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| National Honor
Society of Manchester High School West BYLAWS |
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| Article I | THE NAME OF THE ORGANIZATION |
| Section 1. | The name of this organization is the National Honor Society of Manchester High School West |
| Article II | GENERAL PURPOSE OF THE ORGANIZATION |
| Section 1. | The purpose of this organization is to create enthusiasm for scholarship, stimulate a desire to render service, promote leadership, and develop character in students of secondary schools |
| Article III | POWERS VESTED IN THE ORGANIZATION |
| 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 member of the faculty as chapter adviser, who may serve consecutive terms |
| Section 3. | The principal shall annually appoint a Faculty Council composed of five members and one substitute of the school’s faculty who may serve consecutive terms. |
| Section 4. | The principal shall receive appeals in cases of non-selection of candidates, and the disciplining or dismissal of members. |
| Article IV | DEFINITION OF MEMBERSHIP |
| Section 1. | Membership 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. | Members shall be known as active, honorary, and graduate. Active members shall become graduate members at graduation. 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. |
| Section 3. | ACTIVE MEMBER: A candidate must first be selected by the Faculty Council and then inducted in a special ceremony to become an active member. Active members have a voice and vote in chapter affairs. Active members are expected to maintain the standards of the society by which they were selected. |
| Section 4. | The day and night induction ceremonies are mandated for all members and officers. Failure to adhere to this without proper notification could result in disciplinary action. |
| Section 5. | HONORARY MEMBERSHIP: Honorary membership may be granted to individuals who have extended outstanding service to the school or community in keeping with the purposes of the National Honor Society. Faculty Councils are urged to use discretion in conferring honorary membership. The Faculty Council may also honor an outstanding student who has a disabling condition that prevents the student from fully meeting the requirements for membership. Other students who attend the school are not eligible for honorary membership, with the exception of foreign exchange students who are unable to meet the requirements in full, but who, in the opinion of the Faculty Council, deserve the honor. Honorary members have no voice or vote in chapter affairs. |
| Section 6. | Candidates become members when inducted at a special ceremony. |
| Section 7. | A National Honor Society member who transfers to West and brings a letter from the former principal or chapter adviser to this school adviser shall be accepted automatically as a member in West’s chapter. Transfer members must meet West’s standards within one semester in order to retain membership. |
| Section 8. | Members who resign or are dismissed are never again eligible for membership or its benefits. |
| Section 9. | Members who are seniors in good standing are eligible to be nominated to compete in the National Honor Society Scholarship Program. |
| Article V | NOMINATION AND SELECTION OF MEMBERS. (Information in this section must be consistent with the national guidelines, developed by the Faculty Council, and is not subject to member approval as per Article IX, section 4 of the national constitution.) |
| Section 1. | To be eligible for membership the candidate must be a member of those classes (junior or senior) designated as eligible. Freshmen and sophomores are not eligible. |
| Section 2. | Students must have a cumulative unweighted grade point average of a B+, or a 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) or a 9.0 weighted grade point average. Candidates shall be evaluated on the basis of service, leadership, and character. |
| Section 3. | Candidates shall attend a meeting to receive their folder with the necessary paperwork for selection into the society. This paperwork will consist of a National Honor Society student contract, a member information form, a community service form, seven confidential character and leadership evaluation forms, and an essay form. |
| Section 4. | Candidates must turn in all paperwork before the set deadline or they will not be allowed to be considered for selection. |
| Section 5. | The selection of each member to the chapter will be by a majority vote of the Faculty Council. |
| Section 6. | The selection procedure shall be determined by the Faculty Council and shall be consistent with the rules and regulations of the National Honor Society. |
| Section 7. | The students will be officially notified of their selection into the society by letter. |
| Section 8. | The National Council and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) shall not review the judgment of the Faculty Council regarding the selection of the individual members to the Manchester High School West chapter. |
| Article VI | MEETINGS |
| Section 1. | West shall have regular meetings during the school year on days designated by the executive committee and in accordance with school policy and regulations. Notification shall be made to the Assistant Principal in charge of student activities and the theatre adviser of the auditorium if needed. |
| Section 2. | Special meeting approved by the Executive Committee may be called by the chapter president or other designated student leader. |
| Section 3. | A member shall be up for dismissal if he/she does not attend regular and special meetings. All members are expected to attend all meetings unless excused by the adviser or president. Failure to attend meetings may result in disciplinary action including dismissal from the society. |
| Article VII | THE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR OFFICERS, ADVISER, AND MEMBERS. (Include committees) |
| Section 1. | Officer positions include: president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, historian, and public relations officer. All officers will be seniors. Within 30 days of the induction ceremony, two juniors will elected to serve as junior class representatives. |
| Section 2. | The executive committee, consisting of the president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, historian, public relations officer, and chapter adviser, 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 bylaws. All actions and recommendations of the executive committee shall be subject to the review of the chapter membership. |
| Section 3. | The chapter adviser, president, and vice-president for the direct day-to-day supervision and act as liaison between faculty, administration, students, and community. |
| Section 4. | The executive council shall maintain files on membership, chapter history, activities, and financial transactions. |
| Section 5. | The chapter adviser, president, and vice-president shall regularly review each member for compliance with Society standards and obligations. |
| Section 6. | The chapter adviser shall help the executive council understand and carry out their duties. |
| Section 7. | The executive council shall inform the adviser of needs or problems of the National Honor Society. |
| Section 8. | The chapter adviser shall be ex-officio, non-voting, sixth member of the faculty council. |
| Section 9. | The chapter adviser shall be a member of the faculty, appointed annually by the principal, and may serve consecutive terms. |
| Section 10. | The executive committee shall have the responsibility for ensuring chapter activities and procedures follow school policy and regulations. |
| Section 11. | The executive committee shall determine one or more service projects for the year. |
| Section 12. | All members shall regularly participate in these projects. |
| Section 13. | These projects shall have the following characteristics: fulfill a need within the school or community; have the support of the administration and the faculty; be appropriate and educationally defensible; be well planned, organized, and executed. |
| Section 14. | Additionally, each member shall have the responsibility for choosing and participating in a service project that reflects his or her particular interests. |
| Section 15. | The duties of the president include overseeing the daily operations of the organization, making decisions with the adviser and the executive council for the organization, interacting with the principal, being aware of discipline problems in the organization, making a speech at Freshman Orientation, being present for the application process of incoming juniors, attending open house, and running the induction ceremony. The president will be directly responsible for the student communications committee and the activities held during National Honor Society Week. |
| Section 16. | The duties of the vice-president include obtaining a guest speaker for the induction ceremony, overseeing fundraisers with the treasurer, being in charge of refreshments for teachers and guests before the induction ceremony in the principal’s conference room, attending open house, scheduling for meetings in the auditorium. The vice president will be directly responsible for the student communications committee along with the president. |
| Section 17. | Part(a) It is now required that there be two (2) secretaries. The duties listed above are delegated between the two officials.
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| Section 18. | The treasurer's duties include keeping track of all financial records and reporting the findings to the president and vice president. The treasurer will be responsible for a quarterly financial statement. |
| Section 19. | The duties of the historian include being in charge of refreshments in the cafeteria at the end of the induction ceremony, having a book to keep track of outside signs, being in charge of tables for Freshman Orientation, and attending open house. |
| Section 20. | The duties of the public-relations officer include distribution of letters to members, attending open house, and being in charge of Kids Café. |
| Section 21. | All officers must attend open house and Freshmen orientation. |
| Section 22. | The Steel award is given to a member of the community who promotes educational growth. This person demonstrates the ideals of the national honor society including character, leadership, scholarship, and service. Part(a) The advisor and the top-ranking student officials determine the recipient of the Steel award. Each member nominates a person displaying the characteristics mentioned above. The nominees are discussed and voted on. A simple majority vote rules. Part(b) The recipient of the awards name will be kept confidential until the evening of the induction ceremony held in the fall. |
| Section 23. | Any member whose GPA falls below a 3.5 or 9.0 must receive a warning. They could be put on probation by the advisor or faculty counsel. |
| Section 24. | If the semester average falls below a 3.0 (which is the National Index) the student's membership of NHS may be revoked. |
| Section 25. | Any officer that falls below a 3.5 or 9.0 may be removed from their position and returned to the general membership. |
| Section 26. | Any officer that falls below a 3.0 will be removed and returned to general membership. |
| Article VIII | PROCEDURE FOR ELECTION AND REMOVAL OF OFFICERS AND FILLING VACANCIES |
| Section 1. | A) All juniors intending to run for office must attend an informational
meeting conducted by the president. B) JUNIOR CLASS REPRESENTATIVES: Two weeks prior to the election, any member of the junior class who wishes to run for representative will notify the president, vice-president, or secretary. |
| Section 2. | Election will stay open for one week or until all members have voted. |
| Section 3. | Each member is expected to participate in voting and may only be excused from voting by both the adviser and the president. |
| Section 4. | EXECUTIVE COUNCIL: Juniors wishing to run for executive council positions will notify the outgoing president, vice-president, or secretary of their intent in May. |
| Section 5. | The candidates shall be listed on one ballot, in alphabetical order, and with full spelling of the names. |
| Section 6. | Ballots may be handed out by the adviser. Members shall vote by secret ballot for up to five candidates to fill the six positions. There will be no electioneering in the area around voting. A ballot will be discarded by the adviser or the president if too many votes are cast. |
| Section 7. | The six candidates who receive the most votes will be offered the positions. The candidate who receives the most votes will be offered the position of president, the next candidate will be offered the position of vice-president, and so forth. |
| Section 8. | The principal and the Faculty Council will be notified of the election results. |
| Section 9. | An officer shall be removed immediately for any violation of Article XI. Also, an officer may be removed from office by the adviser for failure to carry out his/her duties, and return to regular membership of the National Honor Society. The adviser will notify the principal. |
| Section 10. | Any person who wishes to run for office and plans to graduate in January must seek permission from the advisor. |
| Section 11. | Anyone who does not receive permission and leaves in January will be dismissed as an officer. |
| Article IX | NEWSPAPER |
| Section 1. | The First-Secretary will oversee the newspaper. |
| Section 2. | The newspaper will be produced and distributed a minimum of every two weeks. |
| Section 3. | The newspaper will include any information that will be useful to the members of the organization, birthdays of members, and college acceptances. |
| Article X | RULES OF ORDER AND REFERENCES FOR CONDUCTING SOCIETY BUSINESS |
| Section 1. | Robert’s Rules of Order will be used. |
| Section 2. | All rules listed in West High School’s handbook will be observed. |
| Article XI | FACULTY COUNCIL |
| Section 1. | The Faculty Council shall consist of five voting faculty members, and one substitute, appointed annually by the principal. The chapter adviser shall be an ex-officio, non-voting, sixth member of the Faculty Council. The principal or an assistant principal may not be included in the Faculty Council. |
| Section 2. | The term of the Faculty Council shall be one year. Members may be appointed to serve consecutive terms. |
| Section 3. | The Faculty Council shall meet at least once a year to review the procedures of the chapter and to select new members. Additional meetings may be held to consider disciplinary actions or dismissal of members |
| Section 4. | The Faculty Council, in compliance with the national guidelines, will develop and revise all chapter procedures for selecting, disciplining, and dismissing members. |
| Article XII | DISMISSAL OF A MEMBER |
| Section 1. | The procedure for dismissal shall be determined by the Faculty Council in compliance with the rules and regulations of the National Honor Society. |
| Section 2. | In addition, a member may be removed from the organization if the member fails to abide by their responsibilities. This rule applies to both general members and officers. |
| 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 the right to a hearing before the Faculty Council. |
| 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 the NASSP shall hear no appeals in the dismissal case. |
| Section 8. | (probation) A member is only entitled to one probation. Once on probation, the member is always on probation. A member may be put on probation by the faculty council or advisor. If the advisor puts a member on probation, the faculty council will be notified. |
| Section 9. | If a member is on probation and commits another violation, the Faculty Council may dismiss the member from the organization. |
| Section 10. | The advisor must be notified of all appeals first. The appeal will then go to the principal. The principal will handle the appeal. |
| Section 11. | If a member receives a failing grade in any course he/she must receive a warning and may be put on probation. |
| Section 12. | If a member receives a failing grade in any course he/she are subject to dismissal from their position and probation. |
| Article XIII | OFFICAL INSIGNIA |
| Section 1. | This organization shall use the official emblem selected by the National Council. |
| Section 2. | The distribution of the emblem and the rules for its use are under the exclusive control of the National Council. |
| Section 3. | Each active, graduate, or honorary member 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 registered in the United States Patent Office and may not be copied by anyone. |
| Section 6. | The motto of the National Honor Society is 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 XIV | PROVISIONS FOR AMENDING THE BYLAWS |
| Section 1. | This constitution may be amended at any meeting of the Faculty Council. |
| Section 2. | After a change to the bylaws has been proposed and a draft has been prepared, the members of the chapter shall be informed and asked to go to the chapter’s website for review of the changes and discussion. |
| Section 3. | Proposed amendments or provisions require a two-thirds vote of the chapter for adoption. Once all members have been informed that the changes are available for review at the website, the members will have seven school days in which to vote on them. Sections dealing with revisions to the procedures for selection, disciplining, and dismissal of members can only be changed by the Faculty Council. |
| Section 4. | The bylaws and any changes to the bylaws must be approved by the principal. |
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