Constitution and By-laws

The HAWKS Honor Association of Newtown High School (HHA)

Constitution and By-Laws

Preamble: The HAWKS Honor Association is dedicated to serving and bettering Newtown High School for all students and faculty. Members are held to the highest of standards, which they are expected to actively maintain throughout their membership in the organization.

Article I -- Purpose

Section 1: The Name of organization shall be:

The HAWKS Honor Association of Newtown High School (HHA)

Section 2: Purpose of the Guidance Honor Association

HHA is a community service based organization, dedicated to service at Newtown High School. Throughout the year, members assist with a variety of school functions including parent-teacher conferences, “The Middle School Panel”, Awards Night, coordinating the Newtown High School Activity Book, etc, and lending help wherever it is needed in our school community.

Article II -- Organization of Authority

Section 1: Governing Body

The elected officers (see Section II. 3) will serve as the governing body and policy making body for HHA. The officers will be in constant communication with the faculty advisor to make all final decisions regarding HHA’s policies, activities, membership requirements, etc.

Section 2: Composition of the Governing Body

Faculty Advisor —responsible for selecting meeting dates, securing a meeting location, and communicating with the officers on all activities.

President—responsible for running effective HHA meetings, brainstorming new activities, organizing activities, and communicating with officers, the faculty advisor, and the all HHA members.

Vice President—responsible for aiding the president in the aforementioned responsibilities; In the event that the president cannot be present at a HHA meeting, the vice president assumes the role and responsibilities of president.

Treasurer—responsible for receiving and disbursing all HHA funds and communicating with all officers and HHA members regarding the status of the funds.

Secretary—responsible for taking minutes during meetings, notifying all HHA members of meetings (via email), recording attendance at HHA meetings and events, contacting various persons in relation to the society, and communicating with the officers and all members of HHA.

Section 3: Election of Officers

At the end of each school year, new officers (President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary) will be selected by the faculty advisor to serve for the coming school year. Officers will be selected based off academic success (GPA must be an 85 or above) and prior participation in many (if not all) HHA activities since becoming a member. All candidates must be nominated by a HHA member, submit one recommendation from a teacher, and submit a personal statement answering the question: “Why am I the best HHA member to fill this officer position?” Nominations for HHA officers may be submitted during the month of May, and all selected officers will be notified by the end of the school year.

Article III— Expectations for Members

Section 1: Meetings

HHA will hold monthly meetings. The meetings will be held immediately following the end of the school day. Meetings are designed to be concise and to the point. Therefore, attendance is mandatory. Attendance will be taken at each meeting. If a member misses two meetings (without notifying an officer that they will not be in attendance due to an extenuating circumstance), their membership in HHA will be reconsidered.

Section 2: Membership

Because HHA strives to represent exemplary students at NHS, membership for HHA will be determined by application only. All members, both perspective and current, must either apply or re-apply for membership for HHA at the end of each school year. Applications are available online. Students who are currently enrolled in 10th, 11th, or 12th grade who have at least an 80 average with no failures in the previous semester may apply for membership for the following school year. All applicants will be notified over the summer if they are accepted.

Section 3: Expectations

HHA holds all members to the highest of standards. Therefore, all members of HHA are expected to maintain a GPA of at least 80 with no failures in the previous semester. HHA members must attend mandatory monthly meetings. Additionally, members must participate in HHA activities throughout the school year. In order to keep a high level of involvement among all HHA members, each member must sign-up for and attend at least 3 activities per semester. If extenuating circumstances arise that keep a member from attending the required number of activities, they must contact the faculty advisor immediately. Attendance is taken at all HHA activities, therefore, credit for being present at an event/ activity will not be given unless the student signs the attendance sheet.

When a HHA student signs-up to volunteer at an event, that HHA member is expected to be at that event. If a student is unable to attend an event he/she has signed-up to attend, that HHA member must find a replacement HHA member to stand in his/her place. If there are extenuating circumstances as to why a HHA member can not attend an event and a replacement has not been found, the advisor must be informed. If a HHAA student does not attend an event that he/she has signed-up for, does not find a replacement, and/or contact the HHA advisor, continued membership in HHA will be re-evaluated by the GHA advisor.

Section 4: Behavioral Expectations

HHA Members should demonstrate exemplary HAWKS behavior (Have Respect, Act Responsibly, Work with Honestly and Integrity, Keep High Expectations, Support the Community). Should the advisor of HHA feel that members are not upholding the behavioral expectations that HHA members should exemplify, then students may be put on probation and/or their membership may not be renewed.

The advisor of HHA has the ability to make decisions regarding student participation in HHA events. This decision can include, but is not limited to, behavior in class, behavior in school, and behavior towards other students.