NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY BYLAWS. Revised October 2016 ARTICLE I. Name and Purpose

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1 NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY BYLAWS Revised October 2016 ARTICLE I Name and Purpose Section 1. The name of this chapter shall be the NIPMUC CHAPTER OF THE NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS, a name, which appears on the chapter granted by the National Council of the National Honor Society, duly signed by members of the National Council (#9604). Section 2. This chapter shall be an active chapter. Section 3. The purpose of this chapter shall be to create an enthusiasm for scholarship, to stimulate a desire to render service, to promote worthy leadership, and to encourage the development of good character in students at Nipmuc Regional High School. ARTICLE II Election of Members Section 1. The election of members to this chapter of the National Honor Society shall be by the Faculty Council. Section 2. To be candidates for National Honor Society membership, students shall have spent at least one semester at Nipmuc Regional High School, shall be members of the sophomore, junior, senior class, and shall have attained and academic average of "B" or 85% a scholastic level that shall remain a fixed eligibility requirement for membership in this chapter. Only after students have achieved this academic level shall their eligibility regarding Service, Leadership, and Character is considered. Section 3. To be candidates for the National Honor Society, students shall have completed a leadership project which must benefit the community, have a minimum of three peers involved, and demonstrates all aspects of a leadership project including planning, execution, and follow-up over a substantial amount of time including pictures from each step of the process. Straight donations to charity are not considered a leadership project.

2 Section 4. To be candidates for the National Honor Society, students shall have completed 10 hours of community service and the timeframe begins on March 1st of that year Section 5. To be candidates for the National Honor Society, students shall write an essay about their character Section 6. To be candidates for the National Honor Society, students shall have a Nipmuc faculty member endorse their character Section 7. To be candidates for the National Honor Society, students shall have two or more character references that are not Nipmuc faculty members or family members Section 8. Active membership may be granted by a vote of the Faculty Council. ARTICLE III Faculty Council Section 1. A Faculty Council shall be formed to settle matters concerning the National Honor Society. Section 2. This council shall consist of five members of the Nipmuc Regional High School faculty. A. Any faculty member who wishes to become a Faculty Council member should make his/her intention known; from those faculty members declaring interest in such membership, five shall be appointed by the principal. B. The term of the Faculty Council shall be for one year. Members may be appointed to consecutive terms. C. No principal or assistant principal may be on the Faculty Council. D. The chapter advisor shall be an ex-official, non-voting, sixth member of the Faculty Council. ARTICLE IV Membership Section 1. Membership in this chapter shall be used upon Scholarship, Leadership, Service and Character.

3 Section 2. A National Honor Society Member whose scholastic average falls below that required for membership (85%) shall enter a warning period that shall take effect on the last day of that term and shall remain in force until the last day of the next term. The member shall have this one term to raise his/her average to the standard of 85%; if the member fails to do so, he/she may be dismissed from the National Honor Society by vote of the Faculty Council. Section 3. Continued service is a requirement of membership. Junior members must complete 30 hours of service per year, starting on March 1st and ending on February 28/29 the next year, and 10 of these hours must be for the school and 20 of these hours must be for the community. Senior members must complete 40 hours of community service from March 1st until May 1st of the next year, and 10 of these hours must be for the school and 30 of these hours must be for the community. Section 4. Attendance at regular monthly meetings is required. Three missed meetings for no valid reason will result in probation. Section 5. If any issue involving flagrant violation of school rules or civil laws should arise, there shall be no warning period. The student's case shall be brought before the faculty council and appropriate action shall be taken: the student may be dismissed from the Honor Society, or the student may be formally placed on probation. Section 6. A member of the National Honor Society is expected to set an example by his/her behavior in school. If a cause arises that any staff member files such behavior, the Faculty Council shall evaluate the student's membership of the Honor Society. Section 7.The Faculty Council will issue all warnings in writing. Prior to dismissal of a National Honor Society member, the member and his/her parents have a right to speak before the Facility Council. ARTICLE: V Supervision Section 1. The adviser to the National Honor Society shall be a member of the High School Faculty appointed by the principal. Section 2. The activities of this chapter shall be subjected to the approval of the principal. ARTICLE VI

4 Emblem Section 1. Every member of this chapter shall be entitled to wear the emblem adopted by the National Honor Society. Section 2. Any member who withdraws or is dismissed from the chapter shall return the emblem. Section 3. Each member agrees that, whether the emblem comes to him/her as a gift, a personal purchase, or an award, the title to the emblem can, on motion of the council, be commandeered. Furthermore, each member agrees that his/her acceptance of the emblem shall be considered affirmation of this stipulation in regard to the title of the emblem. Section 4. All insignia must be procured from the national secretary. All insignia are registered in the United States Patent Office. ARTICLE VII Dues Dues, to be paid annually, shall be determined by the membership of the National Honor Society. ARTICLE VIll Amendments and Revisions All amended or revised sections of the National Councils Constitutions shall become part of the local By-laws. The Nipmuc Regional High School By-laws may be amended or revised, provided that the national secretary of the National Honor Society has approved the proposed amendments or revisions. ARTICLE VIX Meetings Section 1. The function of meetings is to discuss upcoming events; opportunities; or housekeeping activities; and to discuss and vote on the addition, revision, or removal of articles from the Chapter By-laws within the limits established by the NHS Constitution.

5 Section 2. The first official meeting of the year will involve approving the bylaws. A. Chapter members may submit revisions to the NHS By-Laws. B. Chapter members must submit their revisions to the Executive Council and Chapter Adviser no sooner than 48 hours prior to a meeting for discussion and a formal vote. C. The Executive Council have the power to request a meeting with any Chapter member who submits a revision. D. The revision of Chapter By-laws can only be voted upon when a quorum of 2/3rds of the Chapter membership is present. Should a quorum not be established, the vote on an issue shall be deferred until a subsequent meeting. E. Those NHS members not present for a vote shall be marked as abstaining. NHS members may not use proxies to vote on their behalf, nor may they vote electronically (e.g., via , text message, etc.). F. Chapter members must receive physical or electronic copies of suggested bylaw revisions no later than 24 hours prior to a vote. G. Chapter members must be given 20 minutes to discuss bylaw changes, in open forum, prior to a vote. H. If, during these 20 minutes, three minutes of silence ensue, a Chapter member may call for a vote to be held. I. Chapter By-laws passed in this fashion shall be honored by all members of NHS, and such changes shall be published on the NHS website, written into the Chapter By-laws, and recorded in the Chapter Records. Section 3. It is expected that there will be at least one meeting per month with additional meetings added if needed. It is expected that every member will attend the meetings (see membership for meeting attendance expectations). Section 5. Chapter members must be present for 50% of the total meeting time to be considered present at that meeting (if the meeting begins at 7:05am and goes to 7:25am, members must arrive by 7:15am to be marked present). ARTICLE X Executive Council Section 1: An Executive Council, composed of active NHS members, including President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Webmaster will be voted upon each year by current members.

6 Section 2: The President will be responsible for communication with other clubs and most communication with administration. The President will remain in continuous contact with the NHS Adviser. The President will call for monthly meetings of the full membership of the Chapter and additional meetings as deemed necessary by the Executive Council or Faculty Council. The President will lead the monthly meetings. Section 3: The Vice President will be responsible for the President s duties if the President is not present. Vice President will help to run monthly meetings and communicate with administration and the NHS Adviser. Section 4: The Secretary will be responsible for taking attendance at meetings. Secretary will send acceptance s to new members of NHS and help plan the yearly induction ceremony. Secretary will also take the minutes of each meeting. Section 5: The Treasurer will collect and organize yearly dues. Treasurer will also keep track of the finances of the club. Section 6: Webmaster will be responsible for updating the Nipmuc NHS website and running all NHS social media accounts. Section 7: All members of the Executive Council will work to lead the Chapter and will be able to sign off on hours if they attend the event. Section 8: The Executive Council and Faculty Adviser will meet monthly before Chapter meetings. Nipmuc Regional By-laws Hearing: When a member of the Society has a report filed challenging their membership in the National Honor Society, the advisor will convene a meeting with him or herself and the member within 24 hours of receiving the report. Based on the meeting, the advisor will inform the member that they will have to appear before the Faculty Council to answer the concern(s) stated in the report within 48 hours of the meeting with the advisor and member. The student shall receive a copy of the report.

7 The member will be requested to bring a parent/guardian to this meeting of the Faculty Council. Written notice of the meeting will be sent to the parent/guardian and the student.