National Honor Society Constitution

National Honor Society

Liverpool High School

Constitution

Article I: Name and Purpose

Section 1: The name of this organization shall be the National Honor Society of Liverpool High School (NHS).

Section 2: The purpose of this society shall be to

A. Provide recognition of achievement in scholarship, character, leadership, and service

B. Create enthusiasm for scholarship, promote leadership, develop character, and encourage service

C. Foster and develop maturity and independence by providing students opportunities to come together with a common purpose: commitment to service and dedication to excellence.

Article II: Student Membership Requirements

Section 1: The applicant must be a student in 11th or 12th grade in the Liverpool School District.

Section 2: Applicants shall have a minimum average of 90.0% [un-weighted] for their overall high school average through the previous year of high school. Averages may not fall below this minimum for more than one quarter. A written warning will be given and students will have until the next ten-week marking period to fulfill their obligations.

Section 3: Applicants must submit an application with all parts complete by the given deadline.

Section 4: Applications will be reviewed by a faculty committee for demonstrated leadership, evidence of strong positive character, and exemplary volunteer service. The evaluation will also include teacher / administrator input. All committee decisions will be final.

Section 5: Members must be in compliance with the Liverpool Central School code of conduct.

Section 6: Members must continue to demonstrate positive character, leadership, service, and scholarship to maintain membership.

Section 7: In order for a transfer student to be eligible for membership, the applicant must be in attended at Liverpool High School for a period equivalent to one full semester and have been an NHS member at their previous school [and provide documentation of that fact].

Article III: Selection Committee

Section 1: The selection committee shall consist of at least 5 faculty members, representing several departments.

Article IV: Officers

Section 1: The officers of this chapter shall be President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

Section 2: Officers will be nominated and voted upon by the members of the society, unless no students volunteer, at which time the faculty advisor will choose / appoint one.

Section 3: Officer elections will be held in May for the following school year.

Section 4: Responsibilities of the Officers:

Develop agenda for meetings
Meet with advisor on regular basis
Work cooperatively as part of team of officers to run the club
Attend most [if not all] chapter events
Plan, organize, & promote chapter events [including making phone calls, filling out paperwork, helping to find volunteers, and tending to all details required of events]
Oversee the implementation of policies / constitutional by-laws of the local chapter {as well as National policies set forth by NASSP}
1. B. The President shall:
Call & preside over officer & general meetings {as often as needed}
Master/mistress of ceremonies for induction ceremony
1. C. The Vice President shall;
  1. Above duties in absence of president
    1. B. The secretary shall:
  2. Record the minutes of the meetings in an official notebook
  3. Record all business
  4. Take attendance and record absences
  5. Maintain all correspondence
    1. C. The treasurer shall:
  6. Balance the books once a month
  7. Count, document, & deposit all money
  8. Record & approve purchase orders for all expenditures
  Section 5: Officers who fail to diligently uphold the responsibilities of the position can be replaced / removed for failure to comply.
  
  Article V: Miscellaneous
  
  Section 1: This chapter is responsible to the constitution and all by-laws of the national organization.
  
  Section 2: All members will receive a copy of the constitution.
2. Section 3: All members are required to attend meetings. Members may not miss more
  
  than 2 meetings per year [may – may]. Members should contact the faculty advisor prior to the meeting if unable to attend
  
            Section 4: All members are required to participate in at least one chapter event.
  
            Section 5: All members are required to complete at least 10 hours of service per year.
  
  [may-may]
  
  Section 6: All members are required to participate in one fundraiser during the school year.
  
  Section 7: Members will pay a one-time fee to cover the cost of membership seals, scholarships, and graduation cords to members in good standing, induction costs, national dues, and other approved expenses.
  
  Section 8:  Members not fulfilling the obligations / requirements set forth in this constitution will be considered “members not in good standing” & will not be eligible for the local scholarship, noted in the graduation program, or awarded the honor cord.
  
  Section 9: Any member suspended form the chapter may reapply the following school year, provided they meet the requirements.
  
  Section 10: Discipline & dismissal process [adopted from NASSP National Honor Society Handbook, 18th edition]
  Members are subject to warning or dismissal if they do not maintain the standards of scholarships, service, leadership, and character that were used as a basis for their selection. Minor infractions include, but are not limited to: drop in overall GPA, disrespectful or disruptive behavior, detention, suspension, plagiarism, or excessive unexcused absences would qualify for disciplinary action. Students
  may receive a warning letter, suspended privileges, removal from office, request that the student perform additional community service and/or receive special counseling, as determined by the faculty council.
  
  The faculty council determines when an invidual has exceeded a reasonable number of warnings, thus warranting consideration of dismissall [anything in excess of 2, unless extremely unusual circumstances exist]. All situations will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
  
  Certain violations may lead to immediate consideration for dismissal by the faculty council, in the case of flagrant violation of school rules or the law.   A member does not have to be warned and the student will be notified in writing of the consideration for dismissal. The member should appear before the faculty council to explain his/her view of the circumstances. A parent or guardian may be present, however the primary purpose of the focus of the hearing is to allow the member to present his / her case.
  
  If a member is dismissed, written notification will be sent to the member, his/her parents, and the principal. The dismissed member may appeal the decision to the principal, following normal local district appeals procedures as a model.