St. Johnsbury Academy's National Honor Society Chapter Bylaws

Transcription

1 St. Johnsbury Academy's National Honor Society Chapter Bylaws Article 1 Name and Purpose Section 1: The name of this organization shall be St. Johnsbury Academy Chapter of the National Honor Society of the Secondary Schools. Section 2: The purpose of this organization shall be to create enthusiasm for scholarship, to stimulate a desire to render service, to promote leadership, and to develop character in the students of secondary schools. Section 3: These bylaws will follow all regulations laid out by the National Honor Society Constitution. Article 2 The Headmaster Section 1: The Headmaster shall reserve the right to approve all activities and decisions of the Chapter. Section 2: The Headmaster shall annually appoint a member of the faculty as Chapter Adviser, who may serve consecutive terms. Section 3: The Headmaster shall annually appoint a Faculty Council composed of five members of the school's faculty and/or staff who may serve consecutive terms. Section 4: The Headmaster shall receive appeals in cases of non-selection of candidates and the disciplining or dismissal of members. Article 3 The Chapter Advisor Section 1: The Chapter Advisor shall be responsible for the direct, day-to-day supervision of the chapter and act as liaison between faculty, administration, students and the community. Section 2: The Chapter Advisor shall maintain files on membership, chapter history, activities, and financial transactions. The Chapter Advisor shall send the annual activity report to the National Office. Section 3: The Chapter Advisor shall regularly review each member for compliance of the rules as structured in these bylaws and as reflective of Article 1. Section 4: The Chapter Advisor shall be an ex-officio, non-voting, sixth member of the Faculty Council. Section 5. The Chapter Advisor shall be a member of the faculty and/or staff appointed annually by the Headmaster, and may serve consecutive terms. Article 4 The Faculty Council Section 1: The Faculty Council shall consist of five voting members appointed annually by the Headmaster. The Chapter Advisor shall be an ex-officio, non-voting, sixth member of the Faculty Council. No Headmaster or Assistant Headmaster may be included on the Faculty Council. Section 2: The term of the Faculty Council shall be one year. Members may be appointed to consecutive terms. Section 3: The Faculty Council shall meet at least once a year to review the procedures of the chapter, select members and to consider non-selection, dismissal, other disciplinary actions, and

2 warning cases. Article 5 Officers Section 1: Members of St. Johnsbury Chapter of the National Honor Society shall elect four officers to serve in defined capacities: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer of the Chapter. Officers shall meet as needed with the Advisor to plan and discuss ongoing management needs. Section 2: Officer Eligibility 2a: At the time of election, officers must be Juniors who are returning members St. Johnsbury Chapter of the National Honor Society and who are in good Chapter standing. 2b: Officers must have maintained a high level of service, character, and leadership during their first year in NHS. 2c: Officers must have fifteen Petition of Support signatures from fellow Chapter members in order to run for office. Section 3: Election of Officers 3a: Elections shall be held prior to the Spring Induction Ceremony. 3b: All candidates for all offices are required to give a speech on the day of elections. 3c: Elections shall be made by silent ballot. 3d: Ballots will be counted by the current Officers. Section 4: Duties 4a: Each Officer will lead one of the four committees contained in the St. Johnsbury Chapter of the National Honor Society structure. 4b: President-- The President is to conduct all meetings under Robert's Rule of Order, as well as oversee all committee involvement. The President is also charged in collecting and compiling quarterly reports and communicating organizational activities with external stakeholders. (e.g. St. Johnsbury Academy website and Public Relations personnel) 4c: Vice President-- The Vice President shall act as an assistant to the president in meetings, events and in facilitating other executive obligations. The Vice President will take the place of the President in any case of absence. 4d: Secretary-- The Secretary will be in charge of attendance records and of maintaining a current Bulletin Board complete with minutes, bylaws, and a calendar of events. 4e: Treasurer-- The Treasurer will keep track of the Dues Account and Finances as well as the accrued service hours of members. 4f: Each officer will be responsible for reporting and evaluating committee members on agreed upon conditions at the end of each semester. Article 6 The Committee Structure Section 1: There will be four committees in the St. Johnsbury Chapter of the National Honor Society: Campus, Community, National, and International Committees, each of which is responsible for developing and executing projects specific to their regions. Section 2: Campus-- The Campus Committee will be involved in, but is not limited to, service projects that are centered on the campus of St. Johnsbury Academy. Section 3: Community--The Community Committee will be involved in, but is not limited to, service projects that are centered on local community as well as State concerns. Section 4: National--The National Committee will be involved in, but is not limited to, service projects that center on the United States of America.

3 Section 5: International-- The International Committee will be involved in, but is not limited to, service projects that include countries beyond the borders of the United States of America. Section 6: Committees are required to have bi-monthly meetings at a minimum. Officers shall call times and locations of meetings with consideration of Members input. Section 7: Each Committee shall elect a Junior to assist the coordinating Officer in management and execution of Committee activities. Section 8: Committees will report accomplishments and goals on a quarterly basis. Article 7 Candidate Eligibility Section 1: Candidates must demonstrate an 85 cumulative average (Honor Roll Status) at the time of application and be in good standing in reference to the St. Johnsbury Academy Honor Code. Section 2: Candidates must be at least a Sophomore, but not beyond the completion of their Junior year at the time of application. Senior-year candidates for membership will not be accepted. Article 8 Selection of Members Section 1: Prospective Members must complete an application which includes an essay based on past service, character, and leadership. Applications must include one recommendation from a non-related adult with knowledge of the aforementioned. Section 2: Prospective Members will be evaluated on service, character and leadership qualities through a review process open to the entire Faculty, Dormitory Staff and Administration of St. Johnsbury Academy. Section 3: A list of faculty-evaluated Prospective Members as well as supporting application materials will be presented to the Faculty Council who will select new Members to the St. Johnsbury Chapter of the National Honor Society. Article 9 Membership Section 1: Academics 1a: Members must maintain a cumulative 85 average at St. Johnsbury Academy. If a member falls below the 85 average he/she will be placed on probation for a single academic semester. If a member is not able to restore their academic average within a semester he/she will be referred to the Faculty Council for review and potential dismissal. Section 2: Honor Code 2a: Members are expected to follow the St. Johnsbury Academy Honor Code. Members who are in question of violation will meet with the Faculty Advisor to discuss the violation. 2b: To see the Honor Code, please refer to the Student Handbook. 2c: Members who have violated the Honor Code will be subject to review and potential dismissal by Faculty Council. 2d: Members are required to fulfill all expected duties commensurate with active membership in the St. Johnsbury Chapter of the National Honor Society. If a member fails to perform such duties he/she will be referred to the faculty Council for review and potential dismissal. Section 3: Attendance 3a: All NHS members shall attend all meetings of the St. Johnsbury Chapter of the National

4 Honor Society as well as all individual Committee meetings. 3b: A member must notify their Committee Officer of any absence - If an absence is planned, the Member shall communicate the expected absence to the Officer prior to the meeting. - If an absence is unplanned, the Member shall communicate the reason for their absence to the Officer within a reasonable period of time following the absence. 3c: Any absence not reported will be counted as an unexcused absence 3d: Two unexcused absences within a single semester will result in St. Johnsbury Chapter of the National Honor Society Probation in which members shall without fail- attend all meetings for the rest of the quarter. 3e: If a third unexcused absence occurs within a semester, the Member will be referred to the Faculty Counsel for review and potential dismissal. 3f: Each Officer shall determine the validity of a given absence and determine what constitutes a reasonable amount of time for their Committee. (Section 3b.2). These determinations are subject to appeal and review by the Chapter Advisor. 3g: Tardiness as defined as non-appearance within ten minutes of the announced start time of a given meeting- will be counted as an unexcused absence unless excused by Section 3f. 3h: Members are expected to be on time and tardiness is expected to be kept at a minimum. Section 4: All Members are required to complete at least thirty-six hours of community service for each year of membership. 4a: Members who complete service hours during the summer are expected to participate fully in service projects throughout the year. 4b: Members must complete at least eighteen of their required community service hours during the school year. Section 5: Transfer Members 5a. National Honor Society Members from other schools will be accepted into the St. Johnsbury Chapter of the National Honor Society provided that such Members: -meet the ongoing requirements of the St. Johnsbury Chapter of the National Honor Society -provide a brief letter from their former Chapter Advisor that they are in good standing under the bylaws of their former Chapter at the time of transfer. Article 10 Dismissal Section 1: Members who fall below the standards which were the basis for their selection shall be referred to and meet with the Faculty Adviser. The member may be given a reasonable amount of time to correct a given deficit pursuant to the policies detailed above. Any agreement pursuant to achievement of standards reached between the member and Advisor will be documented and signed by both Member and Advisor with a copy provided to the Member. Section 2: In the case of flagrant violation of St. Johnsbury Academy rules and/or Honor Code, or in the case of flagrant violation of civil laws, a member does not have to be warned before referral to the Faculty Council for review and potential dismissal. Section 3: The Faculty Adviser shall determine when an individual has exceeded a reasonable number of warnings before referral to the Faculty Council for review and potential dismissal. Section 4: In all cases of Faculty Council review and dismissal, a Member shall have a right to a hearing before the Faculty Council.

5 Section 5: Members under the review of the Faculty Council shall upon request be provided with an outline of procedures which guide the Faculty Council review and potential dismissal process. Additionally, any Member who wishes to review the operating procedures of the Faculty Council will be provided with an outline of procedures upon request. Section 6: For the purposes of dismissal, a majority vote of the Faculty Council is required. Section 7: A Member who has been dismissed may appeal the decision of the Faculty Council to the Headmaster for final review. Section 8: A Member who has been dismissed may not reapply to the St. Johnsbury Chapter of the National Honor Society and may not claim membership to any aspect of the National Honor Society on any future document. Article 11 Amendments Section 1: All amendments to these bylaws must be in agreement with the National Honor Society Constitution. Section 2: All amendments must be approved by the Administration, Faculty Council, and passed by 2/3 majority of the Membership of the St. Johnsbury Chapter of the National Honor Society. Section 3: Any meeting in which an Amendment is presented must be announced at least a week in advance. Any Members who are not present at the meeting will not have a contributing vote in the ratification or dismissal of the Amendment.