Voyager Academy NHS Bylaws 2025-2026

Article I: Name

The name of this chapter shall be the Voyager Academy High School Chapter of the National Honor Society of Voyager Academy High School.

Article II: Purpose: 

The purpose 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 Voyager Academy High School.

Article III: Powers

Section 1: This chapter operates under the direction of and full compliance with, the NHS National Constitution. See www. nhs.us/constitutions.

Section 2: The chapter adviser is given the authority to supervise the administration of chapter activities, as delegated by the school principal.

Section 3: Final authority on all activities of the chapter resides with the school principal.

Section 4: Nondiscrimination. Our chapter of the NHS maintains policies and practices that are designed to prevent discrimination against any qualified candidate or member on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, or disability. This policy of nondiscrimination applies to all practices, including the chapter administration and the selection, discipline and dismissal of members.

Article IV: Membership

Section 1: Membership in this chapter is an honor. Active members will become graduate members upon graduation and will receive an NHS Honor Cord at graduation ceremonies.

Section 2: Membership Requirements

Academic

• Maintain a minimum 3.7 unweighted GPA as evaluated at the end of each semester.

• Must be current 10th -12th grader (must have been at Voyager for one semester prior to acceptance into NHS if we do not have GPA information from previous school)

Character

• Support, adhere to, and abide by the Voyager Academy Student Code of Conduct

• Support, adhere to, and abide by all Local, State, and Federal Laws

• Have no disciplinary actions

Meetings

• Attend NHS Meetings (may only miss 2 meetings per semester and documentation must be sent to advisor)

• Regularly Check School Email, NHS website, and Band group

• Attend or help prepare for the Fall Induction Ceremony.

Service (Minimum of 20 hours required)

• 20 hours of extracurricular tutoring and/or service hours consisting of, but not limited to, the following:

  • Elementary School’s Study Buddies Program

  • Middle School’s Brainy Buddies Program

  • Participation in the NHS Fall Service Activity during each year of membership

  • Participation in the NHS Spring Service Activity during each year of membership

Dues

Voyager Academy High School will collect $25 in fees per school year. 

• $20 NHS student membership dues

• $5 Materials fee 

The materials fee will go to cover the cost of NHS Induction certificates and pins. Any leftover funds will be applied to materials for our Fall Festival or Spring Fling booth.

Article V: Selection of Members

Section 1: The selection of members to this chapter is based on an evaluation of the students GPA, which is done at the end of the semester using the OVERGRAD system.

Section 2: Prior to final selection, the following shall occur:

• The Faculty Council will review all eligible students to ensure that only those who meet the NHS’s standards for Character, Scholarship, Leadership and Service are considered for membership.

• Faculty Council will recommend those candidates eligible for induction to the Advisers

  • Advisers will confirm candidates with administration

  • Advisers will send induction letters home with students

Section 3: Candidates become members when inducted at a special ceremony held in the fall.

Section 4: An active member of the National Honor Society who transfers from this school will be given an official letter indicating the status of his/her membership.

Section 5: An active member of the National Honor Society who transfers to this school will be automatically accepted for membership in this chapter. The student shall be granted one semester to attain the membership requirements and, thereafter, this member must maintain those requirements for this chapter in order to retain his/her membership.

Article VI: Obligations of Members

Section 1: Annual dues for this chapter shall be $25. Dues will be payable to the chapter by the stated due date on the induction letter.

Section 2: Each member of this chapter who is in good standing with regard to the membership standards and member obligations shall be granted the privilege to wear the emblem adopted by the National Honor Society.

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

Article VII: Officers

Section 1: The officers of the chapter shall be president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer. 

Section 2: Student officers shall be elected at the first meeting of the school year. All returning members in good standing with the chapter are eligible to run for a position as an officer. Any active member can nominate an eligible member as a candidate for office.

Section 3: Voting shall be 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.

Section 4: The President, a senior class member of NHS, serves a single term as vice president –elected during junior year– and serves a second term as president the following year. The President shall generally preside over full chapter and leadership meetings, and act as the public face of the organization both on campus and in the community. The President will work with student officers to create the bi-weekly meeting agenda. The President also manages and oversees major chapter activities and projects, committee work, and individual service projects and attendance. It is the President’s responsibility to ensure that all aspects of the process are happening on a timely, consistent, and regular basis, requiring significant organization, dedication, and communication, and may relegate certain aspects of the position to the vice president with discretion.

Section 5: The Vice President shall preside in the absence of the President and shall also keep a record of members' contributions to leadership and service. The Vice President is a junior class member of NHS, serves a single term and then assumes the role of President the following school year, for a second term. The Vice President’s primary function is to serve as the official replacement should the president be unable to fulfill the responsibilities of that role, given problems or absences. The Vice President works closely with the President to fulfill the functions of the position (listed above), helping to create a productive and meaningful Honor Society. The Vice President helps to plan, organize, schedule, and oversee meetings and activities to make sure chapter work is completed in a timely, consistent manner on a regular basis, ensuring significant organization and communication.

Section 6: The Secretary may be a member of either class, and serves a single term. The Secretary‘s primary function is to keep and maintain accurate and detailed official records of all chapter business. The Secretary serves as the official correspondent for the chapter within the school and local community. The Secretary must be able to keep records and organization of agendas, and must work closely with the vice president and president in verifying all recorded information. The Secretary should be well-versed in meeting procedures, and must work well with the other student officers.

Section 7: The Treasurer may be a member of either class, and serves a single term. The Treasurer’s primary responsibility is to work closely and maintain accurate records of all financial transactions of the chapter and periodically report a summary of these transactions at meetings (specifically, money raised by chapter events, standing committees, etc. and where proceeds are donated in the event of donations to charities).

Section 8: The Parliamentarian may be a member of either class, and serves a single term. The Parliamentarian is the ‘rule keeper’ of the NHS, whose goal is to ensure that all official chapter business, events, activities, meetings, etc. are orderly and civil, and that the chapter always operates according to its constitution and bylaws. The main function of the Parliamentarian is to advise the president on procedures during meetings and functions (the Parliamentarian cannot rule members out of order, or call for votes—jobs of the president or Vice President acting as President); however, the Parliamentarian , if noticing any violation in procedure, must notify the board so that the president may rule from the chair. It is imperative that the Parliamentarian study closely the chapter by-laws so as to be familiar with their contents, help plan meeting agendas so that they follow procedure, and work closely with the Secretary in establishing things like schedules, and chair any chapter revision committees should the need arise.

Section 9: The Historian may be a member of either class, and serves a single term. The primary responsibility of the Historian is to collect, preserve, and help publicize information that provides a clear and concise record of all chapter activities for the year, including things like meeting minutes for chapter meetings, committee reports, and event documentation. The Historian collects information including—but not limited to—membership rosters, contact information, meeting agendas, meeting minutes, event information, and physical records of events (i.e., pictures, media, etc.). 

The Historian also works closely with the Public Relations chair of the Chapter Council, and must work well collaboratively in regards to publication of chapter information for member and community consumption.

Section 10: The Public Relations Chair may be a member of either class, and will serve a single term. The Public Relations Chair should be able to work very closely and collaboratively with the Historian, as their jobs are inextricably linked—it is imperative that they have a good personal and professional relationship, and can dedicate time and effort to their project goals of recording and publicizing chapter information. The Public Relations Chair must be a creative individual with knowledge of technology and creative design, and have good interpersonal, social skills. The responsibility of this role is to ensure that all pertinent information be published for the chapter and community consumption. Information spread should be accurate, and disseminated throughout the system, including—but not limited to—the official school and chapter website(s), social media, Remind, newsletters, local newspapers (these final two should be done in conjunction with the Secretary, who is the acting liaison between the club and the general public), etc. This position greatly benefits from a knowledge of coding or software programs related to web design, creative processing, publishing, document design, and so on.

Section 11: In the event of a vacancy in an officer position a special election as stated in Section 3 will be held to fill the vacancy.

Section 12: Officers and the Faculty Advisers shall collectively be known as the chapter's Executive Committee. The committee shall establish annual goals for the chapter and have general charge of the meetings and the business of the chapter. Any action by the executive committee is subject to the review of the chapter members.

Article VIII: Meetings

Section 1: Regular meetings of this chapter shall be held on a bi-weekly basis on Tuesday mornings at 8 am in Commons. Special meetings can be called by the president with approval of the adviser.

Section 2: Officer meetings will be held the week before the scheduled general meeting to prepare the agenda for the upcoming meeting. Any officer may call a meeting sooner with the approval of the adviser.

Section 3: Members are expected to attend all chapter meetings, may only miss 2 meetings per semester before given a warning and placed on a probationary period of two months, at this time the member is now considered to be "not good standing" status with the NHS and will no longer be able to participate as a member on outings or be in the position of an officer if the absences continue the student will be removed from the NHS and will no longer be able to place NHS on college applications or receive honor cord at graduation. 

Section 4: This chapter shall conduct meetings according to the "10 Ground Rules for Meetings" shared on our website.

Article IX: Activities

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

Section 2: All members shall regularly participate in these projects.

Section 3: These projects shall have the following characteristics: fulfill a need within the school or community; have the support of the administration; be appropriate and educationally defensible; and be well-planned, organized, and executed.

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

Article X: Discipline and Dismissal of Members

Section 1: GPA's are evaluated at the end of each semester. Any member who falls below the GPA standard will be placed on probationary status from the Voyager Academy High School chapter of the National Honor Society for a time period of one semester.  Probationary status means that while a student remains a member, s/he is not considered in good standing and may not participate in NHS activities.   At the end of the probationary semester, the GPA will be re-evaluated. If it meets the requirements, the student is again in good standing, and participates in all NHS activities.  If the GPA does not meet the requirement at the end of the probationary semester, the student is no longer an NHS member.

Section 2: Violations of the law or school regulations will result in immediate dismissal from the NHS. 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.

Section 3: Violate Voyager Academy High School Code of Honor found by clicking the button above or visiting the high school website and exploring the student/parent handbook for more details.

Article XI: Ratification, Approval and Review

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

Section 2: These bylaws shall be reviewed and if necessary, revised within 1 year from the date of approval noted on this document.

Article XII: Amendments

These bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the chapter, provided notice of the proposed amendment has been given to members at least one month prior to the vote. The exceptions are Articles V and Articles X, which are developed by the adviser with the approval of the administration.

Voted as approved by Chapter on: Thursday, August 15, 2024