StC News
A Saint Embodies Character
Charles Lange ’26, the chairman of the Honor Council for the 2025-2026 School year, is early for his magazine interview, enjoying a free afternoon a few days before he’ll take the reins as captain of the StC Golf Team.
Lange, who has been at St. Christopher’s since kindergarten, has just committed to play golf at Columbia University next year, but he remains focused on this upcoming season, as he’s quick to say how eager he is for a win against Woodberry.
Along with his athletic pursuits, for the majority of Lange’s time at St. Christopher’s, he’s been involved in shaping the role that honor has played in the life of the School.
Lange has been involved with the Honor Council since his earliest opportunity in Middle School, and he has watched and helped shape the policies that have evolved with his classmates.
“In Middle School, the honor system is really about learning what it means to be honorable,” Lange said. “But in Upper School, we are really trying to build the idea of honor as a habit.”
“The most important thing we do as the Upper School Honor Council is the Chapel presentation at the beginning of the year, where everyone signs the Honor Book. It’s important to remind everyone why the Honor Code is so important at St. Christopher’s, which we often notice in underrated ways. You can leave your stuff around School and trust that it will stay there, and that people won’t take what isn’t theirs. But beyond that, we want our classmates to feel that honor is a core value in life that is important for everyone. Because we start the year with that ceremony of signing the Honor Book in Chapel, we keep those ideals at the back of our mind for the whole year.”
For Lange, the Honor System is more than just a facet of his life at St. Christopher’s; it’s woven into all his pursuits. “When I’m at an athletic event, and I see an athlete make an honest decision or own up to a mistake, I see the Honor System at work there. I think of golf, and how we are asked to turn in an accurate scorecard, and I find that really admirable that we can trust that.”
Lange continues, “Of course, it moves past athletics and into everything in your life. And if you can build that at St. Christopher’s, no matter where you go or what profession you end up pursuing, being an honest person will be such a valuable trait.”
“When you value yourself as an honorable person,” Lange said, “it just takes the pressure off your hands. It’s just who you are.”
Back
Along with his athletic pursuits, for the majority of Lange’s time at St. Christopher’s, he’s been involved in shaping the role that honor has played in the life of the School.
Lange has been involved with the Honor Council since his earliest opportunity in Middle School, and he has watched and helped shape the policies that have evolved with his classmates.
“In Middle School, the honor system is really about learning what it means to be honorable,” Lange said. “But in Upper School, we are really trying to build the idea of honor as a habit.”
“The most important thing we do as the Upper School Honor Council is the Chapel presentation at the beginning of the year, where everyone signs the Honor Book. It’s important to remind everyone why the Honor Code is so important at St. Christopher’s, which we often notice in underrated ways. You can leave your stuff around School and trust that it will stay there, and that people won’t take what isn’t theirs. But beyond that, we want our classmates to feel that honor is a core value in life that is important for everyone. Because we start the year with that ceremony of signing the Honor Book in Chapel, we keep those ideals at the back of our mind for the whole year.”
Lange is quick to reiterate that the purpose of the Honor Council is not to hover over life in the School searching out infractions. “Our number one goal is to make sure there are no repeat cases. We want kids to be able to learn. If someone does make a mistake, we want them to improve and carry that with them into the rest of their life. It’s important to learn from mistakes in a setting where the stakes are lower than they might be later on.”
For Lange, the Honor System is more than just a facet of his life at St. Christopher’s; it’s woven into all his pursuits. “When I’m at an athletic event, and I see an athlete make an honest decision or own up to a mistake, I see the Honor System at work there. I think of golf, and how we are asked to turn in an accurate scorecard, and I find that really admirable that we can trust that.”
Lange continues, “Of course, it moves past athletics and into everything in your life. And if you can build that at St. Christopher’s, no matter where you go or what profession you end up pursuing, being an honest person will be such a valuable trait.”
“When you value yourself as an honorable person,” Lange said, “it just takes the pressure off your hands. It’s just who you are.”
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