National Junior Honor Society
Highland Junior High School Chapter Bylaws
Article I – Name and Purpose
Section 1: The name of this organization shall be the Highland Junior High
School chapter of the National Junior Honor Society.
Section 2: The purpose of the Highland Junior High School chapter of the
National Junior Honor Society shall be to create enthusiasm for scholarship, to stimulate
desire to render service, to promote leadership in both the school and community
environments, to develop character, and to encourage citizenship in its members.
Article II – Definition of Membership
Section 1: Members must be in eighth grade.
Section 2: Members must have earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.8 in
their seventh grade year.
Section 3: Members must complete an application in which they state their
interest in NJHS. They must also provide three letters of recommendation: two from
teachers and one from a member of the community.
Section 4: Active members must maintain a grade point average of 3.8, complete
9 hours of community service per semester, and serve on at least one group service
project committee.
Article III – Executive Council
Section 1: At the first meeting of the school year, all members will be invited to
run for a position on the NJHS Executive Council. Positions include President, VicePresident, Secretary, Treasurer, and Parliamentarian.
Section 2: Members interested in a position on the Executive Council must fill
out an application expressing their interest. They must also verify their current grades
with each teacher and obtain two teacher recommendations.
Section 3: Upon completion of their application, candidates must deliver a speech
to the general membership.
Section 4: NJHS members will vote by secret ballot for the candidates of their
choice. Ballots will be tabulated by the chapter adviser. A majority vote will determine
each officer.
Section 5: Duties and responsibilities of each officer are as follows:
PRESIDENT: A good president is a motivator, an inspirer, a manager, and a teacher.
The president of any organization is also its leader, and you will quickly realize that
people depend on you. This does not mean, though, that you are responsible for
everything. A good president will help create and maintain balance among other officers
and the general membership.
As president, you are responsible for reminding members of the “big picture” –
what our organization is all about. NJHS promotes academic achievement, community
service, leadership, and character. You will be a successful president if you can model
the kinds of behaviors you expect to see in others. Your actions are highly visible, so it is
important for you to be organized and committed.
Some of the President’s duties include:
 Preparing agendas for membership meetings
 Leading membership meetings
 Turning in President’s Reports to the sponsor each month (these include typed
report of the month’s events and meetings as well as typed plans for the following
month’s meetings)
 Overseeing and helping all other positions
 Leading service projects
 Delegating responsibilities for projects
VICE-PRESIDENT: The vice president shares, with the president, the responsibility of
supervising the organization. Much like a president, a vice president is a leader and a
motivator.
As vice president of NJHS, you must be an example of the organization’s
standards of academic excellence, community service, leadership, and character.
Some of the Vice President’s duties include:
 Creating reports of service projects or events after completion. These reports
include:
o Project/event title
o Goals of project/event
o Summary of monetary cost or gain
o Description of who or what the project/event benefited
o List of committee members involved
o Reflection of success of project/event
 Creating lists of places around the community where members can complete
service hours.
 Monitoring the progress of members (service hours)
 Assisting president in planning and delegating responsibility
 Overseeing committees
 Leading meetings in the president’s absence
SECRETARY: As with all other members of the NJHS Executive Council, the secretary
is a leader and is expected to uphold the society’s values. Along with those
responsibilities, the secretary must have exceptional organizational and listening skills
and attention to detail.
Some of the Secretary’s duties include:
 Keeping attendance records
 Maintaining correspondence (thank you notes, communication with community
organizations, etc.)
 Keeping written minutes during executive and general meetings. These minutes
must then be typed
 Maintaining the NJHS information bulletin board
 Maintaining the executive council book
TREASURER: The treasurer is responsible for maintaining complete and accurate
accounts and plans. Careful bookkeeping is necessary in any organization. As a member
of the executive council, the treasurer must demonstrate good leadership qualities,
commitment to academic achievement, service to the community, and outstanding
character.
Some of the Treasurer’s duties include:
 Maintaining NJHS balance sheets
 Communicating with school secretary regarding the NJHS account
 Creating income/expense summary reports
 Getting approval for and signing purchase orders
PARLIAMENTARIAN: The parliamentarian is responsible for understanding the NJHS
Constitution and Bylaws, as well as the rules of the school and the district. This position
is also responsible for preventing the chapter from breaking any rules during the creation
and execution of service projects and fund raisers. In a way, the parliamentarian acts as
the police officer, judge, and researcher for the chapter.
Along with the responsibilities of upholding the NJHS values, the parliamentarian
must have excellent listening skills. Along with ensuring that proper procedures are
followed in all meetings and events, the parliamentarian is also in charge of public
relations for NJHS. Along with the secretary, the parliamentarian creates newspaper and
newsletter items so that the public is aware of our activities.
Some of the Parliamentarian’s duties include:
 Studying and understanding the NJHS Constitution and Bylaws
 Studying and understanding the school and district rules
 Ensuring proper procedures are followed at meetings
 Communicating with the public via school newspapers and newsletters
Article IV – Meetings
Section 1: General membership meetings will be held once per month. Times
and locations will be determined by the group.
Section 2: Members must attend all general membership meetings in order to
remain a member in good standing.
Section 3: Parliamentary procedure will be followed in all meetings. That
procedure will be enforced by the NJHS Parliamentarian.
Article V – Group Service Project Committees
Section 1: All members must serve on one group service project committee.
Section 2: Group service projects will be determined by a vote of the general
membership.
Section 3: Committee meeting times and locations will be determined by the
committee members.