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Constitution Blackstone-Millville Regional High School Chapter of the National Honor Society of Secondary Schools

Name and Purpose

Section 1. The name of this chapter shall be the BLACKSTONE-MILLVILLE REGIONAL 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 Blackstone-Millville Regional High School.

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 the chapter advisor who may serve consecutive terms.

Section 3. The principal shall annually appoint a Faculty Council composed of five members 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.

Faculty Advisor

Section 1. The chapter advisor shall be an ex officio, nonvoting, sixth member of the Faculty Council, appointed annually by the principal, and may serve consecutive terms.

Section 2. 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 3. The chapter advisor shall maintain files on membership, chapter history, activities, and financial transactions. The chapter advisor shall send the annual activity report to the national office.

Section 4. The chapter advisor shall regularly review each member for compliance with Honor Society standards and obligations.

Section 5. 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 decide on a method of replacing that officer. An officer who has been removed from their office may appeal the Faculty Council’s decision to the principal.

Section 6. The chapter advisor shall stimulate membership growth in the chapter.

Faculty Council

Section 1. The Faculty Council shall consist of five voting faculty members appointed annually by the principal. Council members may serve consecutive terms.

Section 2. The chapter advisor shall be an ex-officio, non-voting, sixth member of the Faculty Council.

Section 3. The Faculty Council shall meet at least twice a year to select members. The Council may also be called upon to consider dismissal and warning cases as needed.

Section 4. The Faculty Council will develop and revise, when necessary, all chapter procedures for selection, disciplining, and dismissal of members, all of which must remain in compliance with the national guidelines.

Selection of Members

Section 1. Membership in the chapter is an honor bestowed upon a student, and shall be based upon Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character. Once selected, a members have the responsibility to continue to demonstrate these qualities.

Section 2. Candidates shall have been enrolled for no less than one-half semester at Blackstone-Millville Regional, unless a transfer is made from another chapter of the National Honor Society of Secondary Schools.

Section 3. Candidates for active membership shall be selected twice a year by the Faculty Council. Sophomores shall be eligible for membership in the spring after completion of 3 semesters; Juniors shall be eligible for membership in the spring after completion of 5 semesters; Seniors shall be eligible in the fall after completion of 6 semesters. Seniors begin active membership in the fall following their selection and informal induction. All candidates become official members when inducted at the BMR Induction Ceremony in the spring.

Section 4. Candidates eligible for selection to the chapter must follow an honors curriculum and have a high school cumulativeweighted GPA of 95.00 or higher on the official BMR transcript. Candidates who have achieved this academic requirement shall be notified of their eligibility by the advisor to the National Honor Society. It shall be the candidate's responsibility to obtain from the advisor, by the designated deadline, the necessary forms for admission consideration. All admission materials must be completed and returned to the advisor by the designated date and time stated in the "packet cover-letter." Failure to meet the stipulated deadlines will result in exclusion from the selection process.

The completed admission materials will then be reviewed by the Faculty Council on the basis of outstanding Character, Leadership, and Service. The selection of each member to the chapter shall be by a majority vote of the Faculty Council.

Section 5. Members who resign or are dismissed are never again eligible for membership or its benefits.

Installation Procedures and Ceremonies

Section 1. New members must be inducted into the chapter at a public ceremony to be held in the Molony-Sullivan Auditorium in Spring. 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 at a meeting of school advisors in the fall.

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 Blackstone-Millville Chapter Candle- lighting Service, stressing Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character.

Section 4. The theme of the induction shall be determined by the members and the advisor.

Section 5. The induction ceremony shall be conducted by the officers and members of the chapter, under the direction of the advisor.

Chapter Officers

Section 1. The officers of the chapter, their duties, and the methods of their election shall be determined each year prior to the induction ceremony, whereby such determination will amend the following Sections 1 through 7.

Section 2. The president of the chapter shall aid the advisor in directing the affairs of the chapter and is responsible for chairing the weekly meetings. The president will attend each sub-committee meeting throughout the year, without compensation of service hours.

Section 3. The vice-president shall serve in the absence of the president. The vice-president shall also be the coordinator of the chapter's involvement with the Blackstone-Millville Food Pantry and coordinate the student -of - the month activities.

Section 4. 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 on a weekly basis.

Section 5. The treasurer shall keep records of all financial matters, collect funds periodically from members, inventory Honor Society materials, and assist the advisor in the ordering of Honor Society materials. The treasurer shall also serve as the tutoring coordinator. The tutoring coordinator is responsible for assigning and monitoring tutoring assignments and records.

Section 6. The historian/service coordinator shall record and regularly review each member's community service hours and post for membership review. The historian shall also be responsible for documenting chapter events in a manner agreed upon by the membership.

Section 7. A tutor coordinator appointed by the advisor shall be responsible for assigning and monitoring tutoring assignments and records. This position is not considered to be an office.

Section 8. If, in the opinion of the advisor, an officer does not or is unable to carry out assigned duties in an acceptable manner, said 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 decide on a method of replacing that officer. An officer who has been removed from their office may appeal the Faculty Council’s decision to the principal.

Section 9. Chapter officers shall be elected by the senior members each spring, prior to the induction of new members. 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 10. The newly elected officers will be announced and installed at the annual induction ceremony.

Meetings

Section 1. The chapter shall meet every Wednesday morning from 7:00 a.m. to 7:25 a.m. at a previously designated location, unless notified of a change by the chapter advisor or president.

Section 2. Meetings shall be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order.

Section 3. 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 4. All members are required to attend all meetings. Excuses for absences must meet with advisor approval.

Section 5. After two absences without advisor approval, a member must relinquish his/her honors pass until s/he has attended three successive meetings, or relinquish his/her pass for no longer than a five week period if there are not three successive meetings. Each member will begin each semester fresh with no absences. Three unexcused tardies to meetings will equal one absence; a tardy occurring later than 7:10 a.m. will be counted as an absence.

Section 6. Flagrant absences to meetings over any quarter of the academic year shall be discussed and resolved by the Faculty Council if needed.

Activities/Service

Section 1. All members are required to participate in National Honor Society projects, both individual and group (i.e. food pantry, holiday activities, Empty Bowl Project, etc.).

Section 2. All members shall participate in a tutoring project during the school year and are obligated to tutor one period per 7 day schedule if needed or one day after school. Any time spent in tutoring during the school day, beyond the mandatory one period a week, or done outside of school, shall be counted as service hours. All tutoring should be documented and such documentation given to the tutoring coordinator. An NHS tutoring contract must be signed by both parties and given to the tutoring coordinator.

Section 3. Each member shall have the responsibility for choosing and participating in eighteen (18) hours of community service projects each school year. Ten (10) additional hours are to be performed during the summer. Members who do not complete the number of hours by the times specified, will be prevented from participating in Honor Society activities until compliance is met. Students will be notified of the deficiency in writing. Dismissal from the National Honor Society may occur for a member who makes no effort to complete and document his/her service hours.

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 are performed. Baby-sitting, yard work, housekeeping, etc., when done by a member for his/her family or friends will not be considered community service.

Section 4. National Honor Society functions such as car washes, bake sales, etc. indirectly benefit the community, since money collected from such activities are used for goodwill causes throughout the school year.

An NHS member who attends and participates at such functions will be credited service hours, not to exceed three (3) hours from any one (1) activity. Members who serve on committees for NHS functions will be credited 1/2 hour service for every 1/2 hour meeting.

Members who complete duties for the In-House Suspension program during their study hall periods will be given up to two (2) service hours each semester based on the frequency of the work.

Section 5. The National Honor Society encourages involvement in a variety of service activities. Members must experience three (3) different services during each semester of the school year, one of which will be service outside of NHS activities, and will total at least two (2) hours. At the beginning of each semester members may start fresh with new or the same services. During the summer months, National Honor Society members are allowed to take part in one (1) or more service projects.

A National Honor Society member who is also a member of other organizations which require completion of service hours (i.e. Student Council, CCD, youth groups, etc.) may not overlap the two requirements.

Section 6. Letters verifying a National Honor Society member's service must be:

a. on a full sheet of paper (letterhead if available).

b. dated with the date of submission.

c. clear as to the exact service and the date(s) of such service.

d. from the source of the service experience and not from a parent/guardian unless there are extenuating circumstances which prevent such (subject to the advisor's approval).

*A member should use the NHS Service Forms for service completed for NHS functions only. This form should be signed by the chapter advisor and given to the service coordinator.

Section 7. The following schedule of verification of service hours will be adhered to by all National Honor Society members:

a. Documentation for summer hours (10) will be due by October 1 of the following school year. Documentation of these hours should reflect service completed during the summer vacation months only. (Exceptions may be granted by the advisor.)

b. Semester one and semester two hours will total eighteen (18) and may be served eight (8) and ten (10) interchangeably each semester. These hours are to be completed and documented by the end of the first semester and by June 10th of the second semester.

c. At the discretion of the advisor, a member may "carry over" up to two (2) service hours from summer to first semester and/or two (2) hours from first semester to second semester. It is the responsibility of the member to make the approved carry-over known to the service coordinator.

*If a member is ever in doubt as to the appropriateness of service, s/he should seek approval of the advisor.

Honor Society Passes

Section 1. Each member shall receive an honors pass to be used as a pass to leave study hall, classes, or homeroom, in place of any kind of pass, with the permission of the teacher in charge of such study hall, class, or homeroom.

Section 2. Honors passes may be used only for usually accepted designations, such as the Library Media Center, computer labs, guidance offices, lavatory, nurse's office, main office, etc.

Section 3. Members may use their honors passes for the Library Media Center or classroom centrums for studying or tutoring. Allowing non-members to use these areas for the aforementioned reasons is forbidden. Tutoring will be done at an area separate from all other activity.

Section 4. Use of the honors pass for unacceptable behavior, such as roaming the halls, going outside, etc. are grounds for relinquishing the pass for a length of time to be determined by the officers and chapter advisor.

Disciplining and Dismissal of Members

Section 1. A member whose cumulative grade point average falls below 90% should be given a written warning, mailed to the student's home. The remainder of the current quarter will be given to raise his/her grade to the acceptable average of 90%. Failure to do so would be grounds for dismissal.

Section 2. Members who are guilty of discipline code infractions, as stated in the Blackstone-Millville Regional Student – Parent Handbook, in the judgment of the advisor or members of the Faculty Council, shall receive written warning from the advisor. Any member who has received two (2) written warnings shall appear at a hearing before the Faculty Council.

Section 3. The advisor may choose to use the opinions and suggestions of the chapter officers for disciplining procedures. Infractions involving student records (ie. grades, attendance) or out of school court/police issues will not be discussed with the officers.

Section 4. Members who receive excessive amounts of detention shall appear before the Faculty Council if deemed necessary.

Section 5. Members suspended (in or out of school) for any reason shall be automatically suspended from National Honor Society activities until a decision is made following a hearing before the Faculty Council.

Section 6. Any member who is in violation of the ethical or moral codes of the National Honor Society (i.e. the NHS pledge taken at Induction), shall appear at a hearing before the Faculty Council. Such violations include, but are not limited to, cheating or plagiarizing on tests, homework, or reports.

Section 7. The Honors Board or Faculty Council may use counseling or suspension from Honor Society activities for specified periods of time as disciplinary measures.

Section 8. In all cases of impending dismissal, a member and his/her parents/guardians shall receive notification of the offense and have a right to a pre-dismissal hearing before the Faculty Council. For purposes of dismissal, a majority vote of the Faculty Council is required.

Section 9. 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 10. Appearances before the Faculty Council shall be preceded by letters sent to the parents notifying them of such hearings.

Amendments

Section 1. This constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of those present at a meeting called for that purpose, provided that the proposed amendments have been presented to the membership at least one meeting prior to the one upon which it is to be voted.

Section 2. The constitution may not be amended without the approval of the principal.

Attachment: Further Information provided at time of eligibility.

*All of the above information is considered to be the by-laws of the Blackstone-Millville Regional Chapter of the National Honor Society. It is the responsibility of the members to familiarize themselves and their parents with the contents of these by-laws. A reserved copy of this Constitution is available in the Library Media Center, the guidance office, and the principal’s office. It is also available on the BMR website.

Amended: December 2017