Students elected to new Community Honor Board

Purpose, courage, kindness and honor: We all are aware of the four values of Branson. But the prevalence of honor during the most recent times has been unnoticeable, especially with the most recent Community Honor Board elections. 

With two girls and two boys from each grade, Branson now welcomes a new collection of minds to enact restorative justice. All of the members are incredibly motivated and have many things they want to accomplish. 

One of sophomore Luke Tusher’s goals for the Honor Board, he said, was to “start to bridge the gap between [students and staff] by doing my part to create a more trustworthy and honorable community.” 

And this difference in gap isn’t the only new change; the dissolution of the Honor Council and formation of the Honor Board is the latest alteration to the Branson restorative justice program. 

Abby Wines, a senior, said she is “excited to be on the Community Honor Board because the Honor Council was in need of some revamping.” 

While Branson is a haven of academic security, there have been past instances of cheating, Kelly Napolitana said, “I want to look at the factors around why someone cheated because deciding whether or not someone cheated is not the most important role of the honor board.”

 Every member on the board wishes to bring restorative justice to Branson; their determination and strong work ethics are exactly what got them elected. 

Lumina Tagliaferri, a freshman, said she ran for Honor Board was to “help address student mistakes in a more restorative way instead of the traditional suspension or expulsion.” 

Isabelle Griepp, a senior, added on to this, mentioning the Branson core value of kindness, and how “it is our role to treat everyone who comes through those doors with kindness and compassion.”