King William High School
Chapter of the National Honor Society
80 Cavalier Drive
King William, VA 23086
Mrs. Kimberly H. Hicks, Chapter Adviser
CHAPTER BYLAWS
NAME AND PURPOSE
The name of the organization shall be the King William High School Chapter of the
National Honor Society. 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 of King William High School.
AFFILIATION
The King William High School Chapter of the National Honor Society is affiliated with
the National Honor Society. It shall be governed by the Constitution set forth by the
National Council. In addition, the King William High School Chapter of the National
Honor Society shall have a set of bylaws.
MEMBERSHIP
Membership in local chapters is an honor bestowed upon students. 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. Induction into the National Honor Society shall be done at a
special ceremony. The members who are seniors in good standing are eligible to be
nominated by their chapters to compete in the National Honor Society Scholarship
Program. A National Honor Society member who transfers to King William High School
and brings a letter of recommendation from the former principal or chapter adviser to the
new school adviser shall be accepted automatically as a member in the King William
Chapter. Transfer students must meet the new chapter’s standards within one semester in
order to retain membership. Members who resign or are dismissed are never again
eligible for membership or its benefits.
SELECTION OF MEMBERS
Standards of membership in the King William High School Chapter of the National
Honor Society must conform to the general features laid down by the National
Constitution. They have been agreed upon by members of the faculty council and by the
administration of King William High School. In order to be eligible for membership in
the King William High School Chapter of the National Honor Society, the candidate must
be a member of the junior class or the senior class. Candidates must have been in
attendance at King William High School the equivalent of one semester. Transfer
students may have this requirement waived if proper recommendation from the previous
school principal or chapter adviser is provided. Candidates must have a cumulative
scholastic average of at least 3.3 (on a 4.0 scale) or the equivalent standard of excellence.
Candidates shall then be evaluated on the basis of service, leadership and character.
Student guidance and disciplinary records may be reviewed to determine character. The
selection of each member to the chapter shall be by a majority vote of the Faculty
Council. A description or the selection procedure shall be published in a school
publication that is widely available in a timely fashion to all students and parents of the
school. This selection procedure includes the following steps:
1. Student records shall be reviewed for eligibility. Students who have a 3.3 cumulative
grade point average shall be eligible for admittance. Any students who have ever been
disciplined for flagrant violations as outlined in the dismissal section of the bylaws or in
the school policy or civil laws shall not be admitted to the National Honor Society. If a
student has received two or more major referrals, as defined in the dismissal section of
the bylaws, they shall not be admitted. Any student who has received a total of three or
more referrals, a combination of major or minor referrals or all minor referrals, shall not
be admitted.
2. Students who are eligible scholastically and meet the disciplinary stipulations shall be
notified and told that for further consideration for selection they will have to complete the
Student Activity Information Form.
3. If information from additional faculty members other than those making up faculty
council would be beneficial, all faculty members may make comments on candidates.
However, actual selection shall be made by the appointed faculty council members.
4. The Student Activity Information Form shall be reviewed by the Faculty Council along
with any other verifiable information, such as guidance or disciplinary records, about
each candidate. Some faculty councils may wish to interview candidates personally.
5. Candidates will be scored quantitatively by the faculty council according to their
individual accomplishments and not by comparison to other candidates.
DISMISSAL
Members who fall below the standards that were a basis for their selection shall be
promptly warned by the chapter adviser and given a reasonable time to correct the
deficiency. In the case of flagrant violation of school rules or civil laws, a member shall
not necessarily receive a warning.
Flagrant violations and the consequences for these include the following:
1. Integrity violation such as cheating, stealing or plagiarism shall be cause for automatic
dismissal from the National Honor Society. The Faculty Council will meet and be made
aware of the intent of the adviser to send a letter of dismissal, but no vote must be taken
for this to occur. Appeals of the dismissal may be made to the principal.
2. Members who are expelled from school shall be subject to a Faculty Council hearing
for cause for dismissal.
3. Possession and/or distribution of drugs, alcohol or tobacco products in the school or on
school grounds shall be subject to a Faculty Council hearing for cause for dismissal.
4. Possession of firearms, electronic devices, beepers or other explosive or dangerous
objects shall be subject to a Faculty Council hearing for cause for dismissal.
Major referrals include the following:
1. Skipping classes
2. Disrespect
3. Fighting
4. Defiance
5. Cursing teachers, administrators, school staff members, or others.
The first major referral will automatically result in a warning from the adviser and a letter
that the student is on probationary status. A second major referral will result in a Faculty
Council hearing for cause for dismissal.
Minor referrals include the following:
1. Excessive tardies
2. Disruptive behavior
Other disciplinary concerns shall be under review by the Faculty Council to determine
the consequence for the member. These concerns include excessive referrals to the office
or other disciplinary matters. Where referrals are concerned, one shall result in probation
and the second shall result in dismissal. If a student receives two referrals of any kind
during the time that they attend King William High School, once being inducted into the
National Honor Society, they shall be subject to a Faculty Council hearing for cause for
dismissal, just as in section 1 of flagrant violations. Explanations of some of these various
offenses are included in the student-parent handbook and are in conjunction with the
King William County Public Schools Code of Conduct. The administrative head, with
the approval of the adviser and Faculty Council, may place a member on probation or
drop him/her from membership for moral or disciplinary reasons that are deemed
sufficient. If a member is dismissed from the National Honor Society, he/she is never
again eligible for membership or its benefits. Members who behave inappropriately or in
a manner that does not reflect well upon the high school or community may be placed on
probation. Continued inappropriate behavior may result in dismissal from the National
Honor Society. The chapter adviser and the faculty council will decide if enough
warnings have been issued or if dismissal is necessary. If a student is liable for dismissal,
a hearing will be held to determine if dismissal is warranted.
CHAPTER OFFICERS
The officers of the King William High School Chapter of the National Honor Society will
include president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, parliamentarian, and
historian/reporter. The duties of each officer are as follows:
President: to preside at meetings, to appoint the committees of the chapter, to represent
the organization when necessary, and to administer the policies as laid down in the
Constitution and these bylaws.
Senior Vice-President: to preside at meetings when the president is absent or unable to
perform the duties of his/her office and to assist in administering the affairs of this
chapter.
Junior Vice-President: to be in training for the position of president for the following
academic year.
Secretary: to keep the records of membership, to record the minutes of the meetings, and
to carry on the necessary correspondence.
Treasurer: to keep a record of all financial matters pertaining to the organization, to
collect and preserve the chapter’s funds, to pay out of the chapter’s funds the necessary
and designated money to meet the financial obligations of the chapter, and to pass on to
the treasurer succeeding him/her all the records and funds remaining in the treasury.
Parliamentarian: to make sure that meetings are conducted according to Robert’s Rules of
Order, Newly Revised.
Historian/Reporter: to keep a scrapbook of the chapter’s activities and to publicize the
activities of the chapter. This officer will be responsible for supplying press releases
about the chapter’s activities.
Officers are to be elected by a majority of the chapter members. If an officer is placed on
probation, or is dismissed from the chapter, the office that he/she holds is to be declared
vacant by the sponsor. An election is to be held at the next meeting of the club following
the declaration of the vacancy.
MEETINGS
Meetings shall be held monthly. These meetings may be held during the school day or
after school hours. Any month when a meeting is not needed, they may be cancelled or
postponed until necessary. Special meetings may be called by the president with the
approval of the chapter adviser and the officers of the club. The chapter adviser and/or
school administrator may also call special meetings. Members are expected to attend 75%
of all meetings and fulfill the requirements for all individual and group service activities,
or they will not graduate as a member in good standing, with the right to wear the honor
stole and tassel. Students who miss one or two meetings will receive an attendance
warning letter from the chapter adviser. When a third meeting is missed, the student is
subject to a hearing before faculty council for cause for dismissal.
ACTIVITIES
Each chapter shall determine one or more service projects for each year. All members
shall regularly participate in these projects. These projects shall have the following
characteristics: fulfill a need within the school or community; have the support of the
administration and faculty; be appropriate and educationally defensible; and be well
planned, organized, and executed. Examples of suitable projects are included in the
National Honor Society Handbook. Any member not participating in each chapter
service project shall receive two additional hours of community service along with a
warning letter. If a member reaches two offenses, he/she is subject to a hearing
before faculty council for dismissal. All members must complete a minimum of ten
service hours per semester, to be recorded and documented by the senior vice-president
and the chapter adviser. This is in addition to chapter projects to which all members must
contribute. Each chapter will publicize its projects in a positive manner.
DUES
The annual individual member dues paid to the chapter shall be twenty-five dollars for
new members and ten dollars for returning members. Dues must be paid by the end of
September by returning members and prior to induction by the new members.
OFFICIAL INSIGNIA
This chapter shall use the official insignia of the National Honor Society. The motto of
the National Honor Society shall be “Noblesse Oblige”. The official colors are blue and
gold. Members shall be entitled to wear this emblem. Members interested in purchasing
insignia may do so. A member who resigns or is dismissed shall return the emblem to the
chapter adviser.
AMENDMENTS
The bylaws of the King William High School Chapter of the National Honor Society may
be amended by the chapter adviser and the Faculty Council. The administration of the
school may also have input concerning these amendments. A majority vote of the Faculty
Council shall be needed to amend these bylaws.
These bylaws were adopted in May 2004.
Amended, January 2012.