NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY BY-LAWS Cuthbertson High School Established: September 2009 Revised: September 2016 Eligibility 1. In order to be eligible for selection to membership in the NHS, students must have maintained a weighted GPA of 4.0 or higher during their high school years and be students currently in their junior or senior years. Membership selection will occur at the start of the fall semester with active membership beginning in October of the fall semester. 2. Students academic records will be reviewed to determine scholastic eligibility on their semester and year end grades. 3. Students can apply for membership up to two times as long as they meet all eligibility requirements. 4. Students who meet the scholastic requirement will be informed that they are being considered for membership in NHS. For further consideration, the student must attend an informational meeting and complete an application for membership. This form must be turned in to the chapter advisors by a stated deadline. 5. Membership Selection. a. The Cuthbertson High School faculty and administration will serve as the character reference for each student undergoing membership. A minimum of two staff members with valid concerns will eliminate a student from consideration. b. Any student receiving ISS or OSS within the past year will also be eliminated from consideration. c. The Faculty council will select those whom they feel exhibit foundational qualities of character, leadership, and service based upon the information they receive about each student from the membership application and faculty references. d. An induction ceremony will be conducted to formally welcome the newly selected students into membership. e. Information concerning the process for scoring and reviewing potential member applications will be provided to students, faculty, and parents upon written request to the advisor of the chapter. 6. The members of the Faculty Council will be faculty at Cuthbertson High School. 7. Any new students who have been members of NHS in other chapters shall, upon transferring to or enrolling in Cuthbertson High School and presenting the proper credentials, automatically become members of the Cuthbertson High School chapter if they also meet eligibility requirements. 8. The advisors for the National Honor Society are Jennifer Wells-Lewis and Jennifer Mitchell Continued Eligibility
1. In order to be eligible for continued membership in the Cuthbertson High School chapter of the National Honor Society, members must earn one (1) Honors or Advanced Placement credit during each year of membership. 2. In order to be eligible for continued membership in the Cuthbertson High School Chapter of National Honor Society, members must maintain a cumulative 4.0 GPA on a weighted scale. a. Each member must carry and earn a minimum of seven credits per year. No subject may be dropped simply to maintain grade point average for NHS. (At least one advanced course must be taken per year of membership.) b. Members whose cumulative grades fall below those stated above shall be placed on probation for their first offense and will have one (1) semester to restore their averages. Members who fail to restore their averages to the minimum within the said semester grace period shall be dismissed from the chapter. 3. Members have the responsibility of maintaining a high degree of character, morality, honesty, and personal integrity in regards to conduct in and out of school. With this in mind, the following rules have been established: a. Any member of NHS proven of lying, cheating, or stealing during a given school year shall be dismissed from the chapter. b. ASD or Saturday work detail (1st Offense): Any member placed in After School Detention or Saturday work detail, for any reason, during a given school year will be placed on probation for one (1) semester. c. ASD or Saturday work detail (2nd Offense): Any member placed in After School Detention or Saturday work detail, for any reason, for a second time during a given school year shall be dismissed from the society. d. ISS or OSS: Any member receiving In School Suspension or Out of School Suspension or convicted in any criminal action during a given school year shall be dismissed from the chapter. 4. To be eligible for continued membership, students must attend all scheduled meetings during a school year. a. Regular meetings will be held the first Friday of each month, unless a change is needed due to the school schedule at which point the meeting will be rescheduled, at 3:05 pm in the Media Center. Officers will meet the Thursday before school in Ms. Wells-Lewis room. b. Participation in special chapter functions (i.e. Induction, Fundraisers) is required for all members of NHS. c. Special meetings to carry out chapter responsibilities may be called as needed during the school year.
d. The first unexcused absence from a meeting will result in the member being placed on probation. The second unexcused absence will result in dismissal from the society e. If a student foresees missing a meeting, he/she must obtain prior approval from the advisor one week before the regularly scheduled meeting. f. If a student is absent from a scheduled meeting and has not received prior approval, he/she must present a note to the advisor within two (2) days of the meeting stating the reason for his/her absence. It is at the discretion of the advisor whether or not the absence is excused. g. Tardies to meetings occur when a student arrives to the meeting five (5) minutes after the scheduled meeting time. Two unexcused tardies results in one unexcused absence. One unexcused absence results in probation. h. If a student foresees he/she will be tardy to a scheduled meeting, he/she must submit a request in writing to the advisor prior to the meeting stating the reason for the tardiness. It is at the discretion of the advisor to excuse the tardy. i. If a student is tardy to a meeting due to unforeseen circumstances, he/she must submit a request, in writing, to the advisor at the conclusion of the meeting stating the reason for the tardiness. It is at the discretion of the advisor to excuse the tardy. j. Work, work related events, or other non-school functions will NOT be accepted as excused absences. NHS expects students to plan for each monthly meeting and adjust their work schedules accordingly. Exceptions must be approved by an advisor. 5. To be eligible for continued membership, each student shall be responsible for completing a minimum number of service hours during the school year. For members inducted in the previous year, a minimum of sixteen (16) hours per semester (September through December for first semester and January through April for second semester) with at least two (2) hours per month is required. For new inductees who were inducted in the Fall semester, a minimum of twelve (12) hours for the Fall semester (October through December) and a minimum of sixteen hours for the second semester (January through April) is required. The community service must have been completed during the semester. a. NHS members must submit their minimum monthly service hours on the appropriate service hours form. Forms are due on the scheduled due date each month. b. A student who fails to complete his/her two (2) service hours for a month or their total semester amount will be placed on membership probation. A second violation will result in dismissal from the chapter. c. No member may submit more than eight (8) hours per semester of community service from tutoring students at CHS. Service hours should be earned from a variety of school and community organizations. d. The CHS chapter of the NHS will sponsor service activities as well as fundraisers determined by the chapter. ALL NHS members are expected to participate in the service
activities an/or fundraisers. Failure to participate will result in probation and/or dismissal from the society. Probation 1. A student may be placed on probation for one violation. A second violation during probation for the first violation will result in dismissal from the chapter. 2. Once a student is placed on probation, for whatever reason, he/she has one semester to correct the probationary act. One semester is defined as a four (4) month period of school operation. 3. If, at the end of the probationary period, the student still does not meet Cuthbertson High School s National Honor Society standards, the student will be dismissed from the chapter. 4. While on probation, students are to complete an additional four (4) hours of community service after the violation was committed. If on probation for not completing service hours, members must make up those hours in addition to the four (4). 5. If a senior is placed on probation and a month period is not available before graduation, they are still expected to complete four hours of community service before graduation in order to receive their stole. 6. Any student facing dismissal may appeal in writing to the faculty council within five school days from the date of dismissal. The chapter advisor(s) will inform the student of the council s decision as soon as possible. 7. Once a student has been dismissed from the National Honor Society, he/she may not be reinstated. Induction 1. A program for the induction of new members shall be held each academic year as soon as possible after the beginning of the first semester. 2. The chapter advisor(s) and officers with approval of the membership and school officials each year shall determine the exact nature and date of the induction program. 3. The induction ceremony is a mandatory meeting that all members are expected to attend. Dues 1. Cuthbertson High School s National Honor Society assesses an initial membership fee for each member. This fee will be thirty-five dollars. 2. Returning members will be assessed a twenty dollar fee.
3. The membership fee is used to renew the chapter charter, to offset the cost of the annual induction ceremony, and to purchase supplies for the service projects and other chapter needs. 4. The membership fee and signed by-laws are due to the chapter advisors before the induction ceremony. Officers 1. President of NHS represents the society as a community contact and oversees all club responsibilities and jobs. The President also conducts the monthly meetings, organizes announcements, assists in planning of fundraisers and service opportunities, and completes any other necessary tasks for the good of the society. 2. Vice President of NHS assists the President in all presidential duties and club projects. 3. Secretary of NHS keeps the attendance records. The NHS secretary also makes agendas for NHS meetings. The secretary (along with the treasurer and historian) is responsible for taking attendance and checking in service hours members at the monthly meetings. The secretary is in charge of getting the record of attendance checked with the historian and advisor(s). After verification, the attendance is recorded onto a spreadsheet. 4. The Treasurer will serve as the committee chairperson for the fundraising committee. It is his/her responsibility to provide a fundraiser for the entire chapter each year. The treasurer (along with the secretary and historian) is responsible for taking attendance and checking in service hours members at the monthly meetings. 5. Historian of NHS is in charge of collecting pictures and mementos from the chapter's projects and composing a scrapbook to be kept by the faculty advisor(s). The historian (along with the secretary and treasurer) is responsible for taking attendance and checking in service hours members at the monthly meetings. The Historian will also serve as the committee chairperson for the t-shirt committee. It is his/her responsibility to ensure that t- shirts are designed and ordered. 6. A nominating committee chosen by the chapter shall be responsible for selection of officers. Four (4) members of the chapter plus the current chapter officers will serve on the nominating committee. These four members may not serve as officers for that year. Students in the chapter will complete an election form stating the offices they are interested in holding while nominating other members to certain offices for which they feel that person is a good candidate. The advisor(s) will compile the two lists. The nominating committee will meet and choose, among those interested and those nominated, a slate of officers for the school year. The candidates will be brought before the chapter and voted on as a whole. If the slate of officers does not pass, each office will be voted on individually until a slate of officers passes. 7. Selection of officers for the new school year shall be conducted at the April meeting. 8. Any student on probation during the time of officer selection may not run for office.
9. If an officer is removed from position during his/her term, the officer will be replaced by one of the remaining candidates from the previous election. The remaining officers will provide a list of names to the chapter that consist of the people who were considered for the position during the previous election. The chapter members will vote, secret ballot, from the list of remaining names.
After carefully reading the CHS NHS By-Laws, please sign and have a parent/guardian sign the By-Law Agreement Form. Student Information Name: Grade: Address: Phone Number: School Email Address: Personal Email Address: T-Shirt Size: By-Law Agreement Form I have reviewed the National Honor Society by-laws. I am committed to completing and adhering to its standards. I understand all of the conditions stated within. Print Student Name Print Parent/Guardian Name Student Signature Parent/Guardian Signature Date Date Please return this form to Mrs. Wells-Lewis in F114 by Monday, November 7, 2016.