National Honor Society Bylaws Mattawan High School Chapter

Transcription

1 National Honor Society Bylaws Mattawan High School Chapter ARTICLE I: NAME AND PURPOSE Section 1. The name of this chapter shall be the Mattawan High School Chapter of the National Honor Society of Secondary Schools. Section 2. The purpose of this chapter shall be to encourage students of high character, leadership and ability to use their talents and time to render service to the school and community. Secondary objectives include creating an enthusiasm for scholarship, promoting worthy leadership, and encouraging the development of character in students of Mattawan High School. ARTICLE II: ELIGIBILITY FOR MEMBERSHIP Section 1. Membership in this chapter shall be known as active and graduate. Active members become graduate members at graduation. The graduate members have no vote. Section 2. Membership in this chapter is an honor bestowed upon deserving students by the faculty and shall be based on the criteria of Scholarship, Leadership, Service, and Character. Section 3. Eligibility requirements for membership in this chapter include the following: 1. Must have been in attendance at Mattawan High School for a minimum of one semester. 2. To be a member, students must be enrolled in the sophomore, junior, or senior class. 3. Must have a minimum cumulative unweighted GPA of 3.5 or higher per the National Bylaws. This scholastic level of achievement shall remain fixed, and shall be the required minimum scholastic level of achievement for admission to candidacy. 4. All students who can rise in scholarship to or above such standard may be admitted to candidacy for selection to membership by the faculty council based on their demonstration of service, leadership, and character throughout their normal high school career. ARTICLE III: SELECTION OF MEMBERS Section 1. The final selection of members to this chapter shall be by a majority vote of the Faculty Council consisting of five faculty members appointed by the principal. The chapter advisor(s) shall be the sixth (seventh), non-voting, ex-officio member(s) of the Faculty Council. Section 2. Prior to the final selection, the following shall occur: Rev 11/17 1

2 1. Students' academic records shall be reviewed to determine scholastic eligibility. 2. Students who are scholastically eligible will receive a letter in the spring (giving at least three weeks to apply) detailing the application process, NHS requirements, and overviewing the chapter as a whole. 3. Directions for the completion of the portfolio shall also be posted on the Mattawan National Honor Society website at Due date for the personal portfolio will be strictly adhered to. Students attempting to turn in a late portfolios will not be considered for membership until the following year, provided they remain scholastically eligible and they choose to reapply at that time. 4. The faculty council shall be requested to evaluate candidates who are determined to be eligible, and have submitted a portfolio by the due date, using the evaluation survey provided by the chapter advisor(s). 5. Application as a senior is strictly prohibited, as this is not enough time to show dedication to service through the chapter. Section 3. The selection of new, active members shall be held once a year during the second semester of the school year. Candidates approved by the Faculty Council shall be invited to be inducted into the National Honor Society. All new members should be present for the induction ceremony. Those new members who are unable to attend the induction ceremony shall notify the advisor(s) in advance to work with them to finalize their induction. Section 4. An active member of this chapter of the National Honor Society who transfers from this school will be given a letter indicating the status of his/her membership and signed by the principal. Section 5. An active member of the National Honor Society who transfers to this school will be automatically accepted for membership in this chapter. This transfer member will, within one semester, attain and then maintain the membership requirements for this chapter to retain his/her membership. ARTICLE IV: MAINTAINING MEMBERSHIP Section 1. Any member who falls below the standards of scholarship, leadership, character, or service may be placed on probation or dismissed from the Mattawan High School chapter of the National Honor Society, where the severity of the punishment is determined by the faculty council, advisors, and principal. A member in good standing is defined as one who has successfully maintained his/her academic standing, taken an active role in service and leadership to his/her school and community, successfully met their hour requirements for each full semester they have been a member of NHS, as well as paid their dues no later than the deadlines outlined in this document. Section 2. If a member's cumulative unweighted GPA falls below a 3.5, the member will be given written notice and be on probationary status for the following semester. If the cumulative unweighted GPA remains below the standard at the end of the probationary period, the student will be dismissed from the chapter. Section 3. Active members of the Mattawan High School chapter of the National Honor Society shall participate as volunteers in both school and community service opportunities. Rev 11/17 2

3 1. Each member is required to volunteer for a minimum of 24 service hours per semester. Fall Semester shall be counted as July 18th - December 31, and Spring Semester shall be counted as January 1 - July 17th. Verification forms are to be filled out online through a Google Form provided by the chapter. a. For seniors, the Spring Semester shall begin January 1st and extend until the Friday before graduation. Only 16 hours are required of seniors during the spring semester. b. A student may record no more than 12 non-charter hours during the summer. A student can, however, record as many charter hours during the summer as they would like. 2. Each member is required to participate in at least five hours of service through in district service (referred to as charter events) per semester. These opportunities are defined as any event that is directly ed out via the NHS chapter itself. 3. Failure to meet either charter or non-charter hour requirements at the end of a semester will result in immediate dismissal from the chapter; in this case, the ability of the faculty council to determine the severity of punishment ( Art IV, Section 1 ) is nullified. 4. Failure to submit hours within 7 days of the event will result in hours being made void. Section 4. Members failing to attend regularly scheduled meetings may be considered for dismissal by the Faculty Council as outlined in Article VII (below). Section 5. Members failing to pay annual dues may be considered for dismissal by the Faculty Council as outlined in Article X (below). Section 6. Violation of criminal law or school regulations may result in dismissal of a member. These violations include, but are not limited to, DWI/DUI, MIP, stealing, destruction of property, cheating, truancy, or possession, selling, or being under the influence of drugs or alcohol at school or school-related activities. Section 7. Offenders of the school code of conduct (such as use of profanity, failure to comply, unexcused absence, excessive tardiness, etc...) will receive written warning notification. A conference may be requested by either party (Faculty Council or student/parent). If the member is involved in another violation of the school code of conduct, the member will be dismissed. Section 8. As an inductor of a new member of the chapter, failing to attend the annual induction ceremony (held the first Sunday in May each year), will be subject to a penalty of 8 additional hours of service. This is a mandatory event for all members of the chapter and the date will be announced periodically throughout the year to ensure members make effort to clear their schedules. Excuses for attendance will be sent to the Junior Vice President. Excuses received later than 3 weeks before induction will incur the 8 additional hours of service. Section 9. Discipline options of the Faculty Council shall be: 1. Written warning 2. Probation 3. Dismissal Section 10. In all cases of pending dismissal: Rev 11/17 3

4 1. The member will receive written notification indicating the reason for possible dismissal from the advisor(s) or Faculty Council. The member and advisor(s) will discuss the written notification in a conference. Situations that involve flagrant violations of school rules or the law can warrant disciplinary action without a written warning, although a hearing must be held (see below). 2. The member will be given an opportunity to respond to the charge against him/her at a hearing before the Faculty Council prior to the vote on dismissal (in accordance with due process identified in the National Constitution). The member has the opportunity to present his/her defense either in person or in writing. The Faculty Council will then vote on whether to dismiss the member. A majority vote of the Faculty Council is needed to dismiss any member. 3. Results of the Faculty Council vote will be reviewed by the principal, and if confirmed, expressed in a letter sent to the student and parents. 4. The member may appeal the Faculty Council's decision to the principal. 5. When a student is dismissed or resigns, he or she is no longer a member and may never again be considered for membership in the National Honor Society. ARTICLE V: OFFICERS Section 1. The officers of the Mattawan High School chapter of the National Honor Society shall be President, Senior Vice President, Junior Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Historian. Section 2. Student officers shall be elected at the last meeting of each school year from active chapter members in good standing. All returning active members in good standing are eligible to run for a position as an officer. Section 3. Student officers will run for a specific position. Voting will occur in this order: President, Vice President, Junior Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Historian. Voting will occur such that, after the vote for president, any of those who lost can either A) run for Vice President or any lower position or B) rescind their candidacy. Votes will be recorded via a Google Form to allow for instant results. Voting is first past the post. Section 4. President duties: Presides over meetings, works with advisors and other officers to plan the monthly meeting agenda, informs members about volunteer opportunities, and makes announcements. Section 5. Senior Vice President duties: Assists with presidential duties as necessary, helps plan and promote service activities throughout the year, and maintains the website and Google Calendar. The Senior Vice President will also contact the leaders of charter events to make them aware if the numbers of volunteers from NHS will not fill their expectations. Section 6. Junior Vice President duties: Organizes and conducts the annual coat drive, and helps plan and promote service activities throughout the year, most specifically the induction ceremony. Section 7. Secretary duties: Records meeting attendance and service hours for each member, organizes guest speakers for the monthly chapter meetings. Rev 11/17 4

5 Section 8. Treasurer duties: Collects money for dues and other financial matters. Reports and maintains log of bank statements from Central Office. Helps determine budget for chapter and, if possible, to which charity some NHS funds are donated at the end of the year. Section 9. Historian Duties: Records meeting minutes. Section 9. The removal of officers may be affected by a 2/3 vote of the membership and approval by the chapter advisor(s). Written documentation detailing the reason(s) for removal shall be provided to the officer facing removal by the chapter advisor(s). Section 10. In the event that an office becomes open during the school year, the procedures outlined in Section 3 (above) will be followed in order to fill the vacancy. ARTICLE VI: EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Section 1. The executive committee shall consist of the chapter advisor(s) and the chapter officers. Section 2. The executive committee shall have general charge of the meetings and the business of the chapter, but any action by the executive committee is subject to the review of the chapter members. Section 3. Chapter members shall have veto power over the executive council decisions by a 2/3 majority vote. ARTICLE VII: MEETINGS Section 1. Meeting attendance is mandatory. Regular membership meetings shall be held on the first Monday of every month, beginning at 7:05 A.M. unless otherwise noted. Doors to the meeting will be locked five minutes after the scheduled start time of the meeting. Failure to enter the meeting room prior to these doors locking leads to an unexcused absence. Section 2. If a member earns an unexcused absence, they will receive a written warning. If a member of NHS fails to report the missed meeting, he/she will be given 3 additional hours of service. Upon the second unexcused absence, he or she will be dismissed from Mattawan's chapter of the National Honor Society. To receive an excused absence, members must fill out the corresponding Google Form on the website within a week of the meeting. The excuse will be analyzed by the executive committee, and the student shall be notified as to whether their absence is excused or not. While each excuse will be reviewed by the chapter advisors on a case by case basis, excuses that will most often lead to an excused absence include: a. Doctor appointment, Illness resulting in absence from school that day, vacation. Rev 11/17 5

6 b. KVCC or WMU classes, in which case students must provide a copy of their schedule to the chapter advisors each semester in order to show they are unable to attend the NHS meeting. i. Students taking these college courses must still fill out the Google Form after each missed meeting, proving in doing so that they have read the meeting minutes. Section 3. The information presented in Sections 1 and 2 of Article VII apply also to executive board members of the chapter in both the executive board meetings held the week prior to the full membership monthly meeting as well as the regular monthly meeting. Section 4. A copy of the bylaws, with any proposed changes, shall be passed out at the October NHS meeting. These bylaws will be voted on at the next meeting (November). Then, a copy will be sent home with students, signed by members and their parents, and returned by the next meeting in December. Attached to these bylaws will be the Revtrak receipt for dues ( see Article X ). ARTICLE VIII: ACTIVITIES Section 1. The chapter shall determine which activities throughout the year count as charter events by informing the chapter. Section 2. These projects shall have the following characteristics: fulfill a need within the school or community and be well-planned, organized, and executed. Section 3. Each member shall have the opportunity and responsibility to choose and participate in individual service projects, which reflects his/her particular talents and interests, and as approved by the chapter advisor(s). This is in addition to the Mattawan High School service projects, to which all members contribute 5 hours. Section 4. The chapter shall promote its projects in a positive manner. Section 5. Failure to participate in 5 hours worth o f chapter's service activities will result in dismissal. ARTICLE IX: EMBLEM Section 1. Each member of this chapter who is in good standing shall be entitled to wear the emblem adopted by the National Honor Society. Section 2. Any member who withdraws, resigns, or is dismissed from the chapter is not eligible to use the emblem to signify membership. Section 3. Chapter members who are seniors in good standing shall be granted the privilege of wearing the NHS stole and cords at graduation. Stoles and cords can be purchased/borrowed in any of the following ways: a. Cords are to be purchased or borrowed from the front office by April 20 Rev 11/17 6

7 b. Stoles may be purchased via RevTrak or by check made payable to Mattawan Consolidated Schools and delivered to the High School Office by April 20. c. Students may also borrow stoles from NHS, making their intention to borrow clear by April 20. i. For each subsection a, b, and c of Section 3 of Article IX, the members must the NHS Treasurer so as to inform the executive committee of their progress in payment or intention to borrow. Section 4. Any members of the NHS executive committee who are in the Junior Class will attend graduation if possible, collecting the borrowed stoles from the graduated class. ARTICLE X: DUES Section 1. Annual dues for this chapter shall be $ Section 2. Dues will be payable to the chapter treasurer or to Revtrak by all members each year. Section 3. Dues used for chapter business shall be approved by the advisor(s) and officers. Section 4. Students who do not pay their dues by the December meeting will not be able to record any hours after that meeting until the dues are paid. If a student still fails to pay dues by winter break, he or she will be dismissed from the chapter. This applies unless a student is financially unable to pay the dues. In this case, notice must be given to the chapter advisor a week before the December meeting. ARTICLE XI: POWERS Section 1. The chapter advisor(s) is/are given the authority to supervise the administration of chapter activities, as delegated by the school principal. Section 2. The principal and/or superintendent shall reserve the right to approve all activities and decisions of the chapter. Section 3. These bylaws are designed to amplify provisions of the National Constitution and cannot contradict any components thereof. The chapter is obligated to adhere to the provision of the National Constitution in all activities it undertakes. ARTICLE XII: AMENDMENTS Section 1. These bylaws may be amended by a 2/3 vote of the chapter, provided notice of the proposed amendment has been given to members at least one month prior to the vote. However, if quorum (¾ of the chapter) is not present at the meeting, the decision will default to the Faculty Council and Principal. Rev 11/17 7

8 Section 2. Bylaws and amendments must be consistent with the Constitution of the National Honor Society. Suggestions for amendments to the bylaws can be submitted by members of the chapter via to the president and/or NHS advisors. *Members of the Executive Council and the school principal do hereby approve the Mattawan High School chapter of the National Honor Society bylaws for the school year, on this date 11/2/17. Principal Historian Senior Vice President Chapter Advisor Treasurer Junior Vice President Chapter Advisor President Secretary Rev 11/17 8