Cary Academy
National Honor Society
Chapter Bylaws
Section 1: The chapter name is Cary Academy National Honor Society.
Article II The General Purpose of Cary Academy National Honor Society
Section 1: The Cary Academy National Honor Society seeks to uphold
academic integrity, to foster enthusiasm and respect for scholarship and ideas,
to encourage community service, to promote leadership, and to develop school and
individual character.
Section 2: The Head of Upper School appoints the five member Cary Academy NHS Faculty Council. The Faculty Advisor serves as a sixth member but does not vote. The Cary Academy NHS Faculty Council may, within the framework of the National Constitution of the National Honor Society, amend procedures that include, but are not limited to, the selection of members, discipline of members, and policies which the NHS Faculty Advisor will implement. The NHS Faculty Advisor is required to notify the membership of any decisions of the Faculty Council that pertain to these areas.
Section 3: Cary Academy National Honor Society decisions will be determined by a simple majority of members, provided a quorum is present. A quorum should be defined as at least half of the members of the chapter plus one.
Section 4: The Head of Upper School or Head of School may veto decisions made by the National Honor Society. If the Head of Upper School or Head of School vetoes any decision, the Head of Upper School or Head of School will provide a written explanation to the National Honor Society Faculty Advisor.
Section 2: Membership is divided into three categories: Active, Graduate, and Honorary. Active members are enrolled Cary Academy students that have met the membership criteria in the estimation of the Faculty Council. They are inducted into membership in a special ceremony. They are expected to maintain the standards by which they were selected and to fulfill the guidelines established by the National Honor Society and the Cary Academy National Honor Society chapter. Active members pay $10 per academic year (if admitted in the second trimester, $8, and in the third trimester, $4). Upon graduation, Active members become Graduate members. Graduate members may not vote or have a voice in chapter activities. The chapter may vote to award individuals who have an outstanding service record to the school or community with Honorary member status.Section 3: All active members are expected to maintain the high standards for selection, namely maintaining excellence in scholarship, leadership, service, and character. Scholarship is determined by maintaining the required cumulative GPA. The guidelines for the other standards will be posted on the NHS website and made available to all members. To determine if members are meeting the other standards, the chapter may require all members to document ways in which they are meeting these standards. Members are also expected to support of chapter activities, to participate in projects, serve on one or more committees, and volunteer to help.
Section 4: A student may be dismissed as a member of the Cary Academy NHS if he or she does not continue to meet the requirements of excellence in leadership, scholarship, service, and character (or any of the aforementioned) as determined by a vote of the Faculty Council. The procedure for discipline and dismissal is addressed in Article X of the NHS National Constitution and by the the aforementioned Cary Academy document on the procedure for discipline and dismissal from the National Honor Society. The NHS Faculty Advisor is to notify the Faculty Council if a student may be in violation of his or her membership standards and if the violation is such as to potentially result in dismissal from the chapter. The Faculty Council considers this issue as outlined in Article X and determines whether the proceedings should begin that may result in a student’s dismissal from the chapter, if the student is placed on some probationary status administered by the NHS Faculty Advisor, or other penalties as deemed appropriate by the Faculty Council. Students dismissed by the Faculty Council may appeal the dismissal to the Head of Upper School. Students dismissed from the NHS may not be re-admitted for membership, as stated in the NHS National Constitution.
Section 5: A member is free to resign his or her membership in writing anytime while an active member. A member may not resign after being dismissed from the chapter.
Article IV Selection Procedures
Section 1: Students interested in joining the Cary Academy National Honors Society do not apply; rather, they submit materials for review. Sophomores may submit materials in the Spring of the sophomore year (the second of the two selection periods in the academic year). Juniors may submit materials in the fall and spring of the junior year (both selection periods in the academic year). Seniors may submit materials in the fall of their senior year (the first of the two selection periods in the academic year. The dates for submission of all materials will be determined by the NHS Faculty Advisor, who will then notify all students who are eligible in a timely fashion.
Section 2: Each student should submit a Student Activity Information Form (form is provided), an essay (no more than 500 words) outlining the reasons the student would like to be an NHS member and what he or she would contribute to the chapter, and two letters of recommendation by members of the faculty addressing each of the four criteria for admission. Students may opt to include an additional letter of recommendation from a non-Cary Academy employee.
Section 3: Due to the timing of the selection processes (in January and March) and the timing of the official, annual chapter induction (April), students may be selected for membership in January and yet not be formally inducted. These students are considered to be “invited members” of the chapter and retain all rights of membership from the time of their invitation ceremony, including the right to run for office, vote in all NHS matters, and participate in all NHS activities.
Article VI Meetings
Section 1: Meetings times will be established at the beginning of each academic year. Cary Academy NHS will meet at least once every two weeks during a regularly scheduled club time. Special sessions may be called by the club advisor and/or chapter president, but these sessions should be kept to a minimum.
Section 2: Students are not allowed more than two unexcused absences during the academic year. Excused absences must be obtained in advance of the meeting from the NHS advisor or chapter secretary. If a student exceeds two unexcused absences, the NHS advisor must meet with the student and review expectations. Punctuality is expected; members who are late may be counted absent by the secretary and incur an unexcused absence. The secretary will notify the NHS Faculty Advisor of members who have missed two or more meetings and were unexcused. If a student continues to miss meetings, the student is subject to dismissal by the Faculty Council.
Article VII Officers and their Duties
Section 1: Duties of officers
a. President: The President will chair all Honor Society meetings, work with committee heads and the NHS Faculty Advisor to plan events such as fundraisers, induction ceremonies, and community service projects.
b. Vice-President: The Vice-President will assume the President’s duties in his or her absence. The Vice-President will assist the President in fulfilling his or her duties.
c. Secretary: The Secretary will take minutes at all functions and will be responsible for reading the minutes taken at the previous function when asked to do so. The secretary will make available the minutes of meetings to all members in a timely way.
d. Treasurer: The treasurer will be responsible for collecting dues, keeping track of and recording all funds raised, and preparing a projected budget for the year.
e. Publicity Officer: The Public Relations will communicate with the larger community to publicize the Honor Society’s activities. He or she will also keep members of the Society informed about upcoming events.
Section 2: The officers shall meet as a small group before the first full chapter meeting to determine specific duties. Each officer shall be a liaison for an established committee (but not the chairperson) so that committee work can be discussed during officers’ meetings.
Article VIII Officer Election Qualification and Election Procedures
Section 1: Qualifications
a. In order to run for an office, a member must be an active member (inducted or an invited member to be inducted) at the time of the election.
b. Candidates must not be on any type of NHS or Cary Academy academic probation in the trimester of the election to be eligible.
Section 2: Elections
a. Members may nominate themselves or be nominated by a fellow Honor Society member. The nomination must be seconded by a different member.
b. Members may be nominated for more than one office, but members may not hold more than one elected NHS office. Students who are nominated for more than one office must notify the NHS Faculty Advisor no less than a week prior to the election which office he or she intends to seek.
c. The recipient of the most votes determined by secret ballot will become elected, provided there was a quorum of members.
d. Members who will be absent from the vote may vote by seeing the NHS Faculty Advisor in advance of the election.
e. In the event of a tie, a second vote will be held with a quorum of members. In the event of a tie with the second vote, the current Honor Society officers will make the final decision through a vote by secret ballot.
f. If the officer fails to adequately the duties of the office or if the officer has not upheld the tenets of the National Honor Society in the estimation of the NHS advisor, the NHS advisor initiates a hearing with the Faculty Council. The Faculty Council considers the circumstances and hears from the officer in question. A majority vote of the Faculty Council will determine whether the officer remains an officer (with stipulations) or if a new special election is held for the officer's position. An officer discharged in this way is not eligible to run for an office in the special election.
Section 1: It shall be the president and fellow officers’ responsibility to delineate and plan meetings. Meetings shall be organized, efficient, and participatory, but the specific structure is left to the officers each year.
Section 1: The bylaws of the Cary Academy National Honor Society must be in compliance with the National Honor Society. All National Honor Society rules apply.
Section 2: The bylaws must be reviewed annually by the chapter and approved by a majority vote of the active members by a quorum of the chapter members
Section 1: Existing bylaws continue until a new set of bylaws are passed by a majority vote and approved by the Head of the Upper School. These bylaws should be reviewed every year for compliance by the current membership and with the National Constitution of the National Honor Society.
Article XII Financial policies
Section 1: The Cary Academy NHS will have a treasury, based on dues collected and other monies donated to the chapter.
Section 2: The chapter officers, in consultation with the NHS Faculty Advisor, may disperse funds to cover costs related to the expenses of the chapter, including, but not limited to promotion of the chapter or chapter activities, food for meetings and NHS sponsored events, member awards, NHS scholarship funds, and other circumstances deemed reasonable for the administration of the chapter. It is expected that officers will consult with the chapter regarding expenditures that would constitute a large percentage of the remaining funds. The treasurer is responsible for keeping the chapter up to date on the expenditures of the chapter.
Section 3: Monies not spent in one academic year are rolled over to the chapter’s budget for the following academic year.
Section 4: Special accounts may be established by the chapter (for example to sponsor a particular project). Funds in these accounts may only be spent on expenses related to the particular purpose for which the account was established.
Article XIII Committees
Section 1: The chapter will decide what committees need to be formed and whether they should be standing or ad hoc committees.
Section 2: Committee members will elect a committee head at the beginning of each academic year. The committee head will be responsible for running the committee meetings, and presenting the ideas or decisions made by the committee to the full chapter. This committee head cannot be an NHS officer, but an officer will work with each committee as a liaison.
Section 3: Committees will keep minutes of their meetings and make them available to the officers and to the chapter membership as needed.
Section 4: Members are expected to seek out and join one or more NHS committees.
Revised and Approved by membership and Head of Upper School 2/05