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NATIONAL JUNIOR HONOR SOCIETY (NJHS) BY-LAWS
TROUTMANMIDDLE SCHOOL
Article I
NAME
The name of the organization shall be the TroutmanMiddle School. The purpose of this organization shall be to create enthusiasm for scholarship, to stimulate a desire to render service, to promote leadership, to develop character, and to encourage citizenship.
Article II
PURPOSE
The purpose of this organization shall be to create enthusiasm for scholarship, to stimulate a desire to render service, to promote leadership, to develop character, and to encourage citizenship in the students of TroutmanMiddle School.
Article III
AUTHORITY
Section 1: The NJHS shall be under the sponsorship and supervision of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).
Section 2: The Principal shall reserve the right to approve/disapprove all activities and decisions of the chapter.
Section 3: The Principal shall annually appoint a chapter advisor and co-advisor who may serve consecutive terms.
Section 4: The chapter advisor(s) shall be responsible for the direct supervision of the chapter and act as liaison between staff, administration, students, and community.
Section 5: The chapter advisor(s) shall maintain files on membership, chapter history, activities, and financial transactions. The chapter advisor(s) shall send the annual activity report to the national office.
Section 6: The chapter advisor(s) shall help the executive officers understand and carry out their duties.
Section 7: The faculty council shall consist of five voting faculty members appointed annually. The advisor(s) shall be ex-officio, non-voting members of the faculty council.
Section 8: The term of the faculty council shall be one year. Members may be appointed to consecutive teams.
Section 9: The faculty council shall meet at least once a year to review the procedures of the chapter, select members, and to consider non-selection, dismissal, other disciplinary actions, and warning cases.
Article IV
MEMBERSHIP AND OBLIGATION
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, service, and citizenship. Once selected, members have the responsibility to continue to demonstrate these qualities.
Section 2: The faculty council shall reserve the right to award honorary membership to school officials, principals, staff, NJHS advisors, or adults in recognition of outstanding service rendered to the school in keeping with the purpose of the National Junior Honor Society.
Section 3: Candidates become members when inducted at a special ceremony in the late spring of each school year.
Section 4: A National Junior Honor Society member who transfers from another school and presents a letter from the former principal or chapter advisor shall be accepted automatically as a member in the TMS chapter. Transfer members must meet the TMS standards within one nine week grading period.
Section 5: Members who resign or are dismissed are never again eligible for membership or its benefits.
Section 6: Any act committed by a member that is deemed by school officials as unbecoming of an NHJS representative can result in immediate dismissal.
Section 7: If a candidate declines membership in 7th grade, they will not be considered for 8th grade induction.
Article V
SELECTION PROCEDURES
Section 1: To be eligible for membership the candidate must be a rising member of the seventh or eighth grade at TroutmanMiddle School.
Section 2: Candidates must have and maintain a scholastic grade of 85 percent, B, or higher in each class for every given nine weeks. For risingeligible seventhgraders, this shall be based upon the first three quarters of the sixth grade. For transfer/new 7th or 8th graders, it shall be based upon transfer grades and the first nine weeks of the current school year. Candidates shall then be evaluated on the basis of service, leadership, character, and citizenship.
Section 3: Candidates who qualify scholastically shall be notified and informed that for further consideration for selection to the Troutman Middle School NJHS chapter, they must complete a “Student Activity Information Form Packet”.
Section 4: The faculty shall be requested to evaluate eligible candidates who they feel demonstrate leadership, character, citizenship and/or community service using the official evaluation form provided by the chapter advisor.
Section 5: Candidates must be good citizens. Any student who has ever been in ISS or OSS will NOT be invited to be a member unless there is a unanimous vote of the faculty council. Students who serve ASD will be considered on a case by case basis.
Section 6: The selection of each member to the chapter shall be by the faculty council, consisting of five faculty members. The faculty council members will score each candidate using the application rubric. A score of 12 or above will result in the candidate receiving a selection letter. Anyone who scores below a 12 will receive a non-selection letter and have the opportunity to reapply the following year if they continue to meet the academic requirements for selection as a candidate.
Section 7: Candidates who are selected shall be notified of their obligations of membership in the TMS NJHS. All non-selected candidates shall be notified in a respectful manner.
Section 8: A description of the selection procedure as well as the by-laws shall be published on the school webpage which is widely available to students, staff, parents, and community. The selection procedure shall be determined by the faculty council and shall be consistent with the rules and regulations of the National Junior Honor Society.
Section 9: Candidates who do not obtain and complete the necessary applications, references and/or documentation by the posted deadlines will not be considered eligible for membership in the NJHS.
Section 10: Candidates who are selected to join the TMS NJHS must attend the Induction ceremony which marks the beginning of their membership.
Article VI
MEETINGS
Section 1: Membership dues are $10.00 a year.
Section 2: NJHS meetings are held as a class (either A or B day) during Discovery time. Designation of whether it is an A or B day class will be determined by the data manager based on scheduling needs. Executive Council meetings are held as needed with time and place to be determined. Members are only allowed to miss 3 meetings per year. An absence may be excused for the following: medical appointment, excused absence from schoolor academic tutoring (a note must be secured from the teacher).
Section3: TMS NJHS shall determine 2 or more service projects for each year to help candidates in meeting their required 8 in school hours of community service.
Section 4: These projects shall have the following characteristics: fulfill a need within the school or community, have the support of the administration and staff, be appropriate and educationally defensible, and be well planned, organized and executed.
Section 5: Each member is responsible for obtaining 12 hours of community service a year. 4 of those hours must be done outside of the organization while 8 hours may be completed with a TMS NJHS service project. Verification sheets must be signed and turned in to the council advisor(s) in a timely manner. All hours must be completed prior to the start of the fourth nine week grading period.
Section 6: Any member not earning these hours or missing more than 3 meetings per year will be subject to dismissal.
Article VII
CHAPTER LEADERSHIP
Section 1: The chapter shall include the offices of President, Vice-President/Service Projects Officer, Secretary/Treasurer, and Historian. The President will preside over all meetings and be responsible for providing an agenda. The Vice-President will assume the role of the President if necessary, will co-chair all committees, and keep a record of all service hours. The Secretary/Treasurer will take notes at all meetings, perform all official correspondence, record and report on all funds. The Historian will maintain a history book documenting chapter activities and projects for the year. These positions will be known as the executive officers.
Section 2: The executive officers will be elected from the rising eighth graders. The officers’ election shall be determined by votes from the members of the chapter. Election of the following school year’s officers shall be held in the late spring after their induction.
Section 3: All officers must adhere to all guidelines of the by-laws. Failure to maintain academic eligibility and community service hour requirements will result in loss of position and/or dismissal from the chapter.
DISMISSAL
Section 1: The procedure for dismissal shall be determined by the Faculty Council in compliance with the rules and regulations of the National Junior Honor Society.
Section 2: Members who fall below the standards which were the basis for their selection shall be promptly warned in writing by the chapter advisor and given a reasonable amount of time to correct the deficiency in the following reporting period. In the case of flagrant violations of school rules or civil laws, a member does not necessarily have to be warned.
Section 3: The Faculty Council shall determine when an individual has exceeded two warnings, and he/she shall be dismissed.
MEETINGS
Section 1: Meetings shall be conducted according to Roberts’ Rules of Order.
BY-LAWS
Section 1: The bylaws are consistent with the Constitution of the NJHS.
AMENDMENTS
Section 1: The bylaws may be amended as determined by the Faculty Council.
TroutmanMiddle School National Junior Honor Society
Principal – Jeff James
Assistant Principal – Jason Humphrey
Advisor – Karen Van Vliet
Co-Advisor – Kyleen Gilliland
Faculty Council Members:
Joanne Harmon, Becky Barbee, Johnny Bustle, Ryan Gilliland, Laureen Pozega
Revised 5-1-2012kvv