Bow High School National Honor Society
Chapter Bylaws and Procedures
Revised April 2005
Article 1
Name and Purpose
Section 1: The name of this chapter shall be the “Bow High School Chapter of the National Honor Society.”
Article 2
Section 1: The Executive Committee consists of six officers: president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, parliamentarian, and public relations/historian as well as the faculty adviser(s).
Section 2: It shall be the duty of the president to preside over meetings for this chapter and provide an agenda for each meeting that will be prepared at the Executive Committee meeting.
Section 3: The vice-president shall be a junior who will become president his/her senior year provided he/she fulfills his/her duties well as vice-president. He/she will oversee the project/service records for each member. He/she will be responsible for maintaining an active, informative NHS website.
Section 4: The secretary shall take attendance, keep minutes of the meetings, and be responsible for correspondence for the chapter. He/she will post a copy of the minutes on the NHS bulletin board, website, and provide a copy to the adviser(s).
Section 5: The treasurer shall keep the record of business expenses, dues, fundraising money, etc. and will present a financial report to the Executive Committee at the weekly meeting. The treasurer is also responsible for ensuring completion of a minimum of three fundraising activities this year.
Section 6: The public relations officer/historian shall maintain an album of all chapter events and projects with pictures and descriptions of the events for the year. This officer shall also ensure that all NHS activities are publicized within the school and local community.
Section 7: All officers will meet individually with the adviser(s) quarterly to assess progress in their office and their goals as an executive committee member for the year. Officers need to prepare goals for their office in addition to their service goals for the year.
General Meetings
Section 1: The general meeting for the chapter will be on Wednesdays during the activity period (break).
Section 2: The secretary will take attendance at the beginning of each meeting and attendance at meetings is mandatory for all members.
Section 3: Any member with suggestions or concerns should put his/her comment(s) in writing and give it to an officer or to the adviser(s). Such concerns will be addressed at the next meeting.
Section 4: More than three unexcused absences will result in dismissal. Absences from school, field trips, vocational program enrollment, or previous approval from the faculty adviser(s) constitute an excused absence.
Section 5: The meeting will begin by addressing old business and projects. Relevant issues or requests will be brought up and written on the agenda at the Executive Committee meeting on Tuesday during the activity period.
Section 6: The secretary will record the minutes of the meeting and will post a copy on the NHS board by Friday at 9:00am. Students who miss a meeting are required to read the minutes.
Service Certification
Section 1: During each school year, all members are required to perform community service by being a member of one subcommittee and completing 5 hours of tutoring.
Section 2: Service hours will be logged on the project sheet at the service event on a “Service Sign-In Sheet” (see attachment 1). The event chairperson (people) will initial all service activities and will provide this list to faculty adviser(s).
Section 3: The vice-president will provide advisers with quarterly updates of member service status.
Section 4: Members are encouraged to participate in all group activities but are required to participate in all mandatory events (see attachment 2).
Section 5: Failure to meet the service requirements by May 1st will place members on probation and continued failure to meet the requirements by June 1st will result in dismissal from NHS.
Selection Process
Section 1: The selection of members shall be held once a year during the second semester of the school year. (Alternative or additional selection periods may be added to meet extenuating circumstances.)
Section 2: Students who meet the scholarship requirement by maintaining a 3.5 GPA at the end of first semester of their sophomore or junior years will be given the opportunity to fill out the Student Information Sheet (see attachment 3).
Section 3: The information to be listed on the information sheet will be: clubs, activities, and sports the student participated in while in attendance at BHS (or proof of participation from another secondary school), awards, leadership positions, work experience, and service or volunteer projects.
Section 4: If a student does not meet the deadline requirement for the Student Information Sheet, he/she will be ineligible for that school year.
Section 5: The completion of the Student Information Sheet does not guarantee NHS membership.
Section 6: The faculty at BHS will be given a list of the students who completed the Student Information Sheet and met the leadership and service components. They will be asked to evaluate the students they know in the areas of character and leadership.
Section 7: The final selection of members to this chapter shall be by a majority vote of the Faculty Council consisting of five faculty members appointed by the principal.
Section 8: The chapter adviser(s) shall serve as non-voting members of the Faculty Council.
Section 9: All selections are subject to the approval of the principal.
Section 10: Refer to attachment 4 for detailed information on selection, non-selection, and appeals.
Section 11: Refer to attachment 5 for induction ceremony information.
Section 1: Any member who falls below the standards of scholarship, leadership, character, or service may be dismissed from the Bow High School Chapter of the National Honor Society.
Section 2: A member of the NHS is expected to maintain an active role in service and leadership to his/her school and community and show him/herself to be a person of strong moral character.
Section 3: If a member’s cumulative GPA falls below the standard of 3.5, s/he will be put on probation for a semester.
Section 4: If the cumulative GPA remains below the standard at the end of the semester, the student may be dismissed from the chapter.
Section 5: Violation of criminal law or school regulations can result in dismissal of the student. These violations include, but are not limited to, DWI, stealing, destruction of property, cheating, truancy, or possession, selling, or being under the influence of drugs or alcohol at school or school-related activities.
Section 6: Offenders of the school conduct code (not adhering to the expectations of citizenship as outlined in the BHS handbook) will be put on probation from the date of the violation and through the following semester.
Section 7: If the member is involved in another violation of the school conduct code, the member may be dismissed.
Section 8: the Faculty Council may dismiss any member whose personal conduct is questionable in accordance with the accepted norms of student behavior.
Section 9: In the case of a pending dismissal:
a. The member will receive written notification of the reason(s) for possible dismissal from the adviser(s) or Faculty Council.
b. The member will be offered a hearing with the Faculty Council prior to dismissal (in accordance with due process identified in the National Constitution). The member has the opportunity to present his/her defense. The Faculty Council will then vote on whether to dismiss the member.
c. A letter of dismissal will be sent to the principal, student, and parents if the student is dismissed. Dismissed members must surrender any membership emblems to the adviser(s).
d. The member may appeal the Faculty Council’s decision to the principal.
e. When a student is dismissed, he/she is no longer an NHS member and may never again be considered for membership in the National Honor Society.
Section 1: Annual dues for this chapter shall be $20.00. This includes local, state, national dues and an NHS t-shirt.
Section 2: Dues will be payable to BHS by the end of each school year (including the year of induction).
Section 1: These by-laws may be amended by a 2/3 vote of the chapter, provided notice of the proposed amendment has been given to members at least one month prior the vote. The exceptions are articles 6 and 7.
Section 2: All Bow High School NHS by-laws and procedures are governed by the National Association of the National Honor Society Constitution (rev. 1997). For more information on the National Association, refer to their website: www.nhs.org