Article I         THE NAME OF THE ORGANIZATION

Section 1.     The name of this organization is the National Honor Society of Manchester High School West

 

Article II        GENERAL PURPOSE OF THE ORGANIZATION

Section 1.     The purpose of this organization is to create enthusiasm for scholarship, stimulate a desire to render service, promote leadership, and                            develop character in students of secondary schools

 

Article III       POWERS VESTED IN THE ORGANIZATION

Section 1.     The principal shall reserve the right to approve all activities and decisions of the chapter.

Section 2.     The principal shall annually appoint a member of the faculty as chapter adviser, who may serve consecutive terms

Section 3.     The principal shall annually appoint a Faculty Council composed of five members and one substitute of the school’s faculty who may                              serve consecutive terms.

Section 4.     The principal shall receive appeals in cases of non-selection of candidates, and the disciplining or dismissal of members.

 

Article IV       DEFINITION OF MEMBERSHIP

Section 1.     Membership 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.     Members shall be known as active, honorary, and graduate. Active members shall become graduate members at graduation. The Faculty                      Council shall reserve the right to award honorary membership to school officials, principals, teachers, NHS advisers, adults, students with                      disabilities, or foreign exchange students in recognition of achievement and/or outstanding service rendered to the school in keeping with                      the purposes of the National Honor Society.

Section 3.     ACTIVE MEMBER: A candidate must first be selected by the Faculty Council and then inducted in a special ceremony to become an                              active member. Active members have a voice and vote in chapter affairs. Active members are expected to maintain the standards of the                        society by which they were selected.

Section 4.     GRADUATE MEMBERS: Active members become graduate members upon graduation. Graduate members have no voice or vote in                              chapter activities. Similarly, because graduate members are no longer within the jurisdiction of the chapter’s Faculty Council, they cannot                      be dismissed once graduated.

Section 5.     HONORARY MEMBERSHIP: Honorary membership may be granted to individuals who have extended outstanding service to the school                        or community in keeping with the purposes of the National Honor Society. Faculty Councils are urged to use discretion in conferring                                honorary membership. The Faculty Council may also honor an outstanding student who has a disabling condition that prevents the                                student from fully meeting the requirements for membership. Other students who attend the school are not eligible for honorary                                      membership, with the exception of foreign exchange students who are unable to meet the requirements in full, but who, in the opinion of                        the Faculty Council, deserve the honor. Honorary members have no voice or vote in chapter affairs.

Section 6.     Candidates become members when inducted at a special ceremony.

Section 7.     A National Honor Society member who transfers to West and brings a letter from the former principal or chapter adviser to this school                            adviser shall be accepted automatically as a member in West’s chapter. Transfer members must meet West’s standards within one                                semester in order to retain membership.

Section 8.     Members who resign or are dismissed are never again eligible for membership or its benefits.

Section 9.     Members who are seniors in good standing are eligible to be nominated to compete in the National Honor Society Scholarship Program.

 

Article V        NOMINATION AND SELECTION OF MEMBERS. (Information in this section must be consistent with the national guidelines, developed by                      the Faculty Council, and is not subject to member approval as per Article IX, section 4 of the national constitution.)

Section 1.     To be eligible for membership the candidate must be a member of those classes (junior or senior) designated as eligible. Freshmen and                        sophomores are not eligible.

Section 2.     Students must have a cumulative unweighted grade point average of a B+, or a 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) or a 9.0 weighted grade point                                  average. Candidates shall be evaluated on the basis of service, leadership, and character.

Section 3.     Candidates shall attend a meeting to receive their folder with the necessary paperwork for selection into the society. This paperwork will                        consist of a National Honor Society student contract, a member information form, a community service form, seven confidential character                      and leadership evaluation forms, and an essay form.

Section 4.     Candidates must turn in all paperwork before the set deadline or they will not be allowed to be considered for selection.

Section 5.     The selection of each member to the chapter will be by a majority vote of the Faculty Council.

Section 6.     The selection procedure shall be determined by the Faculty Council and shall be consistent with the rules and regulations of the National                      Honor Society.

Section 7.     The students will be officially notified of their selection into the society by letter.

Section 8.     The National Council and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) shall not review the judgment of the Faculty                          Council regarding the selection of the individual members to the Manchester High School West chapter.

 

Article VI       MEETINGS

Section 1.     West shall have regular meetings during the school year on days designated by the executive committee and in accordance with school                        policy and regulations. Notification shall be made to the Assistant Principal in charge of student activities and the theatre adviser of the                          auditorium if needed.

Section 2.     Special meeting approved by the Executive Committee may be called by the chapter president or other designated student leader.

Section 3.     A member shall be up for dismissal if he/she does not attend regular and special meetings. All members are expected to attend all                                meetings unless excused by the adviser or president. Failure to attend meetings may result in disciplinary action including dismissal from                      the society.

 

Article VII      THE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR OFFICERS, ADVISER, AND MEMBERS. (Include committees)

Section 1.     Officer positions include: president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, historian, and public relations officer. All officers will be seniors.                        Within 30 days of the induction ceremony, two juniors will elected to serve as junior class representatives.

Section 2.     The executive committee, consisting of the president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, historian, public relations officer, and chapter                        adviser, shall have general supervision of the affairs of the chapter between its business meetings, make recommendations to the                                  chapter, and determine and perform such other duties as are specified in the bylaws. All actions and recommendations of the executive                        committee shall be subject to the review of the chapter membership.

Section 3.     The chapter adviser, president, and vice-president for the direct day-to-day supervision and act as liaison between faculty,                                            administration, students, and community.

Section 4.     The executive council shall maintain files on membership, chapter history, activities, and financial transactions.

Section 5.     The chapter adviser, president, and vice-president shall regularly review each member for compliance with Society standards and                                  obligations.

Section 6.     The chapter adviser shall help the executive council understand and carry out their duties.

Section 7.     The executive council shall inform the adviser of needs or problems of the National Honor Society.

Section 8.     The chapter adviser shall be ex-officio, non-voting, sixth member of the faculty council.

Section 9.     The chapter adviser shall be a member of the faculty, appointed annually by the principal, and may serve consecutive terms.

Section 10.   The executive committee shall have the responsibility for ensuring chapter activities and procedures follow school policy and regulations.

Section 11.   The executive committee shall determine one or more service projects for the year.

Section 12.   All members shall regularly participate in these projects.

Section 13.   These projects shall have the following characteristics: fulfill a need within the school or community; have the support of the                                            administration and the faculty; be appropriate and educationally defensible; be well planned, organized, and executed.

Section 14.   Additionally, each member shall have the responsibility for choosing and participating in a service project that reflects his or her                                    particular interests.

Section 15.   The duties of the president include overseeing the daily operations of the organization, making decisions with the adviser and the                                  executive council for the organization, interacting with the principal, being aware of discipline problems in the organization, making a                            speech at Freshman Orientation, being present for the application process of incoming juniors, attending open house, and running the                          induction ceremony.

Section 16.   The duties of the vice-president include obtaining a guest speaker for the induction ceremony, overseeing fundraisers with the treasurer,                        being in charge of refreshments for teachers and guests before the induction ceremony in the principal’s conference room, attending                            open house, scheduling for meetings in the auditorium.

Section 17.   The duties of the secretary include keeping track of community service points, being in charge of the newspaper, keeping attendance at                        meetings, organizing sign-making for fundraising activities, sending letters to guests for induction, attending open house, and attending                        the blood drive.

Section 18.   The duties of the treasurer include collecting dues, working on fundraising with vice-president, assisting secretary with tracking                                      community service points, attending open house, and organizing bake sales.

Section 19.   The duties of the historian include being in charge of refreshments in the cafeteria at the end of the induction ceremony, having a book to                      keep track of outside signs, being in charge of tables for Freshman Orientation, and attending open house.

Section 20.   The duties of the public-relations officer include distribution of letters to members, attending open house, and being in charge of Kids                            Café.

 

Article VIII     PROCEDURE FOR ELECTION AND REMOVAL OF OFFICERS AND FILLING VACANCIES

Section 1.     JUNIOR CLASS REPRESENTATIVES: Two weeks prior to the election, any member of the junior class who wishes to run for representative                      will notify the president, vice-president, or secretary.

Section 2.     Election will stay open for one week or until all members have voted.

Section 3.     Each member is expected to participate in voting and may only be excused from voting by both the adviser and the president.

Section 4.     EXECUTIVE COUNCIL: Juniors wishing to run for executive council positions will notify the outgoing president, vice-president, or                                    secretary of their intent in May.

Section 5.     The candidates shall be listed on one ballot, in alphabetical order, and with full spelling of the names.

Section 6.     Ballots may be handed out by the adviser. Members shall vote by secret ballot for up to five candidates to fill the six positions. There will                        be no electioneering in the area around voting. A ballot will be discarded by the adviser or the president if too many votes are cast.

Section 7.     The six candidates who receive the most votes will be offered the positions. The candidate who receives the most votes will be offered                          the position of president, the next candidate will be offered the position of vice-president, and so forth.

Section 8.     The principal and the Faculty Council will be notified of the election results.

Section 9.     An officer shall be removed immediately for any violation of Article XI. Also, an officer may be removed from office by the adviser for                              failure to carry out his/her duties, and return to regular membership of the National Honor Society. The adviser will notify the principal.

 

Article IX       NEWSPAPER

Section 1.     The secretary will oversee the newspaper.

Section 2.     The newspaper will be produced and distributed a minimum of every two weeks.

Section 3.     The newspaper will include any information that will be useful to the members of the organization, birthdays of members, and college                            acceptances.

 

Article X        RULES OF ORDER AND REFERENCES FOR CONDUCTING SOCIETY BUSINESS

Section 1.     Robert’s Rules of Order will be used.

Section 2.     All rules listed in West High School’s handbook will be observed.

 

Article XI       FACULTY COUNCIL

Section 1.     The Faculty Council shall consist of five voting faculty members, and one substitute, appointed annually by the principal. The chapter                            adviser shall be an ex-officio, non-voting, sixth member of the Faculty Council. The principal or an assistant principal may not be included                      in the Faculty Council.

Section 2.     The term of the Faculty Council shall be one year. Members may be appointed to serve consecutive terms.

Section 3.     The Faculty Council shall meet at least once a year to review the procedures of the chapter and to select new members. Additional                                meetings may be held to consider disciplinary actions or dismissal of members

Section 4.     The Faculty Council, in compliance with the national guidelines, will develop and revise all chapter procedures for selecting, disciplining,                      and dismissing members.

 

Article XII      DISMISSAL OF A MEMBER

Section 1.     The procedure for dismissal shall be determined by the Faculty Council in compliance with the rules and regulations of the National                                Honor Society.

Section 2.     Members who fall below the standards which were the basis of their selection shall be promptly warned in writing by the chapter adviser                        and be given a reasonable amount of time to correct the deficiency. Except that in the case of flagrant violation of school rules or the law                        such as cheating, plagiarizing, or using illegal substances.

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 the right to a hearing before the Faculty Council.

Section 5.     For purposes of dismissal, a 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.

Section 7.     The National Council and the NASSP shall hear no appeals in the dismissal case.

Section 8.     If a member is on probation and commits another violation, the Faculty Council may dismiss the member from the organization.

 

Article XIII    OFFICAL INSIGNIA

Section 1.    This organization shall use the official emblem selected by the National Council.

Section 2.    The distribution of the emblem and the rules for its use are under the exclusive control of the National Council.

Section 3.    Each active, graduate, or honorary member shall be entitled to wear this emblem.

Section 4.    Any member who resigns or is dismissed shall return the emblem to the chapter adviser.

Section 5.    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 6.    The motto of the National Honor Society is Noblesse Oblige.

Section 7.    The official colors of the National Honor Society shall be blue and gold.

Section 8.    A graduate member may purchase a replacement for a lost emblem by verifying membership to the national office.

 

Article XIV   PROVISIONS FOR AMENDING THE BYLAWS

Section 1.    This constitution may be amended at any meeting of the Faculty Council.

Section 2.    After a change to the bylaws has been proposed and a draft has been prepared, the members of the chapter shall be informed and                               asked to go to the chapter’s website for review of the changes and discussion.

Section 3.    Proposed amendments or provisions require a two-thirds vote of the chapter for adoption. Once all members have been informed that the                     changes are available for review at the website, the members will have seven school days in which to vote on them. Sections dealing with                     revisions to the procedures for selection, disciplining, and dismissal of members can only be changed by the Faculty Council.

Section 4.    The bylaws and any changes to the bylaws must be approved by the principal.