Article I: Name and
Purpose
- Section
1:
The name of this organization shall be the Bullet Hill School
Chapter of the National Honor Society.
- Section
2:
The Bullet Hill Chapter shall be under the sponsorship of the
National Honor Society.
- Section
3:
The purpose of this organization shall be to create enthusiasm for
scholarship, to stimulate a desire to do scholastic and community
service, to promote leadership in and outside of the classroom, and
to develop personal character.
- Section
4:
The Bullet Hill Chapter will give two scholarships annually to
"the most improved seniors", the recipients of which will
be chosen by the Scholarship Committee of Pomperaug High School.
Chapter members cannot receive these scholarships.
Article II: The
Faculty Council
- Section
1:
The Faculty Council shall consist of five voting faculty members
appointed yearly by the Principal.
- Section
2:
The term of the Faculty Council shall be one year, members may be
appointed to consecutive terms.
- Section
3:
Neither the Principal nor the Vice- Principal(s) may be members of
the Faculty Council.
- Section
4:
The members of the Faculty Council shall recognize that they are
surrogates for the entire faculty of Pomperaug High
School.
- Section
5:
The members of the Faculty Council shall be fully knowledgeable of
the guidelines for the Bullet Hill Chapter and they shall carefully
follow all stated guidelines and procedures in all aspects of the
Chapter's activities.
- Section
6:
The Faculty Council shall have the power to develop and revise, when
necessary, all chapter procedures for selection, disciplining, and
dismissal of members, all of which must remain in compliance with
national guidelines.
- Section
7:
The Faculty Council shall meet as required to review the procedures
of the chapter, to select members, and to consider dismissal,
non-selection, other disciplinary actions, and warning cases.
- Section
8:
The Faculty Council shall meet once quarterly with the Student
Officers to discuss the current issues of the Chapter.
Article III: The
Principal
- 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 Chapter Advisor and members
of the Faculty Council.
- Section
3:
The Principal shall receive appeals in cases of a candidate's
non-selection, and the disciplining or dismissal of members.
1.
Appeals must be based on procedural
issues and not on matters of fact.
Article IV: The
Chapter Advisor
- Section
1:
The Chapter Advisor shall be a member of the faculty, appointed
annually by the Principal, and may serve consecutive terms.
- Section
2:
The Chapter Advisor shall be an impartial, non- voting, sixth member
of the Faculty Council.
- Section
3:
The Chapter Advisor shall be responsible for the direct daily
supervision of the Chapter and act as liaison with faculty,
administration, students, and community.
- Section
4:
The Chapter Advisor shall help the Student Officers understand and
carry out their duties, and shall be present at Chapter events to
oversee them.
- Section
5:
The Chapter Advisor shall review each member for compliance with
Chapter standards and obligations twice yearly.
- Section
6:
The Chapter Advisor shall maintain files on membership, Chapter
history, activities, and financial transactions. The Chapter Advisor
will send the annual report to the national office.
Article V: Selection
of Members
- Section
1:
Students are eligible for membership from the time they are a second
semester Sophomore and must have attended Pomperaug High
School for a minimum of one semester.
- Section
2:
Seniors are not eligible for membership.
- Section
3:
All eligible students with a 3.70 cumulative GPA shall be notified
by letter of their candidacy for membership.
- Section
4:
Candidates that apply for membership will submit in writing a completed
application detailing service, scholarship, and leadership
activities as well as character. This will be given to candidates at
the time of their notification of eligibility.
- Section
5:
The faculty of Pomperaug
High School
shall be invited to offer comments on the character, leadership, and
service qualities of candidates.
- Section
6:
The Faculty Council shall elect members by majority vote after
consideration of all available information.
- Section
7:
A student not elected by the Faculty Council has the option to
appeal in writing this decision to the principal within two weeks of
written notification of the Faculty Council's decisions.
1.
Appeals must be based on procedural
issues and not on matters of fact.
- Section
8:
Candidates become members after participation in the second semester
Induction Ceremony and the candidate must be present at the
induction to become a member.
Article VI:
Membership
- Section
1:
Membership in this Chapter shall be based on scholarship,
leadership, service and character. Once selected, members have the
responsibility to continue to demonstrate these qualities.
- Section
2:
If a National Honor Society member transferring from another chapter
presents a letter from his/her former principal or Chapter Advisor
to the Bullet Hill Chapter Advisor, he/she shall automatically be
accepted as a member of the Chapter. Transfer students must then
meet the Bullet Hill Chapter's standards within one semester to
retain membership.
- Section
3:
All members of the Chapter will be required to perform 20 hours of
service per semester.
1.
All service must be in accordance
with the service guidelines.
1.
A minimum of 20 hours of service
must be completed by a date set by the Student Officers prior to the end
of the first semester. A minimum of 40 hours of service must be completed
by a date set by the Student Officers prior to the end of the second
semester.
2.
Any event whose primary purpose is
to benefit the community is considered community service.
1.
Entertainment is only considered if there
is no admission cost or the profit from admissions goes to a charitable
cause.
2.
An event sponsored by a charitable
organization that is designed to directly benefit the organization is not
considered service.
3.
Activities that are an expected part
of membership in a church or school organization cannot be counted toward
National Honor Society service requirements.
2.
The maximum number of hours that can
be used within any given 24 hour period or from summer vacation is 6
hours.
3.
All service hours must be documented
on National Honor Society Service Hour Sheets in order to count towards
Chapter service hour requirements.
1.
This documentation includes a
description of the activity, time(s), and date(s) of the service, and a
valid contact person's signature and phone number.
2.
All service hours must be submitted
to a Student Officer or the Chapter Advisor on or by the designated due
date.
4.
Various service activities will
yield opportunities for additional hours beyond those hours spent,
designated by the student officers or Faculty Council.
5.
Various service activities,
including Chapter sponsored tutoring and fundraising, will not count
towards a member's service requirement.
6.
Any member serving a probationary
term is expected to continue their service and will be held to the same
service standards as any other member.
7.
Should a member fail to submit the
appropriate amount of hours by the designated date, they will be
recommended to the Faculty Council for probation or dismissal.
8.
Members will be expected to complete
approximately 4 hours per month. Warnings will be sent to any member who
falls 8 hours behind the standard number of hours.
9.
A log of all members' hours and
their service hour records will be kept to verify any questions as to a
member's total number of hours.
10.
A record of total hours date will be
distributed at each general meeting to notify members of their status.
Questions can be asked at this time.
1.
Any questions pertaining to service
hours can be directed to the Service Coordinator.
2.
The Faculty Council has the ability
to count or discount any type of service questioned by the Service
Coordinator.
11.
The Service Coordinator reserves the
right to verify member hours by calling the named contact person on the
Service Hour Sheet. If it is discovered that the hours were not
truthfully recorded, the hours will not count towards the member's total,
and the case will be brought before the Faculty Council as an issue of
character.
12.
When an NHS member commits to attending
a service function, that person is expected to be present at the event
and to remain there for the duration of the volunteer activities until
their allotted time slot has been completed. Failure to comply with this
bylaw (leaving a service opportunity early without notifying an officer
as to why they are leaving and/or not showing up at all to volunteer at
all) will result in the loss of NHS privileges and service hours for the
event in question.
If a member realizes
that they cannot attend a service event that they have already signed up for,
they need to notify the officers well in advance and find a replacement
to attend the activity to fill in for them.
- Section 4: Members will be
required to pay $15 dues at the start of each school year.
- Section
5:
Members are expected to attend all National Honor Society functions
including, but not limited to, fundraising activities, service
activities, and the annual second semester Induction Ceremony. The
service projects run each year by The Bullet Hill School Chapter
shall be:
1.
Peer tutoring
1.
Tutoring will be held for one hour twice a week after
school at the discretion of the Student Officers.
2.
Tutoring is a mandatory duty and students will not receive
service hours for this activity.
2.
Assisting in the annual Pomperaug High
School Open House
3.
Two Red-Cross sponsored Blood Drivers
4. The Youth and
Family Services Phone-a-thon
5.
Fundraising Activities
1.
Two fundraisers will be run each year.
2.
Participation in fundraising is mandatory and students
will not receive service hours for participating.
6.
Midterm Study Lab
1.
There will be four, two hour sessions held during the days
before midterms.
2.
It is mandatory to attend two out of four sessions, and
members will receive double hours for the hours during which they
participate.
3.
Members may participate in more than two sessions.
- Section
6:
It is mandatory for every member to attend four out of five meetings
each semester. This went into effect the spring semester of 2004.
1.
Meetings will be held on a monthly
basis at the discretion of the Student Officers and will follow a
schedule set at the beginning of the year.
2.
Emergency meetings may be called by
the President or Chapter Advisor and will not be mandatory.
3.
Members may be excused from a
meeting by presenting their excuse to the Faculty Advisor at least one
week prior to the meeting.(ex: a meet or game)
1.
The following are not to be regarded
as excused absences
1.
A sports practice.
2.
Not having a ride.
3.
Attending another organization's
meeting.
2.
Time can be split between the
meeting and conflicts. But at least one half of the National Honor
Society meeting must be attended.
Article VII: Dismissal
and Probation
- Section
1:
Any member of the Chapter whose cumulative average falls below a
3.70 will be placed on probation. A probationary student who fails
to rise to or above a 3.70 at the end of the semester subsequent to
his/her being placed on probation shall be considered for dismissal
by the faculty council. This went into effect the fall semester of
2004.
- Section
2:
Any member who is in violation of school rules has the right to a
hearing before the Faculty Council in order to explain his/her
behavior. Such behavior may result in probation or dismissal as
determined by a majority vote of the Faculty Council.
- Section
3:
Violation of school rules or civil or criminal laws may result in
probation or dismissal as determined by a majority vote of the
Faculty Council.
- Section
4:
Failure to complete the service requirement will result in one
semester of probation. If after the probationary period, a student
continues to fail in the service requirement he/she will be
considered for dismissal.
- Section
5:
Failure to participate in the Chapter activities may result in
probation or dismissal as determined by a majority vote of the
Faculty Council.
- Section
6:
A student on probation shall not participate in any Chapter activity
during the period of probation but must continue to do service
outside of Chapter activities.
- Section
7:
Seniors, during the second semester of their Senior year, will be
considered automatically for dismissal by the Faculty Council for
any infraction of the Chapter by-laws.
- Section
8:
Any student dismissed from the Bullet Hill Chapter of the National
Honor Society has the option to request reevaluation of this
decision by the Faculty Council within two weeks of written
notification of dismissal. If a dismissal is upheld by the Faculty
Council the student has the option to appeal this decision in
writing to the Principal within two weeks of written notification of
the Faculty Council's decision.
1.
Appeals must be based on procedural
issues, not on matters of fact.
- Section
9:
Members who resign or are dismissed will not again be considered for
membership.
Article VIII: Student
Officers
- Section
1:
The Student Officers of this Chapter shall be President, Vice-
President, Secretary, Treasurer, Tutoring Coordinator, Service
Coordinator, and Web-master/Historian.
- Section
2:
Elections shall take place at the end May with a one month shadowing
period prior to the elections.
1.
Members on probation at the time of
the election shall not be eligible to run for a position as an officer.
2.
Elected officers placed on probation
during their term of service shall be asked to resign from their position
and new elections will be held for that position.
- Section
3:
A majority of votes cast shall be necessary to elect any Student
Officer of this Chapter.
- Section
4:
A majority of Student Officer's votes shall be necessary to dismiss
any Student Officer from his/her position.
- Section
5:
It shall be the duty of the President to:
1.
Preside over meetings of the
Chapter.
2.
Create an agenda for meetings.
3.
Hold Student Officers meetings prior
to general meetings.
4.
Plan, coordinate and execute Chapter
activities.
5.
Maintain contact with students
through e-mail concerning meeting dates and times in addition to
activities and planned events.
- Section
6:
It shall be the duty of the Vice- President to:
1.
Fill the chair of the President in
his/her absence.
2.
To assist the President in any
necessary capacities.
- Section
7:
It shall be the duty of the Secretary to:
1.
Keep minutes of meetings, type them,
file them, and give copies to the Chapter Advisor and Webmaster.
2.
Keep attendance at meetings.
- Section
8:
It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to:
1.
Receive and disburse all funds of
the Chapter including dues and scholarship money.
2.
Keep an accurate account of receipts
and disbursements in accordance with school regulations.
3.
Plan and run any fundraiser
activities.
- Section
9:
It shall be the duty of the Tutoring Coordinator to:
1.
Establish specific days for tutoring
and a common log for recording members who have participated in tutoring.
2.
Keep accurate lists of participating
members.
3.
Oversee tutoring while in progress.
- Section
10:
It shall be the duty of the Service Coordinator to:
1.
Distribute and collect Service Hour
Sheets.
2.
Maintain a record of all hours
turned in by members.
3.
Distribute a list of completed hours
at each general meeting and answer questions regarding service.
4.
Provide warnings or notices of
probation/dismissal to members and a copy to the Faculty Council.
- Section
11:
It shall be the duty of the Webmaster/Historian to:
1.
Maintain a web page of the Chapter.
2.
Post minutes as they are received.
3.
Maintain an updated version of the
Chapter bylaws.
4.
Provide information about the
activities of the Chapter.
5.
Maintain a record of the Chapter's
activities for the year to be handed down to the President elected in
May.
Article IX:
Amendments
- Section
1:
A vote will be taken by Chapter membership prior to the Faculty
Council vote, the results of which will be presented to the faculty
council for consideration.
- Section
2:
These by-laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the Faculty
Council.
|
