Middle School Students Affirm Honor Code During Annual Assembly

The Middle School held its annual Honor Code Assembly, bringing together students and faculty to reaffirm the school’s commitment to integrity, respect, and the 12 Benjamin Values.

The assembly emphasized that a student’s character is determined not simply by academic accomplishments or awards, but by the manner in which those accomplishments are achieved.

The school’s 12 Benjamin Values: respect, kindness, compassion, gratitude, courage, fairness, acceptance, perseverance, morality, integrity, forgiveness and responsibility were highlighted as guiding principles for students both on and off campus.

Keynote speaker John “Skip” Randolph, a longtime Palm Beach community leader and attorney, and the father of middle school teacher Chrissie Ferguson, spoke about his lifelong commitment to service, leadership, and uniting people.

Randolph served as an attorney for the Town of Palm Beach, as well as Jupiter Island and Manalapan, for 44 years. He also spent decades serving as chairman of the Palm Beach Fellowship of Christians and Jews, an organization he helped establish to promote understanding and respect among people of different faiths and cultures.

Randolph’s connection to The Benjamin School is deeply personal. As a sixth-grade student at the Marion Burton School, he was taught by Marshall Benjamin, the school's founder. Randolph recalled that “Mr. B.” took over his class during a particularly challenging period and taught students the importance of discipline, respect, and responsible behavior.

Years later, Randolph reconnected with Benjamin after discovering that his former teacher had founded The Benjamin School. Their reunion allowed Randolph to learn more about Benjamin’s life and his efforts to challenge racial segregation in Detroit during the 1950s.

“I had been indirectly involved in civil rights in a different way, an opposite way,” said Randolph, who recounted moving from Michigan to Saint Augustine, Florida during a time when it was still a segregated community. During the summer, he took a job driving sightseeing trains around St. Augustine. 

“I remember to this day when selling tickets, an African American family approached me to buy tickets for the ride … I had to advise them that I could not sell them tickets,” said Randolph. “I was devastated by this and am devastated to this day … this was so wrong of me. It was not an honorable way to act. It was not kind. It was not respectful. It was not how I would want to be treated.”

Randolph said in hindsight he should have quit his job to protest the company’s policy, but didn’t because he needed the money to pay for college.

“From that day on, I gained even more respect for Mr. Benjamin, who was ahead of his time when he sought to integrate the black and white races in Detroit in the early 1950s,” he said.

Randolph connected these experiences to the principles of The Benjamin School, encouraging students to recognize the lasting influence their choices can have on others.

He urged students to appreciate the education and values they receive at the school and reminded them that the lessons they learn about honor will remain with them throughout their lives.

Following Randolph’s opening remarks, Academic Dean Heather Nappi spoke about the Honor Code and the role of integrity within the school community.

Nappi described integrity as the alignment between “what individuals do, what they say and what they say they will do.” She identified four important aspects of integrity: honesty, consistency, accountability, and dependability.

The Honor Code serves as a foundation for trust throughout the school community and establishes expectations for both academic and personal conduct.

Students reviewed the Honor Code pledge and were reminded of the statement they are required to submit on all academic work.

The assembly concluded with students and faculty signing the Honor Code books, formally reaffirming their commitment to the Honor Code for the 2026–2027 school year.

Students were reminded that their signatures represent more than a school tradition; they signify a personal commitment to uphold the principles of honesty, responsibility, and integrity.

Click Here To View The Entire Assembly