Country Day Plagiarism

The purpose of the Honor Code and Honor Council is to instill ownership and integrity into

student’s actions so as to prepare them for the world beyond Charlotte Country Day. Similar to the American

and international workplace, the Honor Code demands of students that they use their own judgement to make

decisions and perform in the classroom, for there is not always someone to constantly lead students on the path that utilizes good morals. For the common student, there are undeniably multiple opportunities to go against

their ethical judgement and lie, cheat, or steal without a significant risk of being caught. Knowing this, the

Honor Code holds all students accountable for their actions, even when nobody is around to witness it.

One of the most prevalent Honor issues at Country Day is plagiarism. Although sometimes

unintentional, students find it easy to pass other’s work off as their own. Many times I have seen people copy

a phrase into a paper and simply change around the order of the words to make it appear original. Furthermore

students realize the chances of being caught are fairly slim, compared to other Honor Code infractions. One

way to address this growing issue in the age of digitalization, is to make it mandatory for students to submit

their paper to teachers through websites such as Paper Rater before handing in the final copy. Sites such as

these check for plagiarism and increase the accountability for students, as the results will be shared directly

with the teacher. Not only will this catch students attempting to plagiarize work, but it will serve as a powerful

deterrent for the initial act of plagiarism.

IV. The reason I choose to be honorable is because it defines my identity. Not only does it encompass all

I have been taught to stand for but, dishonorable actions threaten to taint the values I aim to live by. If my

work is plagiarized or copied, then no longer can my thoughts or academic performance be apart of

Through better or worse, success or failure, the outcome of events will be determined by the strength of

my own abilities, rather than a lack of truth. Choosing to be honorable means more than simply being honest

to others, it means being honest with yourself. Choosing to accept both your strengths and weaknesses,

successes and failures, and triumphs and tragedies is truly what living honorably means. Essentially, most

Honor Code violations stem from a person’s image of what they are capable of. Wether it is cheating on a test

because you believe that you do not possess the knowledge to perform highly, plagiarizing work because you

don’t think yours is good enough, or stealing because you believe that your own possessions do not meet

societal expectations, the common theme is an insecurity in yourself, and accepting your flaws and strengths is

what the essence of choosing honor is. So each day, my choice to be honorable means more than a lack of

menial lies, rather it encompasses my identity and leads me to believe in the strength of my abilities as well

the power of accepting my flaws as a part of being honest with