National Honor Society

Eisenhower Chapter of the National Honor Society By-Laws

ARTICLE I: NAME AND PURPOSE

Section 1. The name of this chapter shall be the Eisenhower Chapter of the National Honor Society of Secondary Schools.

Section 2. The object of this chapter shall be to create an enthusiasm for scholarship, to stimulate a desire to render service, to promote worthy leadership, and to encourage the development of character in students of Mill Valley High School.

ARTICLE II: MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Membership in this chapter shall be known as active and graduate. Active members become graduate members at graduation. The graduate members have no vote.

Section 2. 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.

Section 3. To be eligible for selection to membership in this chapter, the candidate must have been in attendance for a period of one semester at Mill Valley High School.

Section 4. Candidates eligible for election to this chapter must be members of the sophomore, junior or senior class. Candidates eligible for election to the chapter shall have a minimum grade point average of 3.7 (starting at the 2023 membership selection processes) for sophomores, juniors and seniors (out of 4.0; unweighted grade point average). This scholastic level of achievement shall remain fixed, and shall be the required minimum scholastic level of achievement for admission to candidacy. All students who can rise in scholarship to or above such a standard may be admitted to candidacy for selection to membership. Their eligibility shall then be considered based on their service, leadership and character.

ARTICLE III: SELECTION OF MEMBERS

Section 4. An active member of the National Honor Society who transfers to another school will be given a letter indicating the status of his/her membership and signed by the Principal or Faculty Sponsor. 

Section 5. An active member of the National Honor Society who transfers to Mill Valey will be automatically accepted for membership in this chapter upon proof of good standing, provided in writing from a former Principal, Counselor, or Faculty Sponsor. This transfer member will attain the required standards established in chapter by-laws within one semester and then maintain the membership requirements for this chapter in order to retain his/her membership.

ARTICLE IV: DISMISSAL

Section 1. Any member who falls below the standards of scholarship, leadership, character, or service may be dismissed from the Eisenhower Chapter of the National Honor Society. A member of the National Honor Society is expected to maintain an active role in service and leadership to his/her school and community.

Section 2. If a member’s cumulative grade point average falls below the standard in effect when he/she was selected, he/she will be given written warning and a time period of improvement. If the cumulative grade point average remains below the standard, at the end of the warning period, the student may be dismissed from the chapter.

Section 3. Violation of criminal law or school regulations can result in dismissal of a member. 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.

Section 4. Offenders of the school conduct code (such as use of profanity, failure to comply, unexcused absence, excessive tardiness, etc.) will receive a written warning notification. A conference may be requested by either party (executive board or student/parent). If the member is involved in another violation of the school conduct code, the member may be dismissed.

Section 5. Failure to attend the required number of meetings and activities (as listed in membership contract) will result in a written warning, including the member’s attendance rate and the consequences of not raising it back to the required number, while the student is in probationary standing. If the member fails to meet their probationary requirements, dismissal proceedings will occur. 

Section 6. In the case of pending dismissal:
a. The member will receive written notification of the reason for possible dismissal from the adviser/Faculty Council. The member and adviser may discuss the written notification in a conference.
b. The member will be offered a hearing with the Faculty Council prior to dismissal (in accordance with due process identified in the National Constitution). The member has the opportunity to present his/her defense. The Faculty Council will then vote on whether to dismiss, place on probation, or resume normal membership standing. 
c. A letter of dismissal will be sent to the student and parents if the student is dismissed. Dismissed members must surrender any membership emblems to the adviser.
d. The member may appeal to the Faculty Council’s decision to the Principal.
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.

Section 7. In lieu of dismissal, the Faculty Council may impose disciplinary sanctions upon a member as deemed appropriate.

ARTICLE V: OFFICERS

Section 1. The officers of the chapter shall be president and vice president. Other officer positions maybe put in place upon approval of the Faculty Sponsors. 

Section 2. Student officers shall be elected at the last meeting of each school year. All returning members are eligible to run for a position as an officer.

Section 3. It shall be the duty of the president to preside at the meetings for this chapter.

Section 4. The vice-president shall preside in the absence of the president and shall also keep a record of members’ contributions to leadership and service.

ARTICLE VI: EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Section 1. The executive committee shall consist of the faculty adviser and the chapter officers.

Section 2. The executive committee shall have general charge of the meetings and the business of the chapter, but any action by the executive committee is subject to the review of the chapter members.

ARTICLE VII: MEETINGS

Section 1. Meetings of this chapter shall never exceed once a week. Officer meetings shall be held in advance, in order to plan for the upcoming meeting.

Section 2. This chapter shall conduct its meetings according to Robert’s Rules of Order.

Section 3. All members must attend a specific number of meetings and activities (see membership contract), arriving on time to both. If a member is more than 2 minutes late, this may be considered a tardy. The accumulation of two tardies becomes equal to one  absence. A tardy of 15 minutes or more may be counted as an absence. There are no official excused versus unexcused absences. Discretion on appropriate reasons for absence is left to the executive committee. 

ARTICLE VIII: ACTIVITIES

Section 1. The chapter shall require a minimum of attendance at 2 group events for service hours. Group events must be provided by and approved by the executive committee and be posted online for membership. 

Section 2. Each member shall have the responsibility for choosing and participating in individual and group event service hours, which reflect his or her particular talents and interests, as approved by the Faculty Sponsor. 

ARTICLE IX: DUES

Section 1. Dues for this chapter shall be $15 for membership and $25 for an optional graduation stole. 

Section 2. Dues will be payable to the chapter treasurer within 30 days of induction. Failure to pay the required dues may result in dismissal. 

ARTICLE XI: AMENDMENTS

Section 1. These by-laws may be amended by a 2/3 vote of the chapter, provided notice of the proposed amendment had been given to members at least one month prior to vote. The exceptions are Article III and IV which are developed by the Faculty Council with the approval of the principal.

Section 2. By-laws and amendments must be consistent with the Constitution of the National Honor Society.

The basis to which this organization was founded upon and the characteristics that each member strives to emulate in their everyday lives, are defined by members of Mill Valley High School's chapter.

Leadership means the influence you have on people to do something extraordinary. A leader is someone that is not afraid to stand by their decision even if no one else is standing by them. They have a drive to change the world into something better. A leader is that person everyone looks to for advice, confidence and a smile. They're someone who overcomes obstacles each day, not for themselves, but to better the lives of those around them. A leader is made up of the other four pillars of National Honor Society: service, character, scholarship and citizenship. Being a leader is having an innate belief that the sky is never the limit.

Scholarship is not about being the most skilled or intellectual person. It is about having an intellectual curiosity that drives one to not only enjoy learning new things, but to also have the persistence and integrity to apply oneself to understanding difficult concepts. Through hard work, you strive to become a more educated individual that is better suited to initiating positive changes in society.

Character means having the qualities of honesty, courage, integrity or similar traits. Honesty requires you to display fairness in all activities and situations, even when it means losing or experiencing a negative outcome. Courage involves showing honesty with confidence and resolve, even in the face of opposition. Integrity is having the courage to stand by your morals despite peer pressure and competing interests. Character is not something that can be taught, but rather something that must be modeled through example.

Service is to help another by performing an action or work for someone else, according to Meriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. Community service is an essential part of the National Honor Society. Each member of NHS strives to provide service to the surrounding communities in order to benefit those around them, a necessity in society today. Service is not just to satisfy a requirement set by NHS, or for college applications, but to help another through reaching out to them, a value that can never afford to be lost within society.