Adopted May 2019
Article I – Name and Purpose
Section 1
The name of this organization shall be the National Honor Society of Goshen High School.
Section 2
The purpose of this organization shall be to create enthusiasm for scholarship, to stimulate a desire to
render service, to promote leadership, and to develop character in the students at Goshen High
School.
Section 3
The rules and regulations of this chapter/organization shall be vested in the national level of the
National Honor Society.
Section 4
The operational control of the National Honor Society at the national level is sponsored by the
National Council and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).
Article II – The Chapter Advisor
Section 1
The chapter advisor(s) shall be responsible for the direct, day-to-day supervision of the chapter and act as liaison between faculty, administration, students, and community.
Section 2
The chapter advisor(s) shall maintain files on membership, chapter history, activities, and financial transactions.
Section 3
The chapter advisor(s) shall regularly review each member for compliance with Society standards and obligations.
Section 4
The chapter advisor(s) shall help the chapter officers understand and carry out their duties.
Section 5
The chapter advisor(s) shall be an ex-officio, non-voting, sixth member of the Faculty Council, serving as a facilitator of discussions, keeping the council focused on relevant data used to review each case.
Section 6
The chapter advisor(s) shall be a member of the faculty, appointed annually by the principal, and may serve consecutive terms.
Article III – 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 a member of the faculty as 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 cannot serve as chapter advisor and is not a member of the voting Faculty Council.
Section 5
The principal cannot attend the Faculty Council meetings but entrusts the advisor and members of the Faculty Council with the authority over selection and dismissal.
Section 6
The principal shall receive notice of appeals in cases of non-selection of candidates, and the disciplining or dismissal of members.
Article IV – Faculty Council
Section 1
The Faculty Council shall consist of five voting faculty members appointed annually by the principal. The chapter advisor shall be an ex-officio, non-voting, sixth member(s) of the Faculty Council. No principal or assistant principal may be included on the Faculty Council.
Section 2
The term of the Faculty Council shall be one year. Members may be appointed to consecutive terms.
Section 3
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.
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 (See Article VI, VII, & VIII
Article V – Membership
Section 1
Membership in local chapters is an honor bestowed upon a student. Selection for membership is by a Faculty Council and is based on outstanding scholarship, character, leadership, and service. Once selected, members have the responsibility to continue to demonstrate these qualities.
Section 2
Candidates become members when inducted at a special ceremony held annually.
Section 3
A National Honor Society member who transfers to Goshen High School and brings a letter from the former principal or chapter advisor to the new school advisor shall be accepted automatically as a member in the new school’s chapter. Transfer members must meet the new chapter’s standards within one semester to retain membership.
Section 4
Members who resign or are dismissed are never again eligible for membership or its benefits.
Article VI – Selection of Membership
Section 1
The Faculty Council of the chapter selects students who demonstrate outstanding performance in all four criteria of scholarship, leadership, service, and character.
Scholarship
- The scholarship requirement is a cumulative weighted average of 90.00 or higher (on a 0 to 100) based on a student’s cumulative grade point average at the conclusion of their Sophomore or Junior year of high school. (June)
- This GPA must be maintained to continue active membership in the National Honor Society.
Leadership
- During high school each student must have demonstrated ongoing leadership ability.
Service
- Actions undertaken by the student that are performed with or on behalf of others without any direct financial or material compensation to the individual performing the service are considered “community service.”
| COMMUNITY SERVICE | |
| EXAMPLES | NONEXAMPLES |
| Tutoring without compensationHelping at a senior centerVolunteering at an animal shelterReading to children at SAS or GISVolunteering at a hospitalSupporting a homeless shelterHelping with tech for senior citizensPeer mentoringVolunteering at a local libraryVolunteering at a food pantry | Volunteering for class or other activities where money is being earned for an event that the students will participate in (Ex: Prom, ANP, Field Trips)Volunteering for an event that is raising money for scholarships that the participant may receiveParticipating in an event in which money is being raised that will directly go back into the program it is being raised for, of which the NHS member is a part of. |
This is not an all-inclusive list. If you are unsure if the activity you plan to participate in will count for NHS community service hours, you should ask one of the advisors.
- Juniors should have a minimum of 60 hours of community service and be actively serving the community.
- Seniors should have a minimum of 90 hours of community service and serve the community.
- All members must be able to document involvement in service activities that are beneficial to the school or community.
- Parents/guardians cannot sign off on hours without pre-approval from an NHS advisor.
Character
- A candidate will be able to demonstrate an outstanding record of conduct and behavior with regard to school and community rules, guidelines, and policies or be able to demonstrate sufficient growth and improvement to compensate for previous inadequacies.
- A person of character demonstrates the following six qualities: respect, responsibility, trustworthiness, fairness, caring, and citizenship.
Section 2
To be eligible for membership the candidate must be a member of the junior or senior class. Candidates must have been in attendance at the school the equivalent of one semester.
Section 3
Candidates must have a cumulative scholarship average of at least 90.00 (on a 0-100 scale). Candidates shall then be evaluated on the basis of service, leadership, and character.
Section 4
To meet the character standard, a list of potential members will be submitted to all the staff. Comments concerning the candidates will be brought before the Faculty Council.
Section 6
The selection of each member to the chapter shall be by a majority vote of the Faculty Council, and no quotas or percentages of members per class can be established.
Section 7
Members who resign or are dismissed are never again eligible for membership or its benefits.
Section 8
The National Council and the NASSP shall not review the judgment of the Faculty Council regarding selection of individual members to local chapters.
Section 9
Those students selected are to be notified promptly and personally by the chapter advisor or printed letters.
Article VII – Non-Selection of Members
Section 1
A student who does not return all application forms by the specified deadlines will be automatically rejected. Such a student may, if he/she remains in good standing, again have his/her qualifications reviewed and considered during the next induction period.
Section 2
Automatic rejection will occur for the following reasons: cheating, stealing, criminal offense, violation of a civil law, or out of school suspension. A student may, if he/she remains in good academic standing, have his/her qualifications reviewed and considered during the next induction period. This rule takes effect following the completion of a student’s freshman year.
Section 3
In cases of non-selection, special efforts should be made to explain the selection process to those students who are unhappy about the results of the selection process.
Section 4
Chapters are not legally or constitutionally obligated to provide students or parents with an explanation of non-selection for membership in the Society.
Section 5
Students who wish to appeal their decision of non-selection must submit a letter of appeal to the designated faculty member by the deadline provided in their letter of non-selection.
Section 6
The principal may hear appeals and overturn decisions only in cases of technical or procedural mistakes. The professional and objective manner of the Faculty Council decision is otherwise final.
Section 7
The NASSP has no authority to review or overturn the judgment of the Faculty Council regarding selection of individual members to local chapters.
Article VIII – Dismissal & Discipline
Section 1
Any member who falls below the standards of scholarship, leadership, character, or service may be dismissed from the Goshen chapter of the National Honor Society. A member of the National 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. A member will follow all school and community rules, guidelines, laws, and policies. A member will be an upstanding student of GHS both in and out of school. This includes not partaking in bullying of any kind, whether in person or virtually using social media. A person of character demonstrates the following six qualities: respect, responsibility, trustworthiness, fairness, caring, and citizenship.
Section 2
If a member’s cumulative grade point average falls below 90.00, he /she will be given a written warning and a period for improvement. If the cumulative grade point average remains below 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, including that of DASA, can result in dismissal of a member and will lead to a faculty council meeting. Violations include but are not limited to any instances where a student receives a referral, posts inappropriate material to social media, bullying in any manner, cheating and plagiarism.
Section 4
Frequent 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 member). If the member is involved in another violation of the school conduct code, the member may be dismissed. Severe offences may result in immediate dismissal, according to the due process guidelines established in Article VIII, Section 5.
Section 5
In all cases of pending dismissal:
(a) The member will receive written notification indicating the reason for possible dismissal from the adviser/Faculty Council. 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 following).
(b) 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 Article X of the National Constitution). The member can 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.
(c) The 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 adviser.
(d) The Faculty Council’s decision may be appealed to the building principal and afterwards through the school district discipline policy.
(e) When a student is dismissed or resigns, he/she is no longer a member and may never again be considered for membership in the National Honor Society per national NHS policy.
Section 6
Members’ privileges, outlined in Article XII may be suspended for a period ranging from a minimum of 30 days to a maximum of one calendar year.
Section 7
It is expected that each member will carry out assigned duties during the time of suspension of privileges. This includes attending meetings and submitting service hours.
Article IX – Chapter Officers
Section 1 – President
- Call and conduct meetings with appropriate parliamentary procedure.
- Preside over all meetings, both general and executive.
- Approve member and society projects with the consent of the faculty adviser(s).
- Preside at the annual ceremony for the induction of new members.
- Represent this chapter at any function where its presence is requested.
- Appoint permanent committee heads to serve for the year and supervise their activities.
- Organize the induction ceremony.
- Maintain a record of community service hours for each member within your assigned group.
- Attend the officer’s meeting prior to the general membership meeting.
Section 2 – Vice President
- Support the president in his or her duties.
- Shall fill the chair of the president and assume all duties of the office in the event of the absence of the President.
- Organize official tutoring services.
- Assist in organizing the induction ceremony.
- Maintain a record of community service hours for each member within your assigned group.
- Attend the officer’s meeting prior to the general membership meeting.
Section 3 – Treasurer
- Maintain records of all funds received and/or expended by the National Honor Society.
- Withdraw funds from school treasurer for disbursement as approved by the membership.
- Maintain accountability for all National Honor Society funds disbursed and received.
- Advise membership, executive committee, and or faculty adviser of National Honor Society status as required.
- Manages and does bookkeeping for club fundraising/activities.
- Receive and disburse all funds of this chapter in a timely fashion.
- Keep accurate financial records and report to the membership on the society’s financial status.
- Maintain a record of community service hours for each member within your assigned group.
- Attend the officer’s meeting prior to the general membership meeting.
Section 4 – Secretary
- Take minutes at meetings, post minutes on bulletin board and transmit copies to the faculty adviser in an appropriate manner.
- Read the minutes of the previous meeting at each meeting.
- Handle the correspondence of this chapter.
- Maintain attendance records and transmit copies to the faculty adviser(s).
- Notifies members of meetings on the bulletin board and online at least one week before the general meeting.
- Maintain and organize the bulletin board.
- Maintain a record of community service hours for each member within your assigned group.
- Attend the officer’s meeting prior to the general membership meeting.
Section 5 – Officer of Public Relations
- Manage the chapter’s public image through school announcements, social media, and flyers.
- Promote chapter events and initiatives to the student body and wider community.
- Document chapter activities through photos, write-ups, or social media posts.
- Collaborate with the Secretary to publicize meetings and important dates.
- Maintain accurate records of community service hours for members in your assigned group.
- Attend officer meetings prior to general membership meetings.
Section 6 – Service Coordinator
- Point person in the planning, coordinating, and overseeing of service opportunities for chapter
members.
- Serve as the liaison between the chapter and community service organizations.
- Track participation and ensure all members meet their service hour requirements.
- Support the induction ceremony and other chapter events as needed.
- Maintain accurate records of community service hours for members in your assigned group.
- Attend officer meetings prior to general membership meetings.
An officer who fails to carry out his/her duties shall be notified of his/her failings and be given the opportunity to respond. Following his/her response, action may be taken, and he/she may be removed from office by a unanimous vote of all the other officers and the advisor.
Article X – Election of Officers
Section 1
Student officers shall be elected in May of each school year. All returning active members are eligible to run for a position as an officer. All members in good standing are eligible to vote.
Section 2
Nominations:
- Candidates must be present to be nominated and seconded by a voting National Honor Society Member.
- No member may nominate or second any nomination of him or herself.
- No member may nominate or second two different people running for the same office.
- Members may run for only one office.
- Nominations will be accepted one week prior to elections.
- Once nominations are motioned to close, no more nominations shall be accepted unless 2/3 majority vote occurs to reopen nominations.
Section 3
Each candidate may have a maximum of one minute speech on the day of election. Speeches will be submitted in writing to the advisors one day prior to the election.
Section 4
A majority vote (over 50% of votes) 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 5
If an officer is unable to continue in the position in which he or she was elected to, either through removal, relocation, or lack of performance, a special election of all active members may be held to fill the vacated position.
Section 6
All voting for officers will be completed utilizing paper ballot and counted by the advisor and at least 2 current officers who will serve as witness to the accuracy of the count.
Article XI – Meetings
Section 1
Meetings will be held at least once a month during the school year.
Section 2
Special meetings approved by the executive committee may be called by the Chapter president or Chapter advisor.
Section 3
Members are expected to attend the monthly general meetings. Members who miss two unexcused meetings per marking period shall report to the Faculty Council for a due process hearing and if found to be negligent, shall lose their privileges for the following marking period or a number of days equal to a marking period. Four unexcused absences will result in dismissal, if after reporting to Faculty Council for a due process hearing, a member is found to be negligent.
Section 4
With prior notice to advisor, members may be excused if:
1. They are scheduled to participate in an athletic competition.
2. They are scheduled to take an exam.
3. They attend afternoon BOCES or other school sanctioned programs outside of the building preventing attendance.
Article XII – Member Duties and Privileges
Section 1
All chapter activities, both mandatory and optional, will be announced at regular monthly meetings.
Section 2
Each member must submit yearly dues by an announced deadline. Please see an advisor if this creates a financial burden.
Section 3
Each member shall have the responsibility for choosing and participating in chapter activities that reflect his or her particular talents and interests.
Section 4
Each member shall be responsible for completing and submitting documentation demonstrating a minimum of 15 hours of community service during the school year. Hours must be submitted by the deadline stated in the current year of membership. *Hours applied once a member will begin after membership is granted.
In addition to the 15 hours, members are required to complete at least one service project organized by our Goshen NHS Chapter. (There may be only two opportunities to fulfill this).
Section 5
Members who fail to submit documentation of service by the published deadlines will not be eligible to receive their service cords for graduation.
Section 6
Goshen NHS recognizes that with each right given to its membership, there is a responsibility attached. NHS members have been extended courtesies in the form of privileges and special rights listed below, however, an NHS membership card must always be carried by a student and must be furnished to any staff member upon request.
1. The following privileges will be permitted members of the National Honor Society:
(a) Members must report to assigned study hall teachers. After reporting, NHS members have the right to leave the study hall at any time during the period provided they tell the teacher their destination in the school where they may be reached, and their destination is one of the following approved areas.
(b) The NHS membership card can replace the need for a blue pass when passing through the halls of GHS between the approved areas.
2. The following is a list of approved areas:
(a) guidance
(b) library
(c) locker
(d) lavatory
(e) any class with prior permission from that teacher
(f) cafeteria or lobby
(g) computer lab
Section 8
Restrictions
1. No member may wander the halls aimlessly, nor wait outside of a classroom or gymnasium.
2. No member may leave school grounds.
3. No member may use these privileges as an excuse for lateness to class.
Article XII – Provisions for Amending the Bylaws.
Section 1
The entire chapter, Faculty Council, Advisor(s), and administration will approve any changes before they become the law of the organization.
Section 2
These bylaws 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 month prior to the vote.
Section 3
By-laws and amendments must be consistent with the Constitution of the National Honor Society.
Article XIV – Emblem
Section 1
Each member of this chapter who is in good standing with regard to the membership standards and member obligations shall have the privilege of wearing the emblem adopted by the National Honor Society.
Section 2
Any member who withdraws, resigns, or is dismissed from the chapter shall return the emblem to the chapter.
Section 3
Chapter members who are seniors in good standing shall be granted the privilege of wearing the honor stole at graduation along with receiving the emblem on their diploma.
DASA: http://p1232.nysed.gov/dignityact/documents/DASACodeofConductGuidance.pdf