NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY – HEDLEY BYLAWS
Article I. Name and Purpose
Section 1. The name of this organization is the Hedley Chapter of the National Honor Society of Secondary School.
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 Hedley High School.
Article II. The Principal
Section 1. The principal shall reserve the right to approve all activities and decisions of the chapter.
Section 2. The principal shall appoint a member of the faculty as chapter adviser.
Section 3. The principal shall annually approve a faculty committee composed of five members of the school faculty who may serve consecutive terms.
Section 4. The principal shall receive appeals in cases of non-selection of candidates, disciplining members, or dismissal of members.
Section 5. The principal cannot serve as chapter advisor and is not a member of the voting Faculty Council.
Article III. The Chapter Adviser
Section 1. The chapter adviser shall be responsible for the direct, day-to-day supervision of the chapter and to act as liaison between faculty, administration, students, and community.
Section 2. The chapter adviser shall keep in his/her possession files on membership, chapter history, activities, and financial transactions.
Section 3. The chapter adviser shall regularly review each member for compliance with NHS standards and obligations.
Section 4. The chapter adviser shall help the chapter officers understand and carry out their duties.
Section 5. The chapter adviser shall be an ex-officio, non-voting, sixth member of the Faculty Council, serving as a facilitator of discussion, keeping the council focused on objective data used to review each case.
Article IV. Faculty Council
Section 1. The Faculty Council shall consist of five voting faculty members appointed annually by the adviser or approved by the principal.
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-section, dismissal, other disciplinary actions and warning cases.
Article V. Membership
Section 1. Membership in local chapters is an honor bestowed upon a student. Selection for membership is by a Faculty Council and is based on outstanding scholarship, character, leadership, and service. Once selected, members have the responsibility to continue to demonstrate these qualities.
Section 2. Candidates become members when inducted at a special ceremony held annually in January. The date is at the discretion of the chapter advisor.
Section 3. A NHS member who transfers to Hedley High School may re-apply to the National Honor Society for membership after completing one semester at Hedley High School. Students leaving Hedley High School are responsible to get a letter from the principal or chapter advisor to the new school advisor in case transfer students are accepted automatically as a member in the new school’s chapter.
Section 4. Members who resign or are dismissed are never again eligible for membership or its benefits.
Section 5. Members who are seniors in good standing are eligible to be nominated by the chapter to complete in the NHS Scholarship Program.
Article VI. Selection of Membership
Section 1. The Faculty Council of the chapter selects students who demonstrate outstanding performance in all four criteria of scholarship, leadership, service, and character.
A. Scholarship:
1) The scholarship requirement is a 3.4 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) based on a student’s cumulative grade point average after the first semester of their Sophmore year.
B. Leadership:
1) The activities a student has been involved in during school or community organizations.
2) The student who exercises leadership:
Exercises positive influence on peers in upholding school ideals.
Successfully holds school offices or positions of responsibility; conducts business effectively and efficiently; demonstrates reliability and dependability.
Is a leader in the classroom, at work, and in other school or community actions?
Is thoroughly dependable in any responsibility accepted
C. Service:
1) Actions undertaken by the student which are done with or on behalf of others without any direct financial or material compensation to the individual performing the service.
2) The student who serves:
Volunteers and provides dependable and well organized assistance, is gladly available, and is willing to sacrifice to offer assistance.
Works well with others and is willing to take on difficult or inconspicuous responsibilities.
Is willing to represent the class or school in inter-class and interscholastic competition.
Shows courtesy by assisting visitors, teachers and students.
D. Character:
1) A candidate will be able to demonstrate an outstanding record of conduct and behavior with regard to school and community rules, guidelines, and policies or be able to demonstrate sufficient growth and improvement to compensate for previous inadequacies. A person of character demonstrates the following six qualities: respect, responsibility, trustworthiness, fairness, caring, and citizenship.
2) In addition, it can also be said that a student of character:
Consistently exemplifies desirable qualities of behavior (cheerfulness, friendliness, poise, stability).
Cooperates by complying with school regulations concerning property, programs, office, halls, etc.
Demonstrates the highest standards of honesty and reliability.
Manifests truthfulness in acknowledging obedience to rules, avoiding cheating in written work, and showing unwillingness to profit by the mistakes of others.
Section 2. Candidates must have been in attendance at the school the equivalent of one semester.
Section 3. Candidates must have a cumulative scholarship average of at least a 3.4 (on a 4.0 scale). Candidates shall then be evaluated on the basis of service, leadership, and character.
Section 4. Students will fill out a student activity information form which will be reviewed by the Faculty Council, along with any other verifiable information about each candidate and his or her activities which define the candidate’s leadership, service, and character.
Section 5. The selection of each member to the chapter shall be by a majority vote of the Faculty Council.
Section 6. No quotas or percentages of members per class can be established.
Section 7. Members who resign or are dismissed are never again eligible for membership or its benefits.
Section 8. The National Council and the NASSP shall not review the judgment of the Faculty Council regarding selection of individual members to local chapters.
Section 9. Those students selected are to be notified promptly and personally by the chapter advisor or printed letters.
Section 10. Printed copy of the chapter by-laws, including the selection process shall be available to the public through printed text in the Code of Conduct and online at the Hedley C. I.SD.
Article VII. – Non Selection of Members
Section 1. In cases of non-selection, special efforts should be made to explain the selection process to those students who are unhappy about the results of the selection process.
Section 2. Chapters are not legally or constitutionally obligated to share with parents and students information concerning specific students not selected for membership in the Society.
Section 3. Students or parents still not satisfied should take their discussion to the principal.
Section 4. The principal may hear appeals and overturn decisions only in cases of technical or procedural mistake. The professional and objective manner of the Faculty Council decision is otherwise final.
Section 5. The NASSP have no authority to review or overturn the judgment of the Faculty Council regarding selection of individual members to local chapters.
Article VIII. – Dismissal
Section 1. Members should understand fully that they are subject to dismissal if they do not maintain the standards of scholarship, leadership, service, and character that were used as a basis for their selection.
Section 2. Members who fall below the standards which were the basis for their selection shall be promptly warned in writing by the chapter advisor and given a reasonable amount of time to correct the deficiency, expect in the case of flagrant violation of school rules or civil laws a member does not necessarily have to be warned.
Section 3. The Faculty Council shall determine when an individual has exceeded a reasonable number of warnings.
Section 4. In all cases of impending dismissal, a member shall have a right to a hearing before the Faculty Council.
Section 5. For purposes of dismissal, majority vote of the Faculty Council is required.
Section 6. A member who has been dismissed may appeal the decision of the Faculty Council under the same rules for disciplinary appeals in the school district.
Article IX - Chapter Officers
Section 1. President- runs monthly meetings, takes care of chapter business.
Section 2. Vice President- organizes tutoring services.
Section 3. Treasurer- manages and does bookkeeping for club fundraising/activities.
Section 4. Secretary- notifies members of meetings and creates certificates for inductees.
Article X – Meetings
Section 1. Meetings will be held as needed.
Section 2. Special meetings may be called by the Chapter president or Chapter advisor.
Section 3. All meetings are to be conducted in parliamentary procedure.
Article XI – Activities
Section 1. Members shall be responsible for completing 20 hours of community service per year.
Section 2. The responsibility of chapter records will be kept current and complete by the chapter secretary.
Article XII. – Provisions for Amending the Bylaws.
Section 1. The entire chapter, Faculty Council, Advisor and administration will approve any changes before they become the law of the organization.
Written & approved by the 2006 NHS bylaw committee.
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