Rho Kappa, National Social Studies Honor Society, The Woodlands High School Constitution and by Laws

Transcription

1 Rho Kappa, National Social Studies Honor Society, The Woodlands High School Constitution and by Laws Article 1 Purpose The purpose of this organization is to promote scholarship and to recognize academic excellence in social studies among high school students. Article 2 Name The name of this chapter shall be The Woodlands High School Chapter of RHO KAPPA, NCSS. Article 3 Sponsor The organization shall at all times have a designated faculty sponsor. The sponsor is an honorary member of Rho Kappa. Article 4 Membership Section 5 Each High School shall be affiliated as a designated chapter within the RHO KAPPA, National Council for the Social Studies Student Honor Society. Please see Criteria on page two. Members shall demonstrate a minimum overall GPA and a minimum social studies GPA established by the faculty selection committee and, and shall possess qualities of leadership, initiative, service, and reliability. Members shall contribute service to the school at the direction of the principal. Candidates for membership shall have completed at least 4 semesters in social studies courses at The Woodlands High School. RHO KAPPA, PCSS Honor Society page 4

2 Section 6 Section 7 Selection of members shall be made by the Faculty Selection Committee composed of the sponsor and social studies teachers of TWHS. Members will pay yearly dues to cover the cost of induction, national fees, and general society business as needed. Veteran members may be asked to pay a lower fee than new inductees if needed. Article 5 Meetings The chapter shall meet a minimum of once a semester at a specified time that is agreeable to both the officers and the school administration. Meetings are open to all inductees of Rho Kappa as well as Social Studies faculty, or school administration. At regular meetings, the program shall consist of a discussion of pertinent chapter business. In all matters of conduct not specifically addressed in this constitution, the chapter shall be guided by Robert's Rules of Order. Article 6 Officers Section 5 Section 6 The chapter officers shall be the decided on per specification and necessity from year to year. However, the executive officer positions are but not limited to the following: President, Executive vice-president, Second Vice President, Secretary, Public Relations Officer, Parliamentarian and Historian. Officer requirements to apply will include but are not limited to: active status in the organization, outstanding demonstration of leadership and service, exceptional relations with social studies faculty, an application with essay, two recommendations from teachers (one social studies and one other), as well as a general membership vote. Other requirements may be needed depending on size of organization and officer candidates. Election of officers shall take place during the final regular spring meeting. The term of office is one school year. An officer may not hold the same office for more than one year. Officers will meet bi weekly to discuss pertinent society business Article 7 Duties of Officers The President shall be the chief executive officer of the chapter. He or she shall preside at all business sessions, and it shall be the duty of the President to direct the activities of the organization. RHO KAPPA, NCSS Honor Society page 5

3 Section 5 Section 6 Section 7 Section 8 The Executive Vice-President shall perform the duties of the President at times when the President is absent, and shall serve as communication between members. The EVP will also schedule events and coordinate meeting times. The Second Vice-President(s) shall serve as the Program Chairman. The Secretary shall keep an accurate record of all member points and certify the names of all new members. The Secretary will also be the official records keeper of the organization. The Parliamentarian shall keep an accurate record of all proceedings and create a monthly newsletter. The Parliamentarian will also keep the minutes for all officer, committee, and general meetings. The Public Relations Officer will be in charge of all social media outlets, publicity, and announcements. The Historian(s) shall keep an ongoing chronicle of this society's activities. A Board of Directors will be appointed by the sponsor. This board will be comprised of committee chairs. The committees in Rho Kappa are (but not limited to) the following: service, history relay, publicity, social committee, faculty relations, tutoring Article 8 Awards (Optional) Senior members in good standing will be awarded honor cords. Article 9 Constitution Concurrence of two-thirds of the active members shall be required to accept this constitution. Any amendments to this constitution must be presented by an active member in the form of a motion during a business meeting. It must then be placed on the table until the following meeting, at which time it will become effective provided it is passed by two-thirds majority of the active members. The local chapter constitution must not violate a stipulation of the state constitution. By-laws may be adopted to amplify the constitution and to take care of details. Article 10 Conditions for Dismissal Any disciplinary suspensions or expulsions, plus failure to maintain academic requirements are conditions for dismissal. RHO KAPPA, NCSS Honor Society page 6

4 RHO KAPPA induction ceremony (NCSS wishes to thank Ft. Myers High School the first established RHO KAPPA CHAPTER in Ft. Myers, FL for much of this sample ceremony) Materials Needed: Three candles colored white, green and gold Certificates for all student inductees 1. Processional officers lead candidates in or organized by Secretary 2. Pledge of Allegiance Led by Parliamentarian 3. Welcome and Introductions faculty sponsor 4. Induction Ceremony I. Introduction by RHO KAPPA President Candidates, you are being presented for induction of RHO KAPPA, a society whose sole purpose is to honor excellence in the Social Studies. It is an honor to be selected for membership in the organization and I congratulate each of you for attaining this distinction. Our name, RHO KAPPA, is taken from two words of semitic origin. RHO is derived from resh meaning head and KAPPA is derived from kapf which means palm of the hand. Both these terms symbolize our firm belief that knowledge, without service (a helping hand extended in friendship to others), is useless. Each of you meets the requirements for membership, and this includes superior work in college preparatory Social Studies classes. Your work demonstrates the qualities of industry, initiative, and reliability. II. Second Speaker Vice President The principle purpose of RHO KAPPA is to stimulate a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of all the academic disciplines comprising the social studies curriculum. Thus, on this occasion it is appropriate to take a moment and reflect on the significance and contributions of the social studies in the development of the individual. II. Third Speaker Vice President The white candle represents veritas, or truth. According to Nadine Gordiner, a South African author, The truth isn t always beauty, but the hunger for it is. In Social Studies we seek the truth. The truth we seek is untarnished by prejudice or bias. It is this search that leads to greater understanding of the world and humanity s place in it. III. Fourth Speaker Public Relations Officer The green candle stands for scientia, or knowledge. The great philosopher Euripides stated, Who so neglects learning in his youth, loses the past and is dead for the future. As a member of RHO KAPPA you have the distinction of being one who seeks knowledge in your youth and you are therefore building upon your understanding of the past in order to create a future of your own and that of the world in which we live. RHO KAPPA, NCSS Honor Society page 7

5 IV. Fifth Speaker Historian/Parliamentarian The gold candle represents sapienta, or wisdom. As Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes said, It is the province of knowledge to speak, and it is the privilege of wisdom to listen. Wisdom is the tool we use to discern what is true and how to value that truth. 6. President (or faculty sponsor) comes to the podium to address the candidates.... to the inductees: You have now heard briefly the major characteristics of the RHO KAPPA scholar. Those of you, who agree that you will strive to fulfill these fundamental principles, please rise for your induction. I, (state your name), do promise to search for truth, to utilize knowledge, and to seek wisdom through the pursuit of academic excellence in the Social Studies. I promise service to Council Rock High School South, for true scholars of the Social Studies lead by example. I now declare you members of RHO KAPPA. As your name is called, please come to the stage. Our principal and staff will present each of you with a membership certificate. 7. Awarding of certificates by social studies staff. SECREATRY to call names 8. Faculty Sponsor comes to the podium to address the candidates. Thank you for joining us today to honor these students and we wish to extend an invitation to each of you to join us for a reception in the. New inductees, we will begin our new member orientation meeting in 15 minutes. 9. The Recessional... RHO KAPPA, NCSS Honor Society page 8

6 Rho Kappa Member Contract Meeting Attendance: Meetings will be held on the third Wednesday of each month. Attendance at meetings is required. Members are allowed a two meeting grace period (consecutive or non-consecutive) before their membership will be revoked. At the first missed meeting, the absent member will be notified via or written letter. The notification will remind the member of future meeting dates, volunteering opportunities, and the consequences of missing another meeting. Members who fail to attend two meetings (consecutive or non-consecutive) will have their membership revoked. Points: Members are required to earn 10 points during the course of the school year. Points can be earned by: o Attending volunteering events o Attending and viewing a movie with social studies relevancy. Ticket stub must be presented to the secretary at the general meeting. o Tutoring other students in social studies (1 point per hour tutoring outside of NSSHS tutoring sessions, 6 points allowed per semester) Members are required to keep attuned with their points. Point sheets will be available at every general meeting. Members who fail to earn the required 10 points by the date of the final meeting will be considered inactive. Seniors not in good standing will not be allowed to purchase a chord for graduation. Juniors considered inactive will need to reapply if they wish to continue in the following year. Volunteering Events Leadership and members in Rho Kappa will suggest volunteering opportunities at each meeting. For additional suggestions, check out this link: Fees The induction fee for new members is $25. This fee is due by the first regular meeting after induction. The fee for returning members is $10. This fee is also due during the first regular meeting. Members who fail to pay their fees will be considered inactive. Seniors not in good standing will not be allowed to purchase a chord for graduation. Juniors considered inactive will need to reapply if they wish to continue in the following year. By signing below, I confirm that I have read and agree with the above terms. Sign name: RHO KAPPA, NCSS Honor Society page 9