As Chair of the Character Mentorship Program (CMP) this past year, I have done plenty of advertising.
Unfortunately, the CMP, even more so than the Honor Council, has remained closed off from the school community.
That opaqueness is best demonstrated in our Tuesday meetings, enclosed in Room 100, as students pass by to their first-period class. The intention of the CMP was never to remain behind closed doors, but instead to extend our belief in character to the rest of the school.
The Character Mentorship Program comprises five Sixth Formers, six Fifth Formers, and two faculty advisors.
If the CMP has taught me anything, it’s the importance of persistent reflection. Those who take the opportunity to work with a student and faculty advisor emerge from the process more aware of who they are and how to better themselves.
We work with students who have gone through the Honor Council process and for whom the Honor Council has determined that CMP support will be beneficial.
CMP supports students through a six-week reflective process. “Mentees,” are assigned a student and faculty advisor and are asked to reflect, not only on their Honor Council case, but on themselves and their place in our school community.
We’ve seen a wide range of success over my time in the CMP; some students have taken to the process and come out of it genuinely more aware of themselves and their peers, while others spend extra weeks pushing off assignments and learn little to nothing at all.
If the CMP has taught me anything, it’s the importance of persistent reflection. Those who take the opportunity to work with a student and faculty advisor emerge from the process more aware of who they are and how to better themselves.
These mentorships have shown me that character cannot undergo a quick fix. Having mentored others through our process, there is rarely a grand change or sudden realization, never an “aha moment,” but rather a gradual build toward something better.
Expanding this to the larger community, it’s easy to look at the “now,” the Haverford we share in the moment. However, equally powerful is the legacy we leave for classes below us. Character growth is a continuous process and may take more than four years. The same goes for the character of Haverford.
The school’s culture is a well-worn topic, often appearing in student-council speeches and state-of-the-school addresses, but no grand gesture or memorable speech can change Haverford. Instead, it is a conscious choice for individuals who comprise this community to think deeply about themselves.
Character is not only our actions and strong moral compass, but a willingness to be vulnerable and admit fault. Without my classmates and close friends, I could never have the self-awareness I have today. Character improvement takes courage.
We must admit our flaws, not only to ourselves but to others, and be willing to continuously reflect. My time here has shown me that sometimes other people know more about me than I do, because only they know how my character impacts them and makes them feel.
The CMP’s goal each year is “to do unto Haverford what my friends did for me,” challenging us to find our better selves.
With the limited time in any given year, each iteration of the CMP can only do so much. This year, we ripped the floorboards up, revising our process and rebranding as a restorative justice organization entrenched in character.
The five Sixth Formers now entrust our work to the hands of the current Fifth Form and the recently appointed Fourth Form classes. Just as we build on character over time, the CMP and Haverford continue to evolve into a stronger organization and idea.
Standing on Eagle Field for the alumni network event in late April, I talked to graduates from classes ranging from 2017 to 1981 about what Haverford was like for them, and they all described it as a much harsher and unkind place.
My experience with the alumni showed me how there is a precedent of improvement in our community, and therefore, a hope that it can become stronger. If we lose that hope or awareness of self, both in actions and perspectives, then we lose Haverford.
I believe in our potential, just as I believe what the CMP has taught me: I am not perfect, my character is flawed, but with the help of others and my own perseverance, I can always continue to improve. We all can.
