges Students to Think, Write and LaughRead More
Trinity Episcopal School
3850 PITTAWAY DR | RICHMOND VA 23235-1099 | Phone: 804.272.5864 | Fax: 804.272.5865 Email: mail@trinityes.org
