Dozens of Hillsborough County high school students spent the day learning life lessons outside of the classroom. Teens selected to participate in the West Point Leadership & Ethics Conference are identified as some of the highest achievers in Bay area classrooms.
Their teachers during last week's seminar at the University of Tampa were students themselves. They are local U.S. Military Academy cadets on spring leave from West Point. While they're still in school, they're experts on today's lesson: ethics.
"We have a Cadet Honor Code which is that a cadet will not lie, cheat, or steal or tolerate those who do. It's something that we live with on a daily basis," said Cadet Sean Minton.
The cadets are passing along their higher standard to hand-selected high school juniors who are following in their footsteps. The crux of today's conversation: the right choice isn't always the popular one.
"I'm here to try and break that peer pressure boundary, and to help them make the right moral decision as they go through life," said Cadet Nicholas Czupryn.
This is the fifth year Tampa's West Point Society has hosted the Leadership & Ethics Conference. Only a few other cities offer similar programs for high-achieving high school students.