LINCOLN EAST HIGH SCHOOL
APOLLONAIRES CONSTITUTION
Revised December 2011
Article I: NAME
This organization shall be known as the Lincoln East High School Apollonaires.
Article II: PURPOSE
The purpose of the Apollonaires shall be to promote school spirit and pride through entertainment at various activities including performances at pep rallies, games, meets, and parades. The Apollonaires shall represent East High School at all times. It is the purpose of each member to make a strong commitment to academics and performances. Each member must conduct themselves in a manner, which brings credit to themselves, their family, Lincoln East High, and their community.
Article III: MEMBERSHIP
SECTION 1:
A. Any Lincoln East High School freshman, sophomore, or junior student having passed a minimum of twenty (20) hours the preceding semester shall be eligible to tryout.
B. There shall be one selected squad; the number of members to be determined by the sponsor and the administration during tryouts.
Article IV: ELECTIVE OFFICERS
SECTION 1:
A. The captain junior captain, secretary, music coordinator, performance coordinator, and will be elected from within the squad following tryouts.
B. A captain must be returning senior squad member who demonstrates a 100% commitment to the Apollonaires, forgoing any activities that directly conflict with Apollonaire practices, performances, or duties. In the event that there are no returning senior squad members, the election may be extended to the next group of returners, to which the same rules apply. No new squad member may be considered for captain.
B. The captain is responsible for presiding at meetings. They should monitor practices when the sponsor is not present. They may also apply and register the squad for clinics and/or competitions. They will work with the sponsor in scheduling the performances. They will also be in charge of organizing extra activities such as a calendar-of-events, additional practices, and scheduling of performances.
C. The captain will work with the sponsor to monitor the point system.
D. The secretary shall be responsible for all squad correspondence. The secretary will create, maintain, and distribute the minutes from squad meetings. She will also assist the captain with any other duties if necessary.
F. An elected music coordinator shall be responsible for the official “Apollonaires boom box”, keeping the squad iPod up-to-date, and making CDs throughout the year.
G. The junior captain will work with the fundraising parent/group and shall be responsible for organizing dates, times, places, and prices for fund raisers benefiting the Apollonaires.
G. The performance coordinator will insure that all choreography is learned by the members.
Article V: SPONSORS
SECTION 1:
A. The Apollonaires shall have as many sponsors as deemed necessary. The administration shall select the sponsors.
B. The duties of the sponsor(s) are:
1. To counsel all action proposed by the Apollonaires and to give advice.
2. To call business meetings when needed, at which time all business shall be transacted.
4. To supervise all financial activities.
5. To order uniforms and accessories.
6. To conduct all correspondence with uniform sales representatives and to handle all financial transactions related to their purchase.
7. To attend performances unless another supervisor is available for a particular activity.
8. To conduct Apollonaires tryouts with the help of the senior squad members.
9. To confirm that a panel of qualified judges for tryouts has been acquired.
10. To approve written excuses.
11. To oversee and approve routines for pep rallies and games/performances.
12. To approve of any out-of-town transportation.
13. To discipline members/squad with administrative consultation.
14. To assist members in receiving critiques.
15. To promote a positive atmosphere for new members.
16. To monitor the squad point system.
SECTION 2:
A. The Apollonaire point system is implemented in order to hold squad members accountable.
B. Points can only be earned, they cannot be taken away.
C. Squad members can accumulate up to 15 points per quarter before being benched.
D. After a squad member accumulates 15 points, she will be benched for a night’s performance(s). If she accumulates 15 additional points she will be benched for two nights of performance(s). If 45 points (three sets of 15) are accumulated in the same quarter, she may be removed from the squad.
E. Points can be earned for the following offenses including, but not limited to: tardies, absences, inappropriate uniform, inappropriate practice attire, and conduct/attitude. Please see the Point System for a complete list of offenses.
F. The captain shall be responsible for assigning loss of points; all assignments must be approved by the sponsor.
G. Points will start over at the beginning of each quarter.
Article VI: FINANCES
SECTION 1:
A . Apollonaires shall establish an account in the official activity fund at the administrative offices. Funds must be deposited in the Apollonaires activity account. At the end of the LPS year, there will be a balance of at least $200.00 dollars for the use of the in-coming squad.
B. Special fund-raising projects may be held by the squad with the sponsor’s approval.
C. No purchases will be made without the permission of the sponsor(s) and in accordance with the procedure established for activity accounts.
D. A member must have the sponsor sign any sales receipts if she expects to be reimbursed for purchases.
Article VII: PRACTICES AND MEETINGS
SECTION 1:
A. All members should attend a summer clinic. The sponsor and administration will be informed before camp if there is a problem in attending the camp. All members are strongly encouraged to attend.
B. If a squad member cannot attend a summer clinic, she will forfeit the right to perform in the home routine for the entire year (only if the home routine is set prior to the clinic).
C. Practice times will be determined by the squad members.
D. The sponsor(s) and captain(s) have the authority to call a practice and/or meeting.
E. Members are required to attend all practices and meetings on time. If you know you will be late or miss an event, a written excuse must be given to the sponsorat least 24 hours prior to the event. In the case of an emergency, a written excuse must be given to the sponsor at the first available time, preferably before the event/practice is scheduled to begin. For other absences, you will have one day (24 hours) to submit a note to the sponsor for it to be considered excused, though points will still be lost. If no note is received or 24 hours passes, the absence is considered unexcused. Excuses are in line with district policies.
F. The scheduled daily practice and meeting time will be mandatory for all Apollonaires and attendance will be taken. Injured squad members will also be expected to report and remain at the entire practice. Benched squad members are also expected to report and remain until the end of practice.
G. Members are required to attend all “mandatory” meetings called by the sponsor.
H. All members should avoid making personal appointments during the period scheduled for Apollonaires practice- this includes work; repeated absence for personal reasons will be discussed with the sponsor and the administration.
*work is defined as any activity that brings in a profit- this includes jobs, modeling, teaching dance, etc*
Article VIII: ATTENDANCE
SECTION 1: PRACTICES
A. Attendance will be taken every day for the group meeting/practice.
B. Work obligations and personal engagements will not be considered as an excused absence.
C. Arriving just long enough for attendance and then leaving for reasons other than Apollonaires business will be recorded as an unexcused absence.
D. Leaving practice early without permission will be recorded as an unexcused absence.
E. Practice attire includes the shoes worn for the corresponding performance stage- jazz shoes for competition/basketball season and tennis shoes for football season.
SECTION 2: PERFORMANCES
A. During football and basketball season, squad members will arrive at the determined time by the captain and will remain until after the cheerleaders’ “Theme Cheer” and school song. Members will not be tardy or leave early without written permission.
B. All members will sit together in the front row in the section in front of the varsity cheerleaders. Failure to be seated together at any given time will result in a loss of points.
C. During football season, all members will have only the post-performance time until the play clock reads 8 minutes in the 3rd quarter to socialize.
D. At football games, members will remain in the front row of the section for the entire game. When the play clock reads 8 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, members are to be reseated with the squad.
E. If a home game is being played and the Apollonaires are not performing, attendance requirements will be determined by the Sponsor and Captains. One of the official uniforms should be worn to these events. Home games will include Inter-City events at all Lincoln High Schools (Southeast, Northeast, Lincoln High, Southwest).
F. In the case of a double-header basketball game (on a weekend), members will remain in attendance through the entirety of both games.
G. If a member cannot attend one of the two games, she will forfeit her privilege to perform at either game.
H. In the case of a double-header basketball game (on a week day), members are expected to remain in attendance through their performance.
I. Out of town games are NOT mandatory.
J. The Apollonaires compete at 1-2 competitions per year, including the state dance competition in the spring. All members are required to attend all competitions set at the beginning of the year. Failure to participate in any pre-determined competition will result in a loss of points, determined by the sponsor.
SECTION 3: ELIGIBILITY TO PERFORM
A. If a member has an unexcused absence for any class/classes on game day, she will be granted 48 hours to clear the “unexcused absence”. Otherwise, she will not be allowed to perform at the following event. Only the squad sponsor may make exception to this regulation. For sponsor approval of an absence, written excuses must be given to the sponsor 2 days before the performing event.
B. If a member is absent from school the day of a performance due to illness, she will not be eligible to perform that evening.
Article IX: UNIFORM
Section 1:
A. The Apollonaire uniform(s) shall be chosen by each individual squad and are subject to any regulation established by the Lincoln Public Schools or the East High Administration.
B. The color of the uniform must be in keeping with the school colors.
C. Uniforms must be worn on the day of a varsity basketball, varsity volleyball, varsity soccer, and varsity football game and/or rally. Wearing of the uniform is otherwise determined by the squad members.
D. Only “Official Jewelry” will be allowed.
E. All Apollonaires must wear their uniforms on the days of district, state, and holiday tournaments in which an East team is participating.
Article X: PERFORMANCES
SECTION 1:
A. Half-time performances at all games and meets shall be scheduled with the sponsor and athletic director. The band director must also be consulted when appropriate.
B. When invited by the cheerleaders and cheerleading sponsor, the squad will perform a routine during pep rallies.
C. Out-of-town performances will be done by invitation only.
D. All performances are limited to ten minutes. This also includes the end-of-the year composite routine.
Article XI: TRYOUTS
SECTION 1:
A. Tryouts shall be held in the spring of each year. Dates shall be scheduled with the Apollonaires sponsor and the Associate Principal for Activities. Tryouts will not begin until the Monday following the Boys State Basketball Tournament.
B. Apollonaire tryouts will take place prior to cheerleading tryouts. The group assigned first will begin practice no sooner than March 1 and should conclude by April 8. The second group will begin practice no sooner than April 1 and should conclude by May 5.
C. Any East High freshman, sophomore, or junior student who has met the administrative tryout requirements, and has passed twenty or better hours the previous semester is eligible to tryout.
D. Any member who has previously been terminated from the squad will be ineligible to tryout again.
SECTION 2:
A. The senior members will be responsible for finding judges for tryouts. The judges should have some knowledge of dance, rhythm, and Apollonaires expectations.
B. Judging evaluations shall be based on the National Dance Association Pom-Pon standards.
C. Judging will be based on teacher recommendations, appearance, fitness, sharpness/precision, rhythm and grace, coordination, technique, self-confidence, and smiles.
D. Each candidate shall wear a similar outfit consisting of a short sleeve, fitted, white shirt, black dance pants, and jazz shoes. No Apollonaires ribbons will be worn.
SECTION 3:
A. Senior members will be responsible for teaching the routine before tryouts and helping assist candidates who tryout.
B. Junior members will assist senior members with tryout administrative work during 8th period.
C. Senior members will supervise the door during tryouts to keep spectators out and call candidates when appropriate.
D. Senior members will not be allowed to judge candidates.
E. Tryouts will be private, admitting only the official judges, sponsor(s), senior members, and tryout candidates.
F. Following tryouts, senior members are required to wear uniforms and fulfill all
Apollonaires obligations for the rest of the year. These obligations do not cease or change because tryouts have been held.
SECTION 4:
A. The ballots will be approved each year. Ballots shall be counted by the Apollonaires sponsor and any other spirit group sponsor deemed necessary. Ballots and totals shall NOT be available to anyone except the sponsor and administration.
B. Ballots and totals shall be available to the administration after the conclusion of tryouts.
SECTION 5:
A. Tryouts will be composed of 2 rounds- preliminaries and finals.
B. For preliminaries, each candidate shall do the required routines decided upon by the squad and sponsor, and the required technical skills. Candidates shall perform in pairs.
C. A choreography memorization test will occur on the first or second day of tryouts and will be included in the preliminary score.
D. A new routine shall be taught for the final judging.
E. If a candidate is not in attendance during any classes on preliminary or final tryout days, the candidate is not permitted to tryout unless the sponsor excuses the absence.
F. Tryouts by videotape are not permitted. Other alternatives will be considered under extraordinary circumstances and arranged by the sponsor and administration.
SECTION 6:
A list of the new squad members will be posted to the squad website no later than the evening of the final day of tryouts. Squad members will be listed by candidate number.
Article XII: FLOWERS AND FOOD
A. No flower or gifts will be worn on the official uniform except with the sponsor(s) permission.
B. The rule or policy of the Lincoln Public Schools is that “food items are not to be provided for athletic teams, clubs, or other student groups”.
C. One city-wide dinner may be held per year, if desired. Sponsorship will be assigned on a rotating basis with the Lincoln high schools.
Article XIII: DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES: BENCHING, DISMISSAL AND SUSPENSION
A. Dismissal of an Apollonaire shall be decided upon by the sponsor and administration, following a conference between the sponsor, a representative from the administration, and the parent(s)/guardian of the member.
B. If the administration has suspended a member from school for a period of one day or more as the result of a disciplinary action, the member may be suspended from participation in the activities of this group for thirty days from the day of the first suspension.
C. Any Apollonaire shall be subject to dismissal from the squad if they are not passing 20 credit hours at any time with the exception of second semester seniors.
D. Grades will be checked at each quarter and semester.
E. A student with a grade of Failing (F), unsatisfactory (U), or incomplete (I) (or combination of the three) at the reporting times, will have 7 calendar days to get her grade to passing or meet the expectations of progress set by the individual teacher. If the deadline is not met, she will be suspended from all dance performances until a written note certifying improvement is turned to the sponsor.
F. Any member who is benched due to accumulation of points will serve her benching time during a performance in which she is scheduled to participate.
G. The sponsor will conference one-on-one with each member once per quarter to give the member an update onher points status.
H. Apollonaires Code of Conduct
Student-athletes may not:
- Possess or use tobacco products.
- Use, possess, consume, dispense or be under the influence of alcoholic beverages.
- Use, possess, consume, dispense or be under the influence of any illegal drug not prescribed by a physician or available over the counter.
Note: The term “under the influence” for purposes of this athletic code of conduct has a less strict meaning than it does under criminal law. For these purposes, the term means any level of impairment and includes even the odor of alcohol on the breath or person of a student. Also, it includes being impaired by reason of the abuse of any material used as a stimulant. In addition, “possession” of alcohol or drugs will be considered to have occurred for purposes of this athletic code of conduct if the Student/Athlete is in such close proximity to alcohol or drugs (for example, a student being in a car where alcohol is in the back seat and no adults are present in the car) or to others who are consuming alcohol or drugs (for example, being at a student party at which other students are drinking) that school officials may reasonably determine that the student was in “possession” of the items as well.