By signing the Honor Banner, students demonstrate their dedication to the core values of Hampton Roads Academy and pledge to conduct themselves with honesty, respect, and responsibility in all pursuits
On the morning of Thursday, September 11, our Navigators rededicated themselves to the proposition that Hampton Roads Academy is more than simply a school. It is a community whose members share a commitment to moral as well as academic excellence.
The annual Honor Council Assembly, held in the Svein J. Lassen Auditorium, provided an occasion for all Upper School students to join together with faculty members and pledge adherence to the HRA Honor System, a framework of integrity and ethical conduct for the entire school. Directed by the student and faculty leadership of the Honor Council, which plays an indispensable role in administering and enforcing the school’s Honor Code, the assembly took on new meaning in the context of the 2025-2026 Year of Connections. As active participants in a learning community, HRA students achieve growth in character as well as scholarship through collaboration with, and accountability to, one another.
“I love this assembly,” said Upper School English teacher and Honor Council faculty advisor Jeremy Clover. “Each year, when we gather to reaffirm the Honor Code, I see our students not only pledging their commitment to honesty and respect, but also embracing the responsibility of being part of something larger than themselves.”
Head of School Jay Lasley amplified this message in addressing the students, highlighting the Honor System’s role in a holistic education that nurtures principled young adults.
“We indeed are fortunate to be in a school community that values the responsibility of honor, this cornerstone that shapes and molds us for the rest of our lives,” he said. “It takes courage. It gives us purpose. It defines who we are.”
More than a Code of Conduct
Honor Council Chair Lexi Trudeau ’26 addresses her peers
Applying to every member of the HRA community, from the youngest students in our Lower School to the Head of School himself, the Honor System rests on four pillars: personal accountability, intellectual maturity, creative thinking, and respect for honesty, integrity, and truth.
These values inform every facet of the life of the school. To underscore the importance of honesty and individual effort in all academic pursuits, students are required to sign an Honor Pledge for every assignment, which reads, “I pledge, on my honor, that I have neither given nor received unauthorized help on this work.” The Honor Council upholds this promise by guarding against and adjudicating possible violations of the Honor Code.
Beyond the classroom, the influence of the Honor System is no less palpable. “There isn’t a single lock on our lockers,” Honor Council Chair Lexi Trudeau ’26 reminded her peers during her remarks at the assembly. “Backpacks are scattered throughout the campus, unattended and unharmed. Phones and iPads are left to charge for hours without someone stealing them. The Honor Code pledges its students to ensure a safe environment here on campus.”
A Unifying Commitment
As Trudeau observed in her speech, each member of the school community is committed not only to embracing the Honor Code in their individual conduct, but also to supporting every Navigator’s efforts to do the same. She assured the freshmen in particular, “If ever in doubt, ask questions and seek help. The upperclassmen and your teachers are here to guide you.”
In the spirit of this community project to maintain the Honor System, the Honor Council chair followed her remarks by leading the faculty in promising “to uphold the principles of the Honor Code, the Honor Pledge, and the integrity of our school.” The presidents of the senior, junior, and sophomore classes—Cam Hall ’26, Luke Sablan ’27, and Madison Davis ’28—then led their classmates in affirming the same. Trudeau administered the oath to the Class of 2029.
Honor Council faculty advisor Jeremy Clover, joined by Lexi Trudeau, shakes ninth graders’ hands after they sign the Honor Banner
Starting with the ninth graders, all Upper School students made their commitment official by signing their names to the Honor Banner. Middle School students will follow suit at an assembly on Monday, September 15, during their TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) advisory periods. This schoolwide tradition signals that the Navigator family is united by its dedication to the philosophy of the Honor System—within the walls of the Academy and beyond.
For Trudeau, the Honor System represents the crux of what HRA stands for. “A Navigator is someone who is honest and truthful in both their words and actions, someone who listens to their classmates and teachers and treats them with respect, and someone who takes responsibility for their decisions,” she said. “In summary, a Navigator is someone who upholds our sacred Honor Code and demonstrates the core values of Hampton Roads Academy: honesty, respect, and responsibility.”
