National Honor Society
Golden ‘V’ Chapter
BYLAWS
These Bylaws are consistent with the Constitution and policies of the
National Honor Society as established by the National Council. (National
Honor Society)The purpose of the Bylaws is to establish and clarify local
procedures. All national criteria are in effect.
ARTICLE I: NAME AND PURPOSE
Section 1.
The name of this organization shall be the National Honor Society of
Secondary Schools (NHS). This organization is known as the 4th District of
the Florida Council of The National Honor Society (FCNHS) and is comprised of
schools in the following counties: Lee, Charlotte, Sarasota, DeSoto,
Manatee, Hardee, Polk, Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco.
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 secondary schools.
Section 3.
The NHS shall be under the sponsorship and supervision of the National
Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), 1904 Association Drive,
Reston, VA 20191-1537.
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 appoint a Faculty Council composed of five members of the
school's faculty.
Section 4.
The principal shall receive appeals in cases of non selection of candidates,
and the disciplining or dismissal of members.
ARTICLE III: THE CHAPTER ADVISER
Section 1.
The chapter adviser 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 adviser shall maintain files on membership, chapter history,
activities, and financial transactions. The chapter adviser shall send the
annual report to the national office.
Section 3.
The chapter adviser shall regularly review each member for compliance with
Society 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.
Section 6.
The chapter adviser shall be a member of the faculty.
ARTICLE IV: FACULTY COUNCIL
Section 1.
The Faculty Council shall consist of five voting faculty members appointed by
the principal. The chapter adviser shall be an ex officio, non voting, sixth
member of the Faculty Council. No principal or assistant principal may be
included on the Faculty Council.
Section 2.
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 3.
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 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.
Membership shall be known as active, honorary, and graduate. Active members
shall become graduate members at graduation. Graduate members shall have no
voice or vote in chapter affairs. Selection is open to qualified Juniors
and Seniors who have attended VHS for at least one semester.
A.Scholarship: A student must have a cumulative unweighted GPA of 3.5 and/or
a weighted 4.0.
B.A student must be currently (the year of consideration) involved in at
least two school sponsored, community service related activities.
C. Leadership: A student must be able to show demonstrated leadership.
D. Service: A student must be able to show individual service to school or
community.
E. Character: This will be established by faculty and staff input.
F. Members are expected to maintain the qualities of selection.
G. In accordance to the Bright Futures requirement, members must have
completed 75 hours of community service pre-approved by the Bright Futures
staff.
Section 3.
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. Honorary members shall have no voice
or vote in chapter affairs.
Section 4.
Candidates become members when inducted at a special ceremony.
Section 5.
Members who are seniors in good standing are eligible to be nominated by
their chapters to compete in the National Honor Society Scholarship Program.
Section 6.
A National Honor Society member who transfers to another school and brings a
letter from the former principal or chapter adviser to the new school adviser
shall be accepted automatically as a member in the new school's chapter.
Transfer members must meet the new chapter's standards within one semester in
order to retain membership.
Section 7.
Members who resign or are dismissed are never again eligible for membership
or its benefits.
Article VI: Officers and Duties
New officers shall be installed at a special ceremony in the Spring.
See below for specific officer duties:
President:
a.Stay in weekly contact with sponsor and other officers. You oversee
everyone and everything.
b. Write agendas with sponsor and conducts meetings
c. Prepare for the board meetings
d. Help prepare announcement to give to HISTORIAN for VTV announcements
e. If we have a fundraiser, president will organize and oversee committee.
f. Appoints committee chair and committee for buying and wrapping gifts for
foster angels.
g. Clears his meeting agenda with the advisor one week prior to meeting
h. Serves as liaison with the advisor and school administration
i. Coordinate the planning and implementation of the Induction ceremony;
deliver the speech on “Leadership”
j. Serves as general chair for the formal initiation
k. Organize, plan and lead to ensure the perpetuation overall success of
chapter
l. Meet with the other officers and the chapter advisor to choose new
honorary members
m. Appoint necessary committees and delegate leadership responsibilities of
service projects and activities
n. Serve as ex-officio member on committees and projects
o. Represent the VHS Chapter of the National Honor Society at all public
occurrences (Laurel, VAMS).
p. See that the names of all members who participated in each service project
and attended each meeting is submitted to the advisor with the help of the
Secretaries, Treasurer, or Parliamentarian in order that the advisor may
fulfill the responsibility of noting and informing those not fully
participating of the responsibilities of the NHS membership
q. Newly elected President presides at awards ceremony in May
r. Take inventory so that you and advisor can order new materials at the end
of the year for the new year.
s. In May, make sure that EVERY graduating senior has all handed in and does
not owe anything.
t. PATHFINDERS. You will write: “Notes for the NHS President.”
Vice-President:
a. Fills-in in the absence of the president
b. Organizes t-shirt order and collection of money. Work with treasurer on
this.
c. Checks on members’ gpa every quarter. Report to advisor.
d. The newly elected VP will assist in presenting scholarship at awards night
in May
e. Attends all meetings and participates as a good member throughout the year
f. May be expected to chair certain committees
g. Keeps and updates files of all yearly projects
h. Aid the president in duties when necessary and in coordinating activities
i. Check out Room Use and Reservations in the front office
j. Deliver and Induction Ceremony speech on “Scholarship”
k. Submit monthly Pathways.
Recording Secretary:
Takes roll at meetings and records attendance and member participation.
These records are important because they provide the basis for the candidates
for dismissal and scholarship.
a. Email members to remind them of meeting. CC advisor.
b. Distributes the member information sheet at the meeting. These sheets are
collected and kept with the sheets from the new members. (NEW MEMBERS SHEETS
ARE TAKEN OFF THEIR INFORMATION CTIVITY FORM.) Keep these in the notebook
provided and divide into juniors and seniors.
c. Takes formal minutes of executive and regular meetings. These should be
kept in a notebook for reference and can later be submitted to the Historian
for the scrapbook.
d. Work with the chapter historian to prepare the annual Chapter Yearbook
e. Complete chapter activities summaries
f. Keep accurate attendance of all meetings and service projects and report
to the President and the Advisor the names of any members who have become
inactive
g. Supply the advisor with the names of those who have missed meetings and
service projects each month
h. In early May, give names of seniors to the Senior advisor. Names are
starred in graduation booklet.
Corresponding Secretary:
Writes thank you notes to all the people who helped with induction (i.e. Ms.
Ferguson and her crew, Mr. Johns and his orchestra, and whomever else did
something….)
a. Take minutes of meeting, keeping everything in folder. Will send minutes
to Historian.
b. Keep a master schedule of meeting dates.
c. Alert members to important correspondence via email.
d. You are the membership agreement coordinator. Make sure every member has
signed and turned this in.
e. Keep track of 20 hours required service.
f. Help maintain WebPage.
g. Maintain contact names, addresses, email addresses and phone numbers of
all members
h. Maintain a current up to date list of members.
Treasurer:
a. Keeps track of members’ dues.
b. Fills out money collection forms for dues, foster angels, and cords and
tassels. These forms are given to sponsor for verification, signing, and
deposit.
c. Prepares the 5x7 envelopes for the collection of the Foster Angel money
d. Be responsible for collecting and recording Foster Angel money. Work with
Treasurer on this.
e. Keeps and records of and informs the sponsor and the recording secretary
of what members owe money
f. Manage all financial transactions of the chapter
g. Balance the chapter funds, report to the chapter, the advisor at least
once a month
Historian:
a. Take pictures and keep a scrapbook for NHS
b. Maintain the Web Page. Takes meeting notes from Corresponding secretary
and posts on webpage. Put meeting dates on web page. Send reminders to
members to check web.
c. Is responsible for contacting the news media to take pictures for all
special events throughout the year
d. Clips newspaper articles about NHS members for the scrapbook
e. Keeps current scrapbook up-to-date so that it can be displayed at the
formal initiation
f. Helps maintain all past scrapbooks as much as possible
g. Prepare the annual Chapter Yearbook or PowerPoint presentation of
activities at end of year.
h. Save and document any evidence of chapter activities, including posters,
newspaper clippings, etc.
i. Collect and bind all Induction Ceremony speeches for posterity, and make
an effort to obtain whatever speeches were delivered in the past and are, to
date, lost in order to build a collection and a tradition
j. Make sure that there is a collection of photographs for the Chapter Album,
advisor, vice principal’s bulletin board, VHS yearbook staff as well as the
local newspapers and various District 196 publications. Also; write, with
the Secretary-Treasurer, press releases
k. Updates the Chapter History Album and records monthly and pass those
records on to the next Historian at the Advisor-Officer’s meeting each June
in order to build the tradition and sense of community. Write a history of
the year and add it to your notebook
l. Display the Chapter History, Speeches, Album, and photos on a table at the
induction ceremony each year
Parliamentarian
a. Make sure that members are quiet during meeting.
b. Assist in taking attendance. Distribute and collect forms for purpose of
attendance.
c. In charge of ballots, voting process of new members
d. Will supervise the attendance of possible officers at Awards meeting in
Bright Futures.
e. Will be in charge of Induction of new officers at last meeting.
ARTICLE VII: DISMISSAL:
Section 1.
The Faculty Council in compliance with the rules and regulations of the
National Honor Society shall determine the procedure for dismissal. A written
description of the dismissal procedure shall be available to interested
parties.
Section 2.
Members who fall below the standards that were the basis for their selection
shall be promptly warned in writing by the chapter adviser and given a
reasonable amount of time to correct the deficiency, except that in the case
of flagrant violation of school rules or the law, 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. (Ed. Note: This is considered "due process" for
all members.)
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 NASSP shall hear no appeals in dismissal cases.
ARTICLE VIII: EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Section 1.
The executive committee shall consist of the officers of the chapter and the
chapter adviser.
Section 2.
The executive committee 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 chapter
bylaws. All actions and recommendations of the executive committee shall be
subject to the review of the chapter membership.
Section 3.
The executive committee shall have the responsibility for ensuring that
chapter activities and procedures follow school policy and regulations.
ARTICLE IX: MEETINGS
Section 1.
Each chapter shall have regular meetings during the school year on days
designated by the executive committee and in accordance with school policy
and regulations.
Section 2.
The meetings will be held on the 1st Thursday of the every month at 6:45 a.m
beginning in September.
Section 3.
The chapter president or other designated student leader may call special
meetings approved by the executive committee.
Section 4.
Chapters shall conduct meetings according to Robert's Rules of Order, Newly
Revised in all points not expressly provided for in this Constitution or the
chapter bylaws.
ARTICLE X: DUES
Section 1.
Dues will be $20 per year. These dues will cover district, state and
national dues. Monies will also be used to pay for induction ceremony,
postage, printing costs and providing entertainment and refreshments for the
meetings and events. Dues will not be used for t-shirts.
Section 2.
Money will be collected to pay for district t-shirts. Amount will be
announced when cost is determined.
ARTICLE XI: ACTIVITIES
Section 1.
Current officers shall determine one or more service projects for each year.
Section 2.
All members shall regularly participate in these projects.
Section 3.
These projects shall have the following characteristics: a. Fulfill a need
within the school or community b. Have the support of the administration and
the faculty o Be appropriate and educationally defensible c. Be well planned,
organized, and executed.
Section 4.
Each member shall have the responsibility for choosing and participating in a
service project that reflects his or her particular talents and interests.
This is in addition to the chapter projects to which all members contribute.
Section 5.
Each chapter shall publicize its projects in a positive manner.
Section 6. Each member will be required to perform 30 hours of community
service for the current school year. This does not include the 75 hours that
were required as admittance to NHS.
ARTICLE XII: OFFICIAL INSIGNIA
Section 1.
This organization shall have an official emblem selected by the National
Council. The emblem shall be uniform.
Section 2.
The distribution of the emblem and the rules for its use shall be under the
exclusive control of the National Council.
Section 3.
Each active, graduate, or honorary member in good standing with the chapter
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
filed for registration with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and
may not be copied by anyone.
Section 6.
The motto of the National Honor Society shall be 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 XIII: BYLAWS
Section 1.
Each chapter shall write bylaws to amplify sections of this Constitution and
to clarify operating procedures of the chapter. Bylaws do not need the
approval of the National Council but must be consistent with this
Constitution.
Section 2.
The chapter bylaws shall contain information concerning the election and
duties of officers, the schedule of meetings, member obligations, dues, and
the like. (See pages 14 - 16 of the national handbook for additional
information.)