National Honor Society
Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School
Noepe Chapter Bylaws
ARTICLE I
Name and Purpose
Section 1. The name of this chapter shall be the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School Noepe Chapter of the National Honor Society.
Section 2. The purpose of this chapter shall be to create enthusiasm for Scholarship, to stimulate a desire to render Service, to promote Leadership, and to develop Character in the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School.
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 the chapter Advisor and a Faculty Council.
ARTICLE III
Faculty Council
Section 1. The Faculty Council shall consist of a minimum of five voting faculty members appointed for a one-year term by the Principal.
Section 2. The chapter Advisor shall be an ex-officio, nonvoting member of the Faculty Council.
Section 3. The Faculty Council shall meet twice a year (September and February) to select members. The Council may also be called upon to consider dismissal and warning cases as needed.
ARTICLE IV
Faculty Advisor
Section 1. The chapter Advisor 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 Advisor shall maintain files on membership, chapter history, activities, and financial transactions. The chapter Advisor shall write an annual activity report for the school administration.
Section 3. The chapter Advisor shall review each semester each member for compliance with Society standards and obligations.
Section 4. The chapter Advisor shall help the chapter officers understand and carry out their duties. If, in the opinion of the Advisor, an officer does not or cannot carry out assigned duties in an acceptable manner, such officer shall have the option to resign or be suspended from that office, pending review by the Faculty Council. If said officer is removed from office, the full membership shall vote to replace that officer.
ARTICLE V
Selection of Members
Section 1. Membership in the chapter shall be based upon Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character.
Section 2. Candidates for active membership shall be selected twice a year by the Faculty Council. Juniors and Seniors shall be eligible for membership. A formal induction ceremony for new members will take place in the fall.
Section 3. Candidates eligible for selection to the chapter must have at least 4.5 scholastic average on the weighted scale. Candidates must also have at least a 90 discipline average for the previous school year. Candidates who have met these criteria shall be notified of their eligibility by the Principal. It shall be the candidate's responsibility to complete, by the designated deadline, the necessary forms for selection consideration. All selection materials must be completed and returned to the Principal by the designated date and time stated in the notification letter. Failure to meet the deadlines stipulated, will result in exclusion from the selection process.
Section 4. The faculty shall be asked to complete an information survey on the candidates, and this survey shall be collected and tabulated by the Advisor.
Section 5. The completed selection materials will then be reviewed by the Faculty Council on the basis of outstanding Character, Leadership, and Service. Decisions on induction made by the Faculty Council are final. Appeals may be made to the Principal only in the case that some technical or procedural error may have been made.
ARTICLE VI
Installation Procedures and Ceremonies
Section 1. New members must be inducted into the chapter at a public ceremony to be held in the MVRHS Performing Arts Center in the fall. All present members of the National Honor Society are required to attend the induction ceremony. The specific date of such induction shall be determined by the Principal and Advisor.
Section 2. Permission to waive the mandate to attend the formal induction ceremony due to extenuating circumstances, shall be considered and decided on by the Advisor and Principal. Any such decision shall be final.
Section 3. The induction shall be the traditional candle lighting ceremony, stressing Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character.
Section 4. The induction ceremony shall be conducted by the officers and members of the chapter, under the direction of the Advisor and Principal.
ARTICLE VII
Chapter Officers
Section 1. The President of the chapter shall aid the Advisor in directing the affairs of the chapter and is responsible for chairing the monthly meetings. The President shall work with the Advisor to develop the meeting’s agenda ahead of time.
Section 2. The Vice-president shall help take attendance and assist the President as needed during the meetings. The Vice-president shall serve in the absence of the President.
Section 3. The Secretary shall record attendance and proceedings and attend to clerical duties, enlisting the aid of other members when necessary. S/he will present the minutes of each meeting to the Advisor to be filed.
Section 4. The Treasurer shall keep records of all financial/collection matters and assist the other officers in organizing chapter-wide service projects or events.
Section 5. Chapter officers shall be elected by the each Spring. Chapter officers shall be elected from current members of the junior class who are going into the senior year, and who have displayed outstanding scholarship, character, leadership, and service.
Section 6. The newly elected officers will be announced and installed at the annual induction ceremony the following fall.
ARTICLE VIII
Meetings
Section 1. The chapter shall meet on the first Tuesday of every month at a previously designated location, unless notified of a change by the chapter Advisor or President.
Section 2. Special meetings may be called by the chapter Advisor or President, with a minimum two day notice. Emergency meetings may be called without prior notice.
Section 3. All members are required to attend all meetings. Excuses for absences must meet with Advisor approval.
Section 4. Flagrant absences to meetings over any quarter of the academic year, shall be discussed and resolved by the Faculty Council if needed.
ARTICLE IX
Activities/Service
Section 1. All members are required to participate in National Honor Society projects, both individual and group.
Section 2. Each member shall have the responsibility for choosing and participating in five hours of community service projects each school year. Each member should keep a list of the project and dates/times of service. Members who do not complete the number of hours by the times specified (late spring), will be prevented from participating in Honor Society activities until compliance is met. Dismissal from the National Honor Society will occur for a member who makes no effort to complete and document his/her service hours.
Section 3. Community service hours are defined as those accrued from a service which is voluntary, with no monetary gain, outside of class time, and directly or indirectly benefiting the community, group, or individual for which the duties were performed.
ARTICLE X
Disciplining and Dismissal of Members
Section 1. A member whose cumulative grade point average falls below 4.5 on the weighted scale shall be given a written warning, mailed to the student's home, and the student has the rest of the semester (two terms) to raise his/her grade to the acceptable average of 4.5. Failure to do so would be grounds for dismissal.
Section 2. A member whose discipline grade point average falls below 90% for the year shall be given a written warning, mailed to the student’s home, and the student shall have the rest of the semester to raise his/her discipline grade to the acceptable average of 90%. Failure to do so would be grounds for dismissal.
These bylaws were updated and passed by the Faculty Council October 6, 2003