The Way Back

 

The Way Back

Twenty-four students elected to the Honor Board.


 

Pomfret is student-centered. So what happens when a kid happens to be a kid and makes a mistake? Shouldn’t the response to correct their actions be student-focused as well? Pomfret thinks so and that is why the Dean of Students Office has revised the disciplinary process. As outlined in the Griffin Guide, the previously faculty-led Disciplinary Committee has been replaced by the newly developed Honor Board primarily made up of students. 

After more than ninety nominations and 300 votes, eight faculty members and twenty-four students — six members each from the sophomore and junior class and twelve members of the senior class — were elected to the 2021-2022 Upper and Lower Honor Board

The student-driven Lower Honor Board creates action plans to support student growth. Students with minor conduct violations may come before the Lower Honor Board to discuss corrective action, making amends to the community, and goal setting. Guided by the Pomfret School values of Community, Integrity, and Growth, the purpose of the Lower Honor Board is to create support networks for students and increase student involvement and transparency.

The Upper Honor Board reviews major infractions or behavior that does not conform to School expectations after a disciplinary warning or disciplinary probation. Chaired by the dean of students or a form dean, the board of seniors and faculty members will review the situation and recommend a restorative justice project that would be tied to a probationary period. The proposed project would help the wrong-doer restore their honor and make amends. 

“I am excited about this new Honor Board process. I look around campus and I see our motto — Be Heard — and this new board allows them to be heard in a way that they were not before,” expressed Dean of Students Wes Jenkins. “The students see the world through the eyes of a teenager and they can identify ways through restorative justice that can help their peers find their way back because they speak to the culture and what they want the School to be.”

The transition to an Honor Board aligns with Pomfret’s new application of restorative justice. The Dean of Students Office encourages the use of restorative practices for addressing petty infractions, such as being a few minutes late to class or being out of dress code. This may entail students staying after class to help clean up after arriving late or being required to wear formal dress when they otherwise were not required to following a dress code violation. The goal is to insert restorative responses that give back to the community and use their mistake as a moment for growth. 

 

Recent Posts

Playing with Swing

The boys varsity ice hockey team finished the season with a strong showing at the NEPSAC tournament.

Sparks Fly

Creativity and ingenuity ignite during Project: Pomfret.  

Pedal to the Metal

Students went full speed ahead exploring their passions through Pomfret’s Independent Study Program.