Mt. Ararat High School National Honor Society Bylaws Article I-Name The name of this chapter shall be the Mt. Ararat High School Chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS) Article II-Purpose The Mt. Ararat High School National Honor Society exists to create enthusiasm for scholarship, to stimulate a desire to render service, to promote leadership, and to develop character in the students of Mt. Ararat High School. Article III-Selection Procedure Section 1- Selections to the Mt. Ararat High School Chapter of the National Honor Society are made by the Faculty Council which consists of five voting faculty members appointed annually by the principal. The chapter adviser shall be an ex officio, nonvoting, sixth member of the Faculty Council. In order to be selected, a student must demonstrate outstanding performance in all four criteria of NHS-scholarship, leadership, service, and character. All deliberations of the Faculty Council are strictly confidential. Section 2- The adviser will identify students in grades 11 and 12 with the prerequisite GPA of 3.25 or better and then survey those students to determine interest in membership and to obtain information regarding service and leadership activities. Students so surveyed should understand that such surveys are not applications for membership, and that the review of information gathered does not guarantee selection. Section 3- Students who meet the scholarship criterion are invited to complete a Student Activity Information Form that provides the Faculty Council with information regarding the candidate’s leadership and service. Documented participation in ten hours of school or community service in the current calendar year is also required and will be submitted by the student along with the Student Activity Information Form. Section 4- The Faculty Council will then evaluate the candidates' record of leadership, service, and character. Although the academic criterion is important and will be considered first, membership will never be considered on the basis of grades alone, even though the Faculty Council may consider scholarship as the most important of the four criteria. Section 5- To evaluate a candidate’s character, the Faculty Council uses various forms of input. School disciplinary records are reviewed and members of the faculty are solicited for input regarding their professional reflections on a candidate’s character, and leadership. This information along with the Student Activity Information forms and any other pertinent sources of information will be carefully reviewed by the Faculty Council to determine membership. All faculty input is confidential. Section 6- A majority vote of the Council is necessary for selection. Candidates are notified regarding selection or nonselection by December 1. Section 7- Once selected, candidates must complete an additional five hours of an individual service project by the end of the first semester in order to be inducted into NHS. Section 8- Following notification, a formal induction ceremony is held at the school to recognize all the newly selected members. Once inducted, new members are required to maintain the same level of performance (or better) in all four criteria that led to their selection. This obligation includes regular attendance at chapter meetings held the first and third Tuesday of the month during the school year, other meetings as called by the President or the adviser, and participation in chapter service projects. Article IV-Meetings Section 1- Regular meetings are held the first and third Tuesday of the month during the school year. Additional meetings may be called by the President or adviser as needed. Section 2- Members are expected to attend all NHS meetings. Members missing a meeting without prior approval from the adviser or another valid reason may be required to appear before the Faculty Council for a hearing. Section 3- Meetings will be run according to Robert’s Rules of Order Article V-Chapter Projects Section 1- All members are expected to take part in all chapter activities including serving refreshments at parent/teacher conference night in November, serving on a committee for the annual NHS Variety Show in March, monthly Tedford Shelter donations, organizing and running spirit rallies, fundraising for scholarships, and any other chapter projects. Section 2- All members are expected to carry out individual service activities throughout the year. At the end of each marking period, members will submit a Service Log to the Vice President. The Service Log should list all service activities performed during that quarter. Service is considered to be those actions undertaken by the student which are done with or on behalf of others without any direct financial or material compensation. Article VI-Chapter Leadership Section 1- The officers of the chapter shall be President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. Section 2- Student officers shall be elected at the last meeting of the school year. All returning active members are eligible to run for a position as an officer. All active members of the chapter are eligible to vote. Section 3- A majority vote shall be necessary to elect any officer of the chapter. If the first vote does not yield a majority, a second vote shall be taken of the two candidates receiving the highest vote totals. Section 4-The following duties reflect the responsibilities of the each office for the Mt. Ararat High School NHS The president shall call, develop an agenda for, and preside over meetings for the chapter. The vice president shall preside in the absence of the president and shall also keep a record of members’ service activities. The secretary shall keep the minutes of all chapter meetings and be responsible for all official chapter correspondence. The treasurer shall be responsible for and keep a record of all financial transactions and activities of the chapter. Article VII-Discipline and Dismissal of Members Section 1- Any member who falls below the standards of scholarship, leadership, character or service may be considered for dismissal from the Mt. Ararat High School chapter of the National Honor Society. A member of the National Honor Society is expected to maintain her or her academic standing and take an active role in service and leadership to his or her school and community. Section 2- If a member’s cumulative GPA falls below the standard in effect when he or she was selected (a 3.25 on a 4.0 scale), the adviser will give the member a written warning and a time period for improvement. If the cumulative GPA remains below standard at the end of the warning period, the member will be subject to further disciplinary action by the Faculty Council, which may include dismissal from the chapter. Section 3- If a member fails to perform any of the published obligations, the adviser will give the member a written warning and a time period for improvement. If the obligation remains unmet at the end of the warning period, the member will be subject to further disciplinary action by the Faculty Council, which may include dismissal from the chapter. Section 4- Violation of the law or school regulations may result in dismissal of a member. These violations include, but are not limited to: OUI; stealing; cheating; truancy; any drug or alcohol related offenses. Section 5- Members are expected to abide by all school rules as stated in the Mt. Ararat High School Agenda. Failure to do so may result in a written warning from the adviser or a hearing with the Faculty Council. A pattern of school rule violations will be cause for dismissal. Section 6- In all cases of pending dismissal: The member will receive written notification indicating the reason for possible dismissal from the adviser. The member and the adviser will discuss the written notification in a conference. Situations that involve flagrant violations of school rules or the law can warrant disciplinary action without a written warning although a hearing will still be held. The member will be given the opportunity to respond to the charge against him or her at a hearing before the Faculty Council prior to the vote to dismiss. A majority vote of the Faculty Council is needed to dismiss any member. The results of the Faculty Council vote will be reviewed by the principal and then, if confirmed, expressed in a letter sent to the student, parents, and principal. The Faculty Council’s decision may be appealed to the building principal. When a student is dismissed or resigns, he or she is no longer a member and may not be recommended for membership in the National Honor Society at a later date. Section 7- In lieu of dismissal, the Faculty Council may impose disciplinary sanctions on a member as deemed appropriate. Article VIII Powers Section 1- The chapter adviser is given the authority to supervise the administration of chapter activities, as delegated by the school principal and serve as a liaison to the Faculty Council. Section 2- The principal shall reserve the right to approve all activities and decisions of the chapter. Article IX-Amendments Section 1- These bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the Faculty Council. Section 2- Bylaws and amendments must be consistent with the constitution of the National Honor Society.