Turtle Lake Honor Society
By Laws
ARTICLE I:
NAME AND PURPOSE
Section 1. The name of this chapter shall be the Turtle Lake High School Honor Society.
Section 2. The purpose of this chapter shall be to create an enthusiasm for scholarship, to stimulate a desire to render service, to promote worthy leadership, and to encourage the development of character in students of Turtle Lake High School.
ARTICLE II:
MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Membership in this chapter shall be known as active, honorary and graduate. Active members become graduate members at graduation. The graduate and honorary members have no vote in chapter affairs.
Section 2. Membership in this chapter is an honor bestowed upon deserving students by the Faculty, Council, entire faculty, and advisor(s), and shall be based on Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character.
Section 3. Eligibility Requirements:
- Candidates eligible for election to this chapter must be members of the 2nd semester sophomore, junior, or senior class.
- To be eligible for selection to membership in this chapter, the candidate must have been in attendance at Turtle Lake High School for a period of one semester.
- Candidates eligible for election to the chapter shall have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.35 or its equivalent starting January 1st 2010. This scholastic level of achievement shall remain fixed, and shall be the required minimum scholastic level of achievement for admission to candidacy. All students who can rise in scholarship to or above such standard may be admitted to candidacy for selection to membership.
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Candidates shall then be invited to apply based on their meeting the standard requirements of grade level, attendance, and GPA, as well as their service, leadership, and character.
Section 4. Eligible candidates will receive a letter inviting and instructing them to apply for membership to the Turtle Lake Honor Society. Students are invited to check with their counselors and the Honor Society advisor(s) if they feel that their names have been omitted from the list. The letter of notification sent to the student will include instruction on where to get the student packet, which should be typed, as well as the date for which the application is to be submitted.
Section 5. The Faculty Council shall reserve the right to award honorary membership to school officials, principals, teacher, Honor Society advisors, adults, students with disabilities or foreign exchange students in recognition of achievement and outstanding service rendered to the school in keeping with the purpose of the Honor Society. Honorary members shall have no voice or vote in the chapter affairs.
Section 6.
Turtle Lake Chapter scholarship will be selected by the faculty council.
Article III:
Role of the Principal, Chapter Advisor(s), and Faculty Council
Section 1. In addition to the responsibilities listed below the Principal shall
a) Conduct at least one private plenary meeting involving the chapter advisor(s), and the five members of the Faculty Council prior to the first school day of October in order to review the previous year’s events and discuss the calendar of the current year;
b) Hear all appeals from students who are non-selected and reconvene the Faculty Council if a procedural or technical error has been made;
c) Communicate to the Chapter Advisor any issues concerning the Honor Society brought to his/her attention by members of the community that would directly impact the selection or dismissal of a student. Under no circumstance is the Principal to serve as a member or even an observer of the Faculty Council’s deliberations pertaining to the selection or dismissal of a student.
Section 2. In addition to the responsibilities listed below the Advisor(s) shall
a) Review each member for compliance with society standards and obligations within one week of the end of each semester;
b) Approve all chapter activities and provide the Principal with a written record of chapter activities;
c) Attend all meetings and functions, including those of the Faculty Council;
d) Involve Chapter members in the development and review of selection and dismissal procedures and guidelines;
e) Ensure that the Faculty Council follows national and local guidelines for procedure;
f) Facilitate discussions of the Faculty Council in order to maintain objectivity and professionalism during the review of each case;
g) Serve as an advocate for each student whose name or case is brought before the Faculty Council by assuring that the Council considers only relevant and valid information in a fair and consistent manner;
h) Provide written documentation to the Principal if the Faculty Council violates the Turtle Lake High School Bylaws in such manner as to jeopardize the fairness of a student’s selection or dismissal.
Section 3. In addition to the responsibilities listed below the Faculty Council shall
a) Read and develop a familiarity with the Constitution of the Turtle Lake High School Bylaws prior to making any decisions pertaining to selection or dismissal of students;
b) Follow all stated guidelines and procedures in all aspects of the chapter’s activity;
c) Consult with the Chapter Advisor concerning questions of policy and/or procedure and refer all questions from parents concerning the Honor Society to the Chapter Advisor;
d) Maintain objectivity and professionalism during the review of each case;
e) Examine each individual case as a group in such manner as to allow every member to evaluate and comment on every case;
f) Provide written documentation to the Principal if the Faculty Advisor violates the Turtle Lake High School Bylaws in such manner as to jeopardize the fairness of a student’s selection or dismissal.
ARTICLE IV:
SELECTION OF MEMBERS
Section 1. The final selection of members to this chapter shall be by a majority vote of the Faculty Council consisting of five faculty members appointed by the principal. The chapter advisor(s) shall be the sixth, non-voting, ex-officio member of the Faculty Council.
Section 2. Prior to the final selection, the following shall occur:
- Students' academics shall be reviewed to determine eligibility.
- Students who are scholastically eligible with good attendance/discipline records will be notified and asked to complete and submit the Student Activity Information Form for further consideration for selection.
- The faculty shall be requested to evaluate candidates determined to be eligible using the official evaluation form provided by the chapter advisor(s).
- The Student Activity Information Form and faculty evaluations shall be reviewed by the Faculty Council to determine membership.
Section 3. The selection of new, active members shall be held twice a year after each semester of the school year. (Alternative or additional selection periods may be approved by the advisors.) Candidates become members when inducted at a special ceremony which will be held once a year in November.
Section 4. An active member of the Honor Society who transfers from this school will be given a letter indicating the status of his/her membership and signed by the Principal.
Section 5. An active member of the Honor Society who transfers to this school will be automatically accepted for membership in this chapter. This transfer member will, within one semester, attain and then maintain the membership requirements for this chapter in order to retain his/her membership.
Section 6. Active members and candidates’ academic records shall be reviewed and recorded to determine scholastic eligibility every semester
ARTICLE V:
DISCIPLINE and DISMISSAL
Section 1. Any member who falls below the standards of scholarship, leadership, character, or service may be dismissed from the Turtle Lake High School Honor Society. A member of the Honor Society is expected to maintain his/her academic standing and take an active role in service and leadership to his/her school and community.
Grounds for dismissal include but are not limited to : 1)Cumulative GPA lower than the minimum 2) Failure to complete service requirements 3)Any report of cheating, plagiarism, or forgery 4)A local, state, or federal civil or criminal violation.
Section 2. If a member's cumulative grade point average falls below a 3.35, he/she will be given written warning and a time period for improvement. If the cumulative grade point average remains below the standard at the end of the warning period, the student will be subject to further disciplinary action by the Faculty Council that may include dismissal from the chapter.
Section 3. Violation of the law or school regulations can result in dismissal of the member. These violations include, but are not limited to, DWI, stealing, cheating, truancy, and destruction of property, influence of drugs or alcohol at school or school-related activities.
Section 4. Offenders of the school conduct code (such as use of profanity, failure to comply, unexcused absence, excessive tardiness, etc.) will receive written warning notification. A conference may be requested by either party (Faculty Council or student/parent). If the member is involved in another violation of the school conduct code, the member may be dismissed.
Section 5. Any member whose personal conduct is questionable in accordance with the accepted norms of student behavior may be dismissed by the Faculty Council.
Section 6. If an active member fails to perform any of the publish obligation of membership, he or she will be given a written warning and a time period for improvement. If the obligations remain unmet at the end of the warning period, the student will be subject to further disciplinary action by the Faculty Council, which may include dismissal from the chapter.
Section 7. In all cases of pending dismissal:
- The member will receive written notification indicating the reason for possible dismissal from the advisor/Faculty Council. The member and advisor(s) will discuss the written notification in a conference. Situations that involve flagrant violations of school rules or the law can warrant disciplinary action without a written warning, although a hearing must still be held (see below).
- The member will be given the opportunity to respond to the charge against him/her at a hearing before the Faculty Council prior to the vote on dismissal (in accordance with due process identified in the 14th amendment of the US constitution). The member has the opportunity to present his/her defense either in person or in writing. The Faculty Council will then vote on whether to dismiss. A majority vote of the Faculty Council is needed to dismiss any member.
- Results of the Faculty Council vote will be reviewed by the principal, and then if confirmed, expressed in a letter sent to the student, parents, and principal. Dismissed members must surrender any membership emblems to the advisor(s).
- The member may appeal the Faculty Council's decision to the principal.
- When a student is dismissed or resigns, he/she is no longer a member and may never again be considered for membership in the Turtle Lake Honor Society.
Section 8. In lieu of dismissal, the Faculty Council may impose disciplinary sanctions upon a member as deemed appropriate.
ARTICLE VI:
OFFICERS
Section 1. The officers of the chapter shall be president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer.
Section 2. Student officers shall be elected at the last meeting of each school year from active chapter members in good standing. All returning active members are eligible to run for a position as an officer. The timing of the election of chapter officers may be determined by the chapter advisor(s).
Section 3. A majority vote shall be necessary to elect any officer of this chapter. If the first vote does not yield a majority, a second vote shall be taken of the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes.
Section 4. It shall be the duty of the president to preside at the meetings for this chapter. The president shall be a member of the senior class (unless otherwise decided by the advisor(s)).
- Create the agenda for all meetings with the advice and consent of the officers and the advisor.
- Preside at all meetings of the Turtle Lake High School Honor Society and meetings of the executive committee.
- Appoint necessary committees and delegate leadership responsibilities of service projects and activities.
- Serve as ex-officio member on committees and projects.
- Preside at the Induction Ceremony and deliver the speech on “Leadership.”
- Represent the Turtle Lake High School chapter of the Honor Society at all public occurrences.
- See that the names of all persons who participated in each service project and attended each meeting are submitted to the advisor with the help of the Secretary and Treasurer in order that the Advisor may fulfill the responsibility of notifying and informing those not fully participating of the responsibilities of Turtle Lake Honor Society membership.
- Maintain close communication with the Chapter Advisor.
- set an example of scholarship, leadership, character and service for others to follow.
Section 5. The vice-president shall
- Preside at all meetings and perform all duties in the absence of the President.
- Check out room use and reservations in the front office.
- Lead and organize at least one major chapter service project.
- Coordinate and check on the planning activities of the various committees and keep the President informed of their progress and problems.
- Perform any duties delegated by the President.
- Coordinate projects and help plan the calendar for the year.
- Deliver an Induction Ceremony speech on “Character.”
- Set an example of scholarship, leadership, character and service for others to follow.
Section 6. The secretary shall
- Keep minutes of all meetings.
- Keep accurate attendance of all meetings and service projects and report to the President and the Advisor the names of any members who have become inactive.
- Conduct correspondence with the President, Advisor, and the Administration and elements of the community when necessary.
- With the Chapter Historian, collect all publicity, clippings, and/or photographs for the chapter.
- Deliver an Induction Ceremony speech on “Scholarship.”
- Set an example of scholarship, leadership, character and service for others to follow.
Section 7. The treasure shall
- Maintain with the Advisor a financial record of all income and expenditures for the period the officer holds office.
- Recommend fundraising activities and collect dues.
- Set an example of scholarship, leadership, character and service for others to follow.
Section 8. The removal of officers may be affected by a 2/3 vote of the membership and approval by the chapter advisor(s). Written documentation detailing the reason for removal shall be provided to the officer facing removal by the chapter advisor(s).
Section 9. In the event that an office becomes open during the school year, the procedure outlined in Section 3 (above) will be followed in order to fill the vacancy.
ARTICLE VII:
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Section 1. The executive committee shall consist of the faculty advisor(s) and the chapter officers.
Section 2. The executive committee shall have general charge of the meetings and the business of the chapter, but any action by the executive committee is subject to the review of the chapter members.
ARTICLE VIII:
MEETINGS
Section 1. Meetings of this chapter shall be held monthly.
Section 2. All chapter members are expected to attend all regularly-scheduled chapter meetings.
Section 3. If unable to attend, members must contact the advisor(s) prior to the meeting time.
ARTICLE IX:
ACTIVITIES
Section 1. The chapter shall determine one or more service projects for each year.
Section 2. All members must participate in these projects. Any member not participating must be pre-approved by the Faculty Council, if not pre-approved they may be subject to disciplinary actions or dismissal.
Section 3. 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, and be well-planned, organized and executed.
Section 4. Each member shall have the responsibility for choosing and participating in an individual 10 hour service activity per semester which reflects his or her particulate talents and interests and as approved by the chapter advisor(s). This is in addition to the chapter projects to which all members contribute.
Section 5. Each member shall attend the annual Lakeland Conference Leadership Day seminar. Any member not participating must be pre-approved by the Faculty Council, if not pre-approved they may be subject to disciplinary actions or dismissal.
Section 6. The chapter shall publicize its projects in a positive manner.
Section 7. Failure to participate in the chapter's service activities may result in dismissal.
ARTICLE X:
POWERS
Section 1. The chapter advisor(s) is given the authority to supervise the administration of chapter activities, as delegated by the school principal.
Section 2. The principal shall reserve the right to approve all activities and decisions of the chapter.
Section 3. These by-laws are designed to amplify provisions of the National Constitution and cannot contradict any components thereof. The chapter is obligated to adhere to the provision of the National Constitution in all activities it undertakes.
ARTICLE XIII:
AMENDMENTS
Section 1. These by-laws may be amended by a 2/3 vote of the chapter, provided notice of the proposed amendment has been given to members at least one meeting prior to the vote. The exceptions are Articles IV and V which are developed by the Faculty Council with the approval of the principal.
Section 2. By-laws and amendments must be approved by the Faculty Council, Advisor(s), and Principle.
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