Bacon Academy

The name of this chapter shall be "The Bacon Academy chapter of the National Honor Society.”

The purpose of this chapter is to foster and promote the ideals of scholarship, leadership, character and service, both at Bacon Academy and the community at large.

1. This chapter operates in full compliance with and under the umbrella of the National Constitution of the NHS.
2. This chapter will retain active affiliation with the parent organization noted above, and will remain an active member of said organization by paying annual dues and by adhering to these bylaws.
3. Final authority on all activities and decisions regarding this chapter will reside with the school principal.
4. As delegated by the principal, the faculty advisor will supervise the administration of chapter activities.
5. Nondiscrimination: Our chapter of the National Honor Society maintains policies and practices that are designed to prevent discrimination against any qualified candidate or member on the basis of race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, and disability. This policy of nondiscrimination applies to all practices, including the chapter administration and the selection, discipline, and dismissal of members.

1) Membership in this chapter is an honor bestowed upon deserving students by the faculty and shall be based on the criteria of scholarship, service, leadership, and character.

2) Eligibility:

• A. Candidates eligible for selection to this chapter must be members of the junior or senior class.
• B. In order to be eligible for selection to this chapter, the candidate must have been enrolled for a period equivalent to one semester at Bacon Academy.
• C. Initial eligibility for selection to the chapter shall be determined by grade point average. Per the national organization's rules, the minimum threshold shall never be lower than 3.50, and that number may be higher, at the discretion of the faculty council for this chapter. As of the date posted on this document, our chapter threshold for scholarly eligibility is 4.00 or higher.
• D. Upon meeting the grade level, enrollment, and GPA standards, candidates shall then be considered based on evidence of their service, leadership, and character

1) The selection of members to this chapter shall be conducted by a majority vote of the selection committee, which shall also be known as the faculty council. This committee will be comprised of five faculty members appointed by the faculty advisor and approved by the principal. The chapter adviser shall serve merely as a sixth, non-voting, ex officio member of the faculty council.
2) The selection of active members shall be held once a year during the first semester of the school year.

3) Prior to the final selection, the following shall occur:

A. Students' academic records shall be reviewed to determine scholastic eligibility.
B. All students who are eligible scholastically (i.e., candidates) shall be notified and invited to complete and submit their candidacy materials for further consideration. Explicit details regarding composition and submission of those materials will be included with notification of eligibility, but in general will ask for evidence of the three remaining required categories of leadership, service and character. Candidates may choose not to provide these materials, thereby opting to remove themselves from consideration for selection.
C. The faculty shall be provided a list of scholastically eligible candidates prior to the meeting of the faculty, and they will be invited to provide more information regarding the candidates.
D. The faculty council shall review the candidate information forms, faculty input, and other relevant information to determine those who fully meet the selection criteria for membership.

4) Candidates who are not selected will be notified by mail, and this notification will include a brief explanation of the decision, including reference to the category or categories that did not meet the rigorous standards for selection.

5) Appeals shall be limited to those who, due to hardship or extenuating circumstances, would have benefitted from more time to prepare their materials. The school principal and the faculty advisor will determine if extra time shall be granted, and if so, the faculty council will reconsider the entirety of the candidate's submissions, including all new materials. Decisions after this point are final.

6) Candidates become members when inducted at a special ceremony.

7) An active member of the National Honor Society who transfers to this school will be automatically accepted for membership in this chapter, with the following proviso: The faculty council shall grant to the transferring member one semester to attain the membership requirements (including Grade Point Average) and, thereafter, this member must maintain those requirements for this chapter in order to retain his/her membership

1) Each member of this chapter who is in good standing with regard to the membership standards and member obligations shall be entitled to wear the emblem adopted by the National Honor Society.

2) Any member who withdraws, resigns, or is dismissed from the chapter shall return the emblem to the chapter.

3) Chapter members who are seniors in good standing shall be granted the privilege of wearing the honor cords at graduation.

4) All members of the chapter shall be responsible for completing at least ten hours of community service per semester. Community service shall be documented by the student and submitted to the chapter advisor at the end of each semester.

5) Each member will provide payment of $10.00 dues for each year of membership. These monies will be used solely for the administration of the chapter or for contribution to a scholarship.

6) Each member is required to participate in at least one fundraising activity each year. The activity shall be designed by the student members, and participation must meet or exceed one hour in duration (in total, if spread out over multiple fundraising events). Alternatively: any NHS member may elect to pay an additional amount equal to the membership dues listed above. In return, said student will be exempted from the fundraising requirement.

1: The officers of the chapter shall include, at a minimum, President and Vice President. Should it be warranted, a secretary and treasurer may also be elected by the active membership, and other elected positions may be considered (for example, at the time of creation of this document, Bacon Academy's chapter includes a Public Relations Officer.)

2: Student officers shall be elected at or before the last meeting of each school year. All returning members in good standing with the chapter are eligible to run for a position as an officer provided they have:

• A) Been nominated by another active member, and
• B) Written an essay (minimum 300 words) explaining their motivation and qualifications, and submitted said document to the Faculty Advisor.

3. Voting shall be conducted by secret ballot. 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.

4: It shall be the duty of the president to preside at the meetings of the chapter, and serve as the official representative of the chapter at school and community functions.

5: The vice president(s) shall preside in the absence of the president and shall also keep a record of members' contributions to leadership and service.

6: Other officers, if elected, may assume specific duties as coordinated with the Faculty Advisor.

1: Regular meetings of this chapter shall be conducted as needed. Special meetings can be called by the president with approval of the adviser.

2: Members are expected to attend all chapter meetings.

1:The chapter shall determine one or more service projects for each year.

2: All members shall regularly participate in these projects.

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.

4: The chapter shall publicize and promote its projects in a positive manner.

5: A recurrent service project of the chapter shall include tutoring. All members are expected to make themselves available for tutoring when those opportunities arise throughout the school year.

1: Any member who falls below the standards of scholarship, service, leadership, or character may be considered for disciplinary action. Discipline may include-but is not limited to-probationary status, removal from chapter officership (if applicable), or dismissal from the Bacon Academy 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.

2: If a member's cumulative grade point average falls below the standard in effect when he/she was selected, then he/she will be given a written warning and a reasonable time 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, up to and including dismissal from the chapter.

3: Violations of the law or school regulations can result in immediate consideration of the dismissal of a member (see Section 5 below). These violations include, but are not limited to DWI, stealing, destruction of property, cheating, truancy, or possession, selling, or being under the influence of drugs or alcohol at school or school-related activities or in the community.

4: Offenders of the school conduct code (such as use of profanity, failure to comply, unexcused absences, excessive tardiness, etc.) will receive written warning notification. A conference may be requested by either party (faculty council or student/parent). Further violations of the school conduct code may be grounds for dismissal.

5: Chapter officers, as representatives of the chapter, can be removed from their positions as a consequence of disciplinary action taken by the faculty council.

6: In all cases of pending dismissal:

• A. The member will receive written notification from the adviser/faculty council indicating the reason for consideration of dismissal.
• B. The member has the right to respond to the charge(s) at a hearing before the faculty council prior to any vote on dismissal (in accordance with due process identified in Article X of the National Constitution). The member has the opportunity to present his/her defense either in person or via a written statement presented in lieu of the face-to-face hearing. Following the hearing, 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 presented to the principal for review, and then stated in a letter sent to the student and parents. 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 according to provisions of the school district discipline policies.
• E. A member who is dismissed or resigns may never again be considered for membership in the National Honor Society.

7: In lieu of dismissal, the faculty council may impose disciplinary sanctions upon a member as deemed appropriate.

1: These bylaws will be approved upon receiving a two-thirds affirmative vote of all active members of the chapter, a majority affirmative vote of the faculty council, and approval by the administration.

2: These bylaws shall be reviewed and (if necessary) revised within five years from the date of approval noted on this document.