WYLIE EAST HIGH SCHOOL CHAPTER NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY BYLAWS

WYLIE EAST HIGH SCHOOL CHAPTER NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY BYLAWS 2014-2015

BYLAWS OF THE WYLIE EAST HIGH SCHOOL CHAPTER OF THE NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY ARTICLE I: Section 1. ARTICLE II: Section 1. ARTICLE III: Section 1. Section 2. Section 3. Name of the Organization The name of the chapter shall be the Wylie East High School Chapter of the National Honor Society of Secondary Schools, which appears on the charter granted by the National Council of the National Honor Society, duly signed by the members of the National Council. General Purpose The object 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 character in all students of Wylie East High School. The Principal The principal shall reserve the right to approve all activities and decisions of the chapter. The principal shall annually appoint a Faculty Council composed of five members plus one alternate of the school s faculty, who may serve consecutive terms. The principal shall receive appeals in cases of non-selection of candidates, and the disciplining or dismissal of members. ARTICLE IV: The Advisors Section 1. The chapter advisors shall be responsible for the direct, day-to-day supervision of the chapter and act as liaison between faculty, administration, students, and community. Section 2. The chapter advisors shall maintain files on membership, chapter history, activities, and financial transactions. The chapter advisors shall participate in the annual survey with the national NHS office. Section 3. The chapter advisors shall regularly review each member for compliance with society standards and obligations. Section 4. The advisors shall be a member of the faculty, appointed annually by the principal, and may serve consecutive terms. ARTICLE V: Faculty Council Section 1. The Faculty Council shall consist of five voting faculty members appointed annually by the principal. One alternate member will also be appointed, to serve as needed. The chapter advisors shall be ex-officio, non-voting members of the Faculty Council. No principal or assistant principal 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. One member of the Faculty Council shall volunteer to be Chairperson. Chairperson may serve consecutive terms. Section 4. 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 warning cases. Section 5. The Faculty Council will develop and revise, when necessary, all chapter procedures for selection, disciplining, and dismissal of members, all of which must remain in compliance with the national guidelines. ARTICLE VI: Membership Section 1. Membership in this chapter is an honor and a privilege, not a right, bestowed upon a student and is based upon scholarship, service, leadership, and character. Section 2. Membership of this chapter shall be known as active and graduate. The graduate members shall have no vote. Active members become graduate members at graduation. Page 2 of 7

Section 3. Section 4. Section 5. Candidates shall become members at a special ceremony. A National Honor Society member who transfers to this school shall be accepted automatically as a member in Wylie East High School National Honor Society if he/she provides a letter from the former principal or chapter advisor to the advisor of this chapter within one month of transferring to Wylie East. Transfer members must meet the standards of this chapter within one semester in order to retain membership. An active member 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. ARTICLE VII: Selection of Members Section 1. Candidates shall have spent at least one semester in this school. Section 2. Candidates shall be members of the current graduating class or the following year s graduating class. Section 3. Candidates will be eligible for consideration based upon a weighted grade point system. Students earning a weighted GPA (the same GPA used to determine class ranking) of 4.5 or higher, with utilization of common rounding practices to one decimal place, shall be considered for membership. Chapter memberships shall then be granted based on service, leadership, and character. Section 4. Students must complete a Student Activity Information Form and collect two letters of recommendation outlining their accomplishments in the areas of Service and Leadership. Section 5. All faculty members shall be invited to make comments on candidates via the Faculty Evaluation Form. All input from faculty will be signed, and any low ratings must be substantiated. Section 6. The election of each member to the chapter shall be by a majority vote of the Faculty Council. Section 7. Formal notification of all selected candidates shall be made in writing and shall include a copy of the bylaws and the induction ceremony information. ARTICLE VIII. Scholarship (Grades) Section 1. Each member of the Wylie East High School National Honor Society shall maintain a cumulative 90 weighted average in all subjects (core and elective) in which he is enrolled. The average shall be computed by averaging all grades received for each nine weeks. Section 2. The faculty advisor will review the official grades for each student each grading period. Section 3. Failure to maintain scholarship will result in probation and/or dismissal proceedings. ARTICLE IX. Meetings (Attendance) Section 1. The Wylie East High School National Honor Society shall have nine regular monthly meetings (September through May) during the school year. Meetings shall take place on the first Thursday of each month 15 minutes after the last class ends with a make-up meeting the following morning 40 minutes before school begins. If unexpected circumstances prohibit the regularly scheduled meeting from taking place, an alternate meeting date will be selected, and members will be notified of the change in writing. Section 2. Special meetings approved by the executive committee may be called by the chapter president or other designated student leaders or sponsors. Section 3. All meetings shall be open and shall be held under the sponsorship of the principal or some member of the faculty selected by him. Section 4. Members are expected to attend all meetings. More than one absence during one school year will result in probation and/or dismissal proceedings. Section 5. Members are expected to wear designated NHS attire on meeting days as a renewed pledge to uphold the four pillars of NHS. Failure to wear and display NHS attire on meeting days will result in an absence from that meeting. Page 3 of 7

ARTICLE X. Activities (Service Projects) Section 1. This chapter will organize and conduct at least 5 service projects per year that benefit our school and/or community. Members are expected to participate in these service projects. Section 2. Additionally, if the member receives prior approval from a chapter advisor, the chapter will allow members to find and participate in individual service projects. Section 3. Members must participate in a minimum of 6 hours of service per nine-week grading period. Section 4. Failure to serve the minimum number of hours in any nine-week grading period will result in probation and/or dismissal proceedings. ARTICLE XI: Character Section 1. Each member of the Wylie East High School National Honor Society shall maintain a character befitting that of a role model in the school and community. Section 2. Character is determined by activities and behavior in and out of school, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This includes following school rules pertaining to tardiness and dress code. Section 3. Failure to maintain a character befitting that of a National Honor Society member will result in probation and/or dismissal proceedings. ARTICLE XII: Probation Section 1. A National Honor Society member must maintain the standards of scholarship, leadership, service, and character for membership in order to retain his membership. Section 2. Each member must adhere to all local Wylie East High School National Honor Society requisites as outlined in the by-laws. Section 3. Any member who falls below the standards (attendance, service projects, character, or grades) shall be promptly notified of his probationary status. If applicable, the member shall have a reasonable amount of time, not to exceed nine weeks, to correct the deficiency. Section 4. A member will be allowed only one probationary period. This is cumulative and begins when one becomes a member and ends when membership ends, for whatever reason. Section 5. The member will be notified in writing of the probation. ARTICLE XIII. Dismissal Section 1. All members who have more than one probationary offense will be notified in writing of the dismissal proceedings. Section 2. In the case of flagrant violation of school rules or civil laws, a warning will not be given. Dismissal proceedings will begin as soon as possible. Section 3. In all cases of pending dismissal, a chapter member shall have a right to a hearing before the faculty council and to be informed in writing of the offenses. The hearing is prior to any vote for dismissal. Parents may attend their student s hearing, and may exercise the option for a 5 minute period to speak on their student s behalf. Neither parents nor students are permitted to attend the Faculty Council s deliberation session. Section 4. Dismissal will be by a majority vote of the Faculty Council. Section 5. Once a member is dismissed, he is never again eligible for membership in the National Honor Society. Section 6. When a member is dismissed, he must be notified in writing and his emblem and membership card returned to the advisor or principal. Section 7. Notice of the dismissal must be indicated on the Annual Report submitted to the National Secretary at the end of the school year. Section 8. The member may appeal the dismissal under the local school district s policies governing disciplinary appeals. ARTICLE XIV. Resignation/Refusal Section 1. A student who resigns from the National Honor Society or who refuses a membership offer will never again be eligible for membership or its benefits. Page 4 of 7

Section 2. Section 3. In order to resign from National Honor Society, the resigning member should provide the Faculty Council with a written statement that is dated and signed by both the student and his parent(s). If the candidate does not submit the required paperwork for consideration, the candidate has effectively refused membership. Therefore, candidates wishing to decline membership in their junior year but still be considered for membership their senior year must submit a letter to the Faculty Council requesting such provision. ARTICLE XV. Officer Elections Section 1. The officers of this chapter shall be a president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and historian. Section 2. A member must be a member in good standing in both NHS and the school at large to run for an office in the Wylie East High School National Honor Society. The member cannot have received probation from NHS or received disciplinary action from WEHS. Section 3. The president of the Wylie East High School National Honor Society may not be the president or vice-president of more than one other WEHS organization or club. Section 4. To be considered for candidacy for any office, the member must state, in writing, his desire to run for a specific office, his platform, and how he plans to carry out these objectives. This must be completed in March to be placed on the agenda for the April meeting. Section 5. The officer candidates will present their platforms in the form of an oral speech to the entire membership at the April NHS meeting. Section 6. Officers shall be elected by all members of NHS at the April meeting. Section 7. Newly elected officers will be notified during the week following the April meeting and take office during a ceremony in front of the chapter at the May NHS meeting. Section 8. A majority of votes cast shall be necessary to elect any officer of this chapter. Section 9. In the event of a tie, a run-off election will be held as soon as possible. A second tie will result in selection of the officer by the NHS Faculty Council. ARTICLE XVI. Duties of Officers Section 1. All officers shall attend monthly officer meetings for the purpose of planning member meetings and service activities. Officers are expected to attend all officer meetings. More than one absence during one school year will result in probation and/or proceedings to be removed from office. Section 2. All officers shall attend both monthly member meetings. If an officer cannot be present for one of those meetings, he must seek approval from the other officers and advisors before missing the meeting. He must also seek coverage for any responsibilities he has during the meeting. Failure to cover responsibilities for more than one absence during one school year will result in probation and/or proceedings to be removed from office. Section 3. It shall be the duty of the president to preside at the meetings of this Chapter. The president shall also monitor the activities/success of Committees within the chapter (such as, but not limited to the following Committees: Legacy, Fundraising, Coffee Shop, Habitat, and Gratitude) by maintaining consistent communication with the Committee Chairs. Section 4. The vice-president shall fill the chair of the president in his absence. The vice-president shall also be responsible for acting as communication liaison between the Advisors and Officers. Section 5. The secretary shall make agendas for and keep minutes of all meetings. The secretary shall keep a record of all business and service projects, and keep all records on file. The secretary shall also work with the historian to maintain and update the display case. Section 6. The treasurer shall keep an accurate account of receipts and disbursements in accordance with school regulations, under the guidance of the advisor. The treasurer shall also serve as meeting attendance record-keeper and shall update the chapter spreadsheet on a monthly basis. Page 5 of 7

Section 7. The historian shall report all NHS activities and functions to the local newspaper, the Wylie East High School newsletter, the WISD newsletter and other publications as necessary. The historian shall keep a pictorial record of chapter events and functions and shall record these in a scrapbook. The historian shall also work with the secretary to maintain and update the display case. ARTICLE XVII. Executive Committee Section 1. The executive committee shall consist of the officers of this chapter and the chapter advisors. Section 2. The executive committee shall have general charge of the meetings and business of the chapter, but any action on the part of the executive committee may be subject to the review of the chapter advisor and/or principal. ARTICLE XVIII. Dismissal/Removal of Officers Section 1. An officer of the Wylie East High School National Honor Society may be removed for: a. Falling below the membership criteria under which he was selected. b. Falling below the officer criteria under which he was instated. c. Being placed on probation by the Wylie East High School National Honor Society. d. Flagrant violation of school rules or civil laws. Section 2. The officer shall be notified in writing of his violation and a hearing scheduled with the advisor and Faculty Council. At this hearing, the officer will have the opportunity to explain his violations. Section 3. Removal from office shall be determined by a majority vote of the Faculty Council. ARTICLE XIX. Emblem Section 1. Each member of this chapter shall be entitled to wear the emblem adopted by the National Honor Society of Secondary Schools. Section 2. Any member who withdraws or is dismissed from the chapter shall return the emblem, on any and all materials containing said emblem. Section 3. Each member agrees that, whether the emblem comes to him as a gift, a personal purchase, an award, or from whatever source, the title to the emblem shall rest with the chapter of which he is a member; therefore, the emblem can, on motion of the faculty council, be commandeered. Furthermore, each member agrees that his 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 of the National Honor Society, 1904 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191. All insignia are registered in the United States Patent Office and may not be copied by anyone. Section 5. The motto of the National Honor Society shall be Noblesse Oblige. Section 6. The official colors of the National Honor Society shall be blue and gold. ARTICLE XX. Dues Section 1. The annual dues for each member shall not exceed $10.00. ARTICLE XXI. Amendments Section 1. By-laws dealing with revisions to the procedures for selection, maintenance, disciplining, and/or dismissal of members may be amended only with the approval of the Faculty Council, the high school principal, and the superintendent, although input from the chapter advisors is encouraged and allowed. Page 6 of 7

We the undersigned verify that the above stated bylaws are approved and adopted for the 2014-2015 school year at Wylie East High School: Wylie East NHS Faculty Council Chairperson Date Wylie East High School Principal Date Wylie ISD Superintendent Date Page 7 of 7